This year there has been one subject that has polarised the views of the estate agent community time and again. Agents' Mutual's challenger portal - OnTheMarket - launches on January 26 and looks set to cause friction and encourage debate well beyond its launch date.
Agents' Mutual says it has signed up over 4,000 offices and a selection of agents who have signed up to OTM have already announced which portal they will be dropping in the New Year. However, all year there have been plenty of agents who remain undecided on their portal future.
In January we launched a Portal Wars Survey' inviting our readership to detail their intentions and give their thoughts on the biggest story of 2014. In September we relaunched the survey to see if and how any agents had changed their viewpoint.
Starting last week, we have been publishing some of your responses as well as the raw results to the questions in the survey. Combined, both surveys have attracted almost 2,000 responses and the free comment box has attracted over 350 comments over the last 12 months.
The first part of the survey looked at which of the two main portals agents would retain in order to advertise on the new portal, OnTheMarket. The second question of the survey - the subject of this article - asked participants if they were In, Out or On the fence when it comes to the Agents' Mutual proposition.
The results are as follows:
OnTheMarket: Are you In, Out or On the fence
January survey (870 responses)
In - 383 (44%)
Out - 213 (24%)
On the fence - 274 (32% )
September survey (993 responses)
In - 427 (43%)
Out - 253 (26%)
On the fence - 312 (31%)
And here are ten of the best comments (in chronological order) relating to this question:
Agents' Mutual is required to safe guard traditional estate agency.
17/01/2014
We do not need another portal. We need a representative body to negotiate with the two big portals.
07/02/2014
Agents' Mutual has been set up with the agents in mind, not their customers. Wrong tactic. The customer wants to know the fee they pay is giving them the greatest opportunity of finding a buyer, which means maximum exposure for their property. In selecting an Agents' Mutual estate agent, they are restricting their coverage. It gives agents who are not a member a great USP - 'we will advertise your property on all of the major portals, not just one. We are here to serve you, not our own selfish interests'
03/05/2014
Simple. Lose this and watch Rightmove's prices rocket. It's in our best interest that Agents' Mutual works and works well.
03/05/2014
It's a NO Brainer. If Estate Agents own the portal, which they will with OnTheMarket, then they can control and influence billing policy going forward. The other two have been squeezing the life out of agents for too long.
01/10/2014
OnTheMarket is not asking agents to choose between Rightmove and Zoopla, but just one other portal. It is also asking for a 5 year tie in, which would preclude any agent with OnTheMarket joining say Murdoch's new US acquisition MOVE, which will no doubt in due course launch here! I run my own business and do not appreciate other Companies telling me how I should run it!
01/10/2014
Both of these two giants are only interested in putting up prices every year. Can you tell me another successful business whose customers don't like it
01/10/2014
We are what is regarded as a hybrid' estate agency so, despite being invited to the first meetings, have not been offered the opportunity to consider OnTheMarket. Therefore, unless this decision is reconsidered, we will, of course, be doing all we can to persuade potential clients that Rightmove and Zoopla are the portals to be on and hope that it falls on its face.
02/10/2014
We welcome the ban of online agents on a major portal. I know most other agents in my area agree but time will tell. It certainly is helping all us agents negotiate with Righmove and Zoopla already, which we weren't able to do before. The consumer will find the properties they want over three portals so no issues there.
15/10/2014
OnTheMarket will be as successful as the agents want to make it. It fails if agents revert to the two man portals because their enquiries fall off in Jan/Feb - let's see it through, the buyers will go where the properties are.
23/10/2014
This series concludes with an article focusing on the third question of the survey, which asked for your opinion on the divisive one other portal rule
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