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Estate agents: are you as fed up as I am, watching the same old rent-a-gobs spout forth their views in the national property media?

Read The Sunday Times Home supplement, Bricks & Mortar in The Times, Homes & Property in the Standard,  and all those other supplements, and you’ll see the same old spokespeople being wheeled out, week in, week out.

In some cases, the people idly pontificating on property prices or producing the ‘research’ behind these stories have never even sold a house before. Their background is often the media and their knowledge is at best theoretical.

So why is it that most property articles in the newspapers regurgitate the thoughts of a handful of foppish property market experts and higher-end agents?

Aren’t the national media aware that there are more than a handful of estate agents who could give some insights into what’s happening? Why not ring a one-office agency in Crewe to get some new views, or a small chain in Birmingham who have never been in a ‘national’ before?

For God’s sake, just mix it up, but most importantly give us some new voices consistently rather than as a token mention.

OK, a small local agent might get a call when the one of the big national newspapers decides to do a ‘focus’ on their area, but when they want real opinions as to what’s happening in the broader market, they’ll call in the ‘real’ experts – those within the inner circle of the incestuous property elite.

This elitism within the property media is a problem. So why does it happen? There are a number of reasons, but here are a few.

Experts at smaller agencies will often be harder to get hold of, as they’re not sat by their desk waiting for the next call from a pal at The Times but are out doing valuations and experiencing the market in the flesh.


Bigger estate agencies produce research, case studies and data on a regular basis (can’t deny they’re good at it). They ‘drive’ stories and understandably get media coverage as a result.


Property journalists on the nationals, like most of us, are lazy bastards. I can say this with a fair amount of authority because I was a journalist myself for many years and know how these people work.


Journalists are under increasing pressure to produce content quickly, and media-trained rent-a-gobs can give them a soundbite quick. Basically, hacks will naturally gravitate towards the easy option. It’s human nature.


Bigger agencies generally employ internal and external communications people and PRs who schmooze the journalists, invite them to lunch and provide no end of corporate jollies.


Rank commercialism, i.e. you advertise big time, you’re more likely to get a call from editorial. And who, other than the big agencies, can afford to advertise in The Sunday Times, say?

It would be interesting to get your views on this? Am I alone in being bored to death at reading same-old, same-old in the property pages of the national media?

Dominic Hiatt is CEO of  ‘no coverage, no fee’ PR agency:

https://www.justintimepr.com

Comments

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    Have to say, I don’t entirely agree with this article – whilst yes, those agents with big research departments get a lot of column inches, the smaller agencies with good PR representation (that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg!), are equally well represented. Our estate agent clients – all one – two office estate agencies – LDG, W.A.Ellis, Haus Properties, are regularly featured in the press – national, local, trade and consumer (as well as broadcast). Of course the newspapers are only going to quote research from the larger agencies, because it’s based upon a large sample source. We know our clients can’t produce that kind of research, so find other creative ways of ensuring they are in-front of journalists - and most of the time, it works!

    • 18 February 2013 14:08 PM
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    I agree with you 100%. I get sick of reading of property predictions from Knight Frank and Savils saying prices are going through the roof and things have nether been better. They are distorting the news on what is really happening out there.

    • 18 February 2013 10:25 AM
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