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Written by rosalind renshaw

The first use of social media as a specific platform for the proactive selling and letting of residential property is set for launch this month.

Entrepreneur Sohail Rashid has created a property application on Facebook that enables home owners, agents and landlords to advertise property for sale, rent and room-share via their Facebook profile.
 
The app is due to be launched later this month and is currently available in a beta version (see the link below), which Rashid says has already attracted more than 50 agents to sign up.

More agents seem likely to respond, via a database of 6,500 from Guardian Media Group, which produces best-selling estate agency software Vebra.

Rashid, 26, a former conveyancing lawyer turned marketer, said he got the idea for a Facebook property page after reading the OFT’s Home Buying & Selling report, which called for more innovation and transparency in the UK property market.

Rashid says he saw this as an opportunity to come up with something new by integrating the property searching process with the features of social media.
 
The beta version of Property Place already has over 400,000 properties on it, supplied by agents and also private landlords and sellers.

Rashid said that he fully expects the launch to be controversial, with agents objecting to being on the same page – literally – as private sellers and landlords.

He said: “I am expecting feedback from agents, although I have not had this so far. Agents have their heads in the sand that it will always be agents who sell and let properties, but the OFT report suggests differently.

“Rightmove will go the same way, through their Rightmove Places.”

He added, however, that his Property Place app will not challenge Rightmove – by being very different.

He said agents should accept that homes will be sold and let privately.

He said: “The whole point about Property Place is that it is a social networking page, available for all. It is an open network for both consumers and property professionals.”

The new service will charge £75 for private sellers as an ‘entry fee’ and will insist on property photos. It will charge agents no entry fee, but £50 per month to list up to 15 properties, and £150 to list up to 150 properties.

https://apps.facebook.com/propertyplace

Comments

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    @duncan dunlop
    I would be interested to know where exactly you (oodle) get our listings from because the data there is inaccurate and out of date.

    • 20 January 2012 10:33 AM
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    We, Oodle, have been running www.facebook.com/marketplace for over 4 years now.

    Not only can we offer Agents distribution through the largest commercial app on Facebook (12m+ users worldwide a month, 1m+ in UK) we can also add their inventory and clients recommendations to their Facebook page making it more engaging and compelling e.g. http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/John-Shepherd-Estate-Agents/157354354309413?sk=app_128581025231

    Agents interested on finding out more should contact duncan@corp.oodle.com

    • 16 January 2012 10:30 AM
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    Doesn't Facebook have enough money anyway? As for estate agents, MONEY FOR NOTHING. If the public have any sense they will do it themselves via Facebook or insist on having a free app or deleting their Facebook account. It is time to stop this blood sucking mentality and start giving. How many times do you pay to park your car in the same day? If we keep paying they keep charging. ENOUG HIS ENOUGH

    • 10 January 2012 08:20 AM
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    What's the difference between this app and hablib.com that launched in 2009?

    http://www.propertyportalwatch.com/2009/06/hablibcom-launching-in-august/

    Agents who are advertising are fools for helping to capitalise what is essentially a competitor. If they become popular enough, vendors won't bother with the agents. Agents--> short term gain, long term annihilation!

    • 09 January 2012 02:10 AM
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    who addresses this audience as "Guys" is off to a bad start. It paints a picture of David Brent character, nothing after that is going to have any credibility.
    As for the advice to get a life, I am certainly very content with the one I have thanks and I suspect that goes for the other regular posters.
    Do the comments and postings on EAT make a difference? Yes, for the 3 examples you have quoted here is why;

    Miles and the directors or RM have built up a good and successful business but as revealed through EAT the way they charge their customers hasn't been consistant or fair. Through the coverage that had on EAT most sensible agents talk to their competitors and go into negotiations with their Rightmove rep a little bit better informed.

    The MD of GMG bought 3 good business with 4 competing products each of which had a loyal customer bases of their own, Agents bought Core because they liked that product, they bought Vebra because they prefered that over Core, same with CFP and Premise. What has happened? with no regard for staff or customers all 4 products are being rolled into 1 and the whole thing is in terminal decline which benefits no-one.

    This bloke Rashid, we are served up the next wonder product and are simply pointing out why he aint going to be earning £975,000 per month from the GMG users.

    You have every right not to like what we write but don't question if it makes a difference. I personally know 1 company that saved themselves £150,000 an year as a result of a thread on EAT, I know a group MD who realised he was being taken for a mug by another and switched supplier as a result of a thread on here and I know of countless agents who are getting a more equitable deal as a result of EAT.

    It is not us who needs to concentrate on our businesses, the folk you mentioned would do well to pay very careful attention to the free speech available through EAT. Agents have a very long memory for those who do them wrong!

    • 08 January 2012 12:20 PM
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    This might be ok for the rental market, but I'm not sure people would want to highlight detailed information about where they live to they people they connect with online?

    There are many reasons for moving, but don't a significant number of people prefer to stay below the radar while they are testing the housing market?

    • 07 January 2012 17:21 PM
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    Jonnie - with your puerile and oafish language - I won't bother having a dialogue with you.

    • 07 January 2012 14:48 PM
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    I only know one of those people and have come across the other a few times. I understand why they are neither respected or liked.

    • 07 January 2012 13:52 PM
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    Guys you really need to get a life.
    Do you really think your rantings are making one blind bit of difference to anyone or actually making anysense - whether this be the the guy from this new Facebook app, the MD of GMG, Miles or any of the directors at Rightmove or anyone else you seem fit to slag off every day.
    If you focused on running your own businesses or even gettinig a job - then maybe you would not need to post such drivel all the time.

    • 06 January 2012 16:20 PM
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    How about he is the accidental MD of a software firm, he hates his job and his customers?

    The reason he has to spend so much time on here is to monitor the bad press his company is getting when they produce crappy apps or support hairbrain schemes

    • 06 January 2012 14:27 PM
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    It seems the un-told story behind this is interesting… and disturbing

    How many GMG customers were asked if they wanted their stock loaded onto this pseudo portal?
    Any agent using CORE, Vebra or CFP really ought to ask what revenues GMG are earning as a result of the stock of properties held on their company database.
    Specifically ask about the fees received from portals for feeds to RM, Primelocation etc. Most agents are already paying GMG for the upload as part of their service agreement so why is there a need for this extra fee? Portal uploads are simple automated file transfers that once written only require minimal maintenance. This sounds a bit like the payment protection insurance racket!
    What are these charges/ commissions and how are they justified? Perhaps Mr. Rashid could tell us while it is fresh in his mind. 6500 agents paying £150 per month could explain why he is happy to give up his day job and let’s guess he could give GMG 10% for the feed; that would explain why GMG are happy to bite the hand that feeds them as was pointed out early on in this thread.

    • 06 January 2012 14:15 PM
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    Puzzled,

    You’re an odd one you are mate. Im not sure if you are a bored / ex EA, HPC type or what but you definitely aren’t keen on EA’s.

    Now you’re a getting positively moist at the prospect of Facebook etc becoming the way houses are sold and putting the whole industry out of a job, based on your knowledge of the industry you either haven’t bought and sold much or you are one of these poor sods that ends up getting a poor deal on most things including picking / using rubbish EA’s but you hang around here a lot……….odd.

    So, what’s your story fella, tell us, you don’t like us at all but you hang around here like a closet homosexual in a gay bar, I don’t get it, others like you normally swing by for a week or so then vanish but here you are months on blithering on about lorry drivers taking a back load or something.

    Jonnie

    • 06 January 2012 13:59 PM
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    Happy Chappy said: 'PotW......embrace change.'

    I am not bothered one way or another - it is just interesting to watch an industry race to its death.

    First you allowed one property portal to dominate the industry and make a FORTUNE - rich beyond the dreams of Croesus - putting you in the position of supplicants.

    Now, slowly but surely, you will embrace 'social media' and, finally, the need for an agent will disappear. Your prime and principal purpose is to find buyers - to display a property for sale so that anyone looking to buy in the area is likely to see it. You fulfil this role by placing the property on the 'one property portal'. Already plenty of agents that charge a few hundred pounds offer this service.

    What else do you do for your money? A couple of viewings? Progress the sale? Don't make me laugh. Most agents, if they are honest, sit on their hands after an offer has been accepted and only get involved again if their vendor chases them. They think they can't really influence the process anyway, so they leave it to the conveyancers.

    Yes, there will always be people happy to hand over 1.5% to someone who will act as a go-between between them and their buyer. But, as time goes by, and life does not look to be getting any easier - more and more people will either sell themselves or use an agent that gets them a listing on RightMove.

    You don't have to embrace change if you can see where it is leading. In the dot.com era a start up decided to revolutionise the transport industry by getting people to bid for 'back loads' - the journey home when lorries are empty. The idea sounds great. The lorry owner earns one and a half times his usual price as he gets a half price 'back load' and the customer gets his transport cost halved on that journey.

    The thing is - the transport operators were not that stupid and did not sign up in droves for it. They could see that their 'forward load' was someone else's 'back load' so all that would happen would be that their margins would be squeezed. They didn't embrace change and are still around and making money.

    Your industry is not going to look anything like it does now in 10 years time.

    • 06 January 2012 09:29 AM
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    We are very active on social media and would say on average we sell or let approx 2 properties a month from this meduim so not fantastic.

    But we use social media on every single valuation and since doing so our conversion from valuation to listing has increased about 12%.

    As we build the amount of our followers/connections/likers etc the conversion will increase further.

    We are growing our fan base daily through twitter/facebook/linkedin and our you tube channel all this over time will be something a potential vendor will look at before making the decision on which agent to use.

    Going back to this article the property place is a good idea provided it is marketed properly.

    However l would choose an app that will just have your brand and your properties not directing traffic to an application that shows competitors stock.

    • 06 January 2012 06:38 AM
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    @LondonAgent - We also get more click throughs from Facebook than from Primelocation, but then neither are huge numbers and we have yet to sell a property via either. If we got one every couple of years this would I guess more than pay for itself BUT is this going to be a unique source, or would the same buyer just as likely also find the same property via Rightmove/FAP/Zoopla. If so then the £75 is wasted.

    There are 2 sides to advertising. One for Applicants, one for Vendors. TBH I think the main portals have it covered at the moment for Applicants along with our own website, boards etc. But if you don't have it you can't sell it, and to that end this achieves nada, whilst at least Rmove et al encourage contacting agents a bit, however no substitute for more local paper based advertising, sponsorship etc etc.

    Facebook for sure is a useful resource, and one we are very aware of, but IMHO it is not for selling houses. It wasn't designed for that purpose and consequently it isn't really set up to do it very well at all. It isn't designed to be searched for such 'sites within sites' and therefore without a massive marketing campaign nobody is ever going to find this site which renders it useless.

    • 05 January 2012 17:04 PM
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    Curt.
    You and I clearly have a very different idea of what colourful language is.
    I don’t like this. I can’t see what’s new about it, I can’t see any innovation, I can’t see how a facebook user (even one that’s looking to buy) will find it. I don’t understand what this has to do with more transparency in the uk property market or the OFT. I don’t like the statement that 'agents have their head in the sand' and I certainly don’t understand why It should cost £75.
    That’s not a vendetta Curt. Mr Rashid has bought his idea to a industry website, one that allows comments. Comments of all opinions, not just the ones that he would like.
    p.s Nor am I jealous. The properties we list tend to get sold.

    • 05 January 2012 16:53 PM
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    I seriously doubt Wardy is the sort of chap who would be jealous of a bloke thick enough to invest cash and reputation off the back of a GMG endorsement.

    What will happen to the 400,000 properties once the initial free period is up I wonder. Has Mr Rashid got the nads to pull them down?

    A quick tug at the numbers supplied says that the 6500 vebra agents don't actually have enough properties on their collective books to be viable.

    • 05 January 2012 16:30 PM
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    wardy you seem to have a serious attitude problem with mr rashed and property place. i seem to remember you were putting up some colourful language in the other article a few weeks back. so spit it out - have you got a vendetta against him or are you just jealous?

    personally - i am unsure of his idea, people will decide with their feet. until then, lets give him the benefit of the doubt.

    • 05 January 2012 15:54 PM
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    @ happy
    granted but this pants

    • 05 January 2012 14:56 PM
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    Wardy. I was being not talking specifically about this product...personally I don't think an established agent should use this specific page.....but facebook can be used effectively as a marketing and communication tool.

    • 05 January 2012 14:20 PM
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    Happy,

    Please don’t be so quick to jump on people who can see this pup for what it really is. Do you honestly think giving this guy £75 to put photos on a facebook page is value for money? I don’t.
    Go to facebook, in the search bar type 'property for sale'.

    One of the first 5 results I got was 'Guatemala Real Estate Property For Sale' Very useful!
    This is a scruffy page that won’t be seen by anyone apart from MR Rashid himself.
    Good luck to anyone who falls for this rip off.

    • 05 January 2012 13:26 PM
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    PotW......embrace change.

    The estate egency model is still the first method most average people consider when they are about to sell there property.

    This will slowly change....so why not think ahead and use consider alll models.

    As i have said on another thread many people still need an estate agent services, but many dont need, want or use an estate agents office.

    • 05 January 2012 12:43 PM
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    Greg said: 'We've signed both our offices up and are looking forward to a new avenue to market our properties through.'

    Like watching lemmings lining up before the race to the cliff.

    Where this is all heading is that those people who choose to use an agent to handle their property sale will pay a few hundred pounds.

    If that is what you all want, fine - sign up with everything that comes along.

    • 05 January 2012 10:40 AM
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    blah blah blah! 1 single example of a property sold as a result of a social media site would be a good starting point.

    I have trawl trough and can not find a single testimonial case where anyone is proclaiming that a property has sold as a direct result of a social media site other than a vendor and applicant that already knew each other.

    30 million uk users? you are simply a cretin if you believe that and a uber cretin for repeating it. If less than half the UK population have internet acces how come more than half are facebookers. A basic understanding of the UK population ought to give you a clue that you are talking bollocks

    Let me guess , every day is dress down day and your income comes from muppets who think your claims for SEO are acheivable. You folk are the latest Snake oil salesmen.

    • 05 January 2012 10:15 AM
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    @pointless

    #pointless

    • 05 January 2012 09:30 AM
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    You only need 1 to do that !

    • 05 January 2012 08:50 AM
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    Do not underestimate the power of social media - we have more click throughs from Facebook than Primelocation.

    • 05 January 2012 08:45 AM
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    Incase you hadnt noticed - if you have a business page on Facebook for your agency - you can now track the analytics of who is following you
    Youll be pleasantly surprised that with 30 million UK users - those that follow you are following you because they are either interested in property in general, they live in your local community, they god forbid might even be looking to buy or rent a property.
    And whilst yes for social networking there are a lot of 18-24 yr olds using facebook - but for business marketing any agent that has good a good page with a good number of followers will tell you that their followers are their target market
    Dont knock it before you try it - and getting on Facebook is free regardless of whether you use this new Property Place or not
    Social networking is a way of connecting with your customer - current and potential plus a way of marketing your brand.

    • 04 January 2012 22:18 PM
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    This is unlikely to take off. People use Facebook for social purposes - not for buying houses.

    • 04 January 2012 21:22 PM
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    Deary me Lemmy, sorry AceofSpades, seemed to have touched a bit of a nerve there haven't I?

    You are actually agreeing with me on everything but the stats.

    My whole point is that there is no 'silver bullet' to property marketing and I started in my original post by saying I'm quite happy to let others try and find the pot of gold at the end of internet rainbow.

    As for the 'conjured up stats' you should do your homework first (on the internet of course). Look at the Office for National Statistics for internet usage and the Dept for Communities and Local Govt for the breakdown of home ownership by age.

    I'd post the links for you but as you are no doubt a wizz on the web, I'm sure you can do that yourself.

    Anyway, I've got non internet marketing to be carrying on with, need to ring our board man before he goes home so my older clients can see who's selling properties in their area....how twee!

    • 04 January 2012 17:54 PM
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    I think you've conjured up stats and plastering them around, just for the sake of doing so.

    Yes, online marketing does not reach everyone, tell us something we don't know. Just like local sponsorship, newspapers and having a mini cooper sprayed with your stickers does not reach all areas of your target market.

    The clever part is balancing a wide range of marketing options to reach as many people as possible. Further skill is needed to identify what is paying for itself and what isn't.

    Your example hasn't really worked out. Typically, less 'older' people move home and they can still be reached via internet marketing through friends and family - you'll be surprised how many 'older' people come into contact with friends and family much more regularly than one sunday in four.

    Online is a massive marketing platform that must be embraced. Its use will increase each day. While it is not the sole channel now, it still commands a lot of attention and effort. It's the most cost effective option too.

    • 04 January 2012 17:30 PM
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    @Statto #donkey

    LOL

    • 04 January 2012 17:24 PM
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    You're missing my point AceofSpades.

    I'm not saying that the older age groups don't get the benefit of internet marketing either directly or indirectly hence my suggestion that broad based marketing not 'eggs in one' basket is the way to go.

    Having said that, bearing in mind the immediacy of information is the web's strong point, waiting for the kids or grandkids to come round one Sunday in four to show you what's available on Rightmove on their new iPad 2 may not be as convenient as doing what they've always done....picking up the phone and calingl the agent they've used before!

    What I am saying is promoting properties through Facebook is to a very narrow audience. In what I suspect is the prime age range of Facebook age users, only 10% of homeowners are in the 25-34 age range and less than 1% under 24.

    How many friend requests has anyone received on Faecesbook from people over the age of 55? That's 48% of the homeowning population to agents like me.

    On a brighter note AoS, you've got the monicker of one of the best pieces of driving music around which should NEVER be played below 90mph!!

    • 04 January 2012 17:18 PM
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    First post of the new year, so happy new year to all (including the HPCers ;o) !

    @Statto
    Last year I went to precesely two valuations where the vendor I was dealing with didn't have internet access. Your stat may be that more elderly people don't use the internet, and this may be correct, but equally in my experience the elderly are less likely to move and thus don't need internet advertising.

    When we do sell the houses of the very elderly, they might not have internet access, but the likelihood is high that it is a probate sale or if not a family member is running the sale for them, in which case lack of internet access isn't important.

    Further, when I started in agency vertually every house I went to had a copy of the most recent property section from the local paper, now this is almost a rare a sight as seeing a vendor without a PC.

    Internet isn't be the be all and end all obviously a complete sales approach is best, but I think the internet options we have are enough.

    • 04 January 2012 17:04 PM
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    I can see where being able to link property details into Facebook when you have had an offer accepted would be good, in an "OMG look what I've just bought" sort of way, in the same way my friends and I generally do with a wicked cool pair of shoes, but other than that I'm not convinced this is either a) a good idea or b) workable in the general market. You can't just 'spam' people on Facebook, they actually have to come and find you first.

    Innovative certainly, and possibly useful as a stepping stone to a much better product, in the same way that a bow and arrow is the distant ancestor of the gun, but not quite right for now.....

    • 04 January 2012 16:44 PM
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    Don't be to hard on Mr Rashid, The Managing Director of the greatest property software house ever purchased and run into the ground has told him it is a great idea. Why wouldn't he persue the idea? Goddard has nothing to lose if it goesbelly up but will probably benefit from a commission if it does work (unlikely)

    I am not sure that attaching the label "best selling" to
    Vebra is an entirely accurate claim any more, From and advertising standards point of view that sentance should either be substantiated or deleted. Lots of agents might have bought Vebra in the past, but lumping Core and Vebra past sales together does not mean their market share is holding up. An awful lot of Agents are abandoning the GMGPS products in favour of proper web based systems like Dezrez, Jupix and Aspasia.
    A PR bod sticking a claim in their press release doesn't make for the most reliable of facts and I am surprised that rather shakey claim made it past Ms. Renshaw's equitable eye

    • 04 January 2012 16:19 PM
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    so....just out of curiosity, are the private sellers going to be so up for this when they are completely bound by all elements of the Property misdescriptions act? are they going to be members of a redress scheme as all estate agents are required? surely this is kind of making alot of the law redundant...actually interested in seeing the number of buyers claiming against sellers for misdescription and all types of misdemeanors go through the roof!!

    • 04 January 2012 16:15 PM
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    This lad Rashid couldn't have been a conveyancing lawyer for too long if he is only 26.

    Totally wrong place for a portal, any agents that have signed up, you are mugs.

    • 04 January 2012 15:56 PM
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    We so need to get #donkey trending on Twitter somehow - that's a far better use for social media LOL - just a case of @mentioning a person who you believe a bit of a donkey with #donkey in the message.
    IE
    @RupertMurdoch #donkey

    quality !

    • 04 January 2012 15:52 PM
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    visit:
    property-place.net
    and you'll see what I mean !

    #donkey

    • 04 January 2012 15:46 PM
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    I hear you Statto, you're speaking sense.

    One downfall though. Someone without internet access (or the nouse to use it), is not completely segregated from internet advertising.

    I knew some people in your 'older' bracket, a few years ago who knew you could:

    a) find cheaper holidays online
    b) find cheaper insurance online
    c) find a house online

    ...but they didn't know how to.

    They had internet access for the family, but no idea how to use it themselves. Guess what they did? The family did the dirty work...

    So, even though they couldn't use the WWW themselves, they were still benefiting from the available products - the same way as a 25 year old computer keeno would.

    In terms of online marketing of properties, its a shop window to get people to see it and convince them they need to see it in the flesh. Once you have visited the house, old school agency is as present as ever. How you get to the house is not always as black and white as people think.

    For the older gen who don't use computers, if they have family who do, they will always ask them their advice/help with things they know can be done through a computer, to get a good deal.

    Unless they are Victor Meldrew, they will usually get that help.

    It is a bit naive to think those without internet access/knowledge are a write off and can't be reached via online means.

    • 04 January 2012 15:46 PM
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    What a pointless career step to make in life. Facebook is just not the right platform for this. Its bad enough everyone puts the like and tweet buttons etc on properties (notice how many people actually don't press them !!!!!). Why would you look for a property and then share a link to everyone. Its not for them, its for you!

    Its just another portal but its lost ! The only reason Mr Rashid has placed it inside Facebook (its really just like an iframe with a website inside it hosted somewhere else) is to get the publicity as its different and the plonkers who just don't get it think its a good idea (actually - if you read comments on here it quite clearly not a good idea) !

    #fail & #pointless

    • 04 January 2012 15:44 PM
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    You are right Propertygal, the internet availability data is an average but the critical stat as to the age ranges of property owners aren't.

    Buyers follow properties not the other way round, get the properties and you'll get the sales. My point is that to get the properties you have to appeal to a hugely wider age group than Faceachebook (if you are on 'it' do yourself and everyone else a favour and at least post a pic that doesn't look someone on the Broadmoor Role of Honour!)..

    Good to see you agree with me that broader, not narrower, marketying skills are required. I'm not used to people agreeing with me, perhaps you could have a word with Mrs S......

    • 04 January 2012 15:12 PM
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    I seriously hope this fails, Facebook isn't the right platform for it at all, I hope people can see through this money spinning exercise. Entrepreneur?! #fail. Do something original Sohail Rashid.

    • 04 January 2012 15:04 PM
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    1,039
    like this
    2
    were here

    • 04 January 2012 15:04 PM
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    Statto - in a sense you are right BUT the stats are averaged. I would hazard a guess that those that can afford to buy property also have internet in the main, though I guess that could be area dependent. We see very few without internet access, but many still prefer to read/call/drop in. It's a question of sensibly covering all bases in a cost effective way and monitoring the return and comments to tweak the next set of adverts, flyers, online adverts etc etc to get to the nirvana - smallest spend for total & effective coverage.

    Facebook is a social website, not a shopping website, though that may change. Where Rightmove etc are the Shop Window, Facebook, twitter & your own website are your digital 'personality'. Different sites, different purposes.

    • 04 January 2012 14:30 PM
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    statto

    good point....get good listings on and they sell...everyone knows that

    and who owns the good listings?

    imo facebook and twitter are just fads that actually make tasks longer and more complex.

    rightmove and visiting and SPEAKING DIRECTLY to an agent will arm you with the information anyone needs and probably get you the call first

    • 04 January 2012 14:00 PM
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    The agents that are here that think this is a great idea are also probably the same ones who are proud to have the old Rightmove QR open/closed sign in their windows.

    • 04 January 2012 13:58 PM
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    I wonder if this new service compromises any Data Protection laws in respect of 3rd party marketing?

    • 04 January 2012 13:50 PM
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    Great news....it'll mean all those numpties out there who think you just need an internet connection and an iPad to sell properties will be even less interested in what is sneeringly called 'traditional estate agency'.

    Actually they are little different to the ostrich mentaility at the other end of the spectrum, both are ignoring a big chunk of the marketplace.

    In 2011, 77% of homes had internet access. Which means nearly a quarter didn't.

    10% of people aged 45-54 have never used the internet That doubles every 10 years with over 40% of the 65-74 year olds and 76% 75+, ie the 'silver surfer' brigade, never needing to remember log in details.

    Then think of the people buying and selling through you.

    Unless you are totally dependent on the wibbly wobbly web, you'll find that less than 20% of property is owner/occupied by people under 35 which coincidentally is around the age of an average first time buyer.

    On the other hand, nearly 70% is owned by people over the age of 45.

    Now think of the profile, especially age, of Facebook users...........am I getting through?

    Over time, that may and probably will change, but right here, right now (apologies to Fat Boy Slim) agents that cover the whole range of property marketing will continue to dominate..

    • 04 January 2012 13:44 PM
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    Jonnie... most wives have 2 facebook ID's, the doting "husband and kids are great" id, that one is just cover for the bunk up betty id where they to are trying to find +15 second sex from anyone who hasn't put on 4+ stone since they were married , whose breath doesn't stink of Boss (Eau d' arse) and are merely a fat, tired and balding version of the bloke they married.
    This Facebook idea is great for distressed divorce sale instructions.

    • 04 January 2012 13:29 PM
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    Oh Hurrah - another portal, but this time without all the agents on it, because the general public really really want another portal and particulalry want one with only 'selected' properties on it. It's like going to Amazon 'lite', we'll just show you some of the books available. Nope - hang on - I'd rather look at all the books so I'll go to Amazon itself.

    Until it gets 100% of agents support this page will be a flash in the pan, and at the price it's an expensive damp squib.

    • 04 January 2012 13:25 PM
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    Good look Mr Rashid, I hope it succeeds how you wish for it to.

    I am surprised at the number of positive 'comments' on here today considering it was given a bit of a roasting the other week...very odd.

    I still struggle to see the benefit of sending viewers to a shared facebook page though? Using Facebook for properties is old news and many are doing it uniquely already - tying viewers into their own Facebook page, for free, along with regular updates.

    If someone is serious about looking at property, they'll jump onto one of the portals where they can see pretty much everything that's listed. As I touched on before Xmas, lots of potential buyers and tennants do not want to proceed through the private route, especially when the services of an agent are free to them.

    Let's take Rightmove or Zoopla. Wouldn't you much rather use one of those to search than a Facebook page with a fraction of the content and lacking the fluent usability?

    For me, it's no big deal to keep Facebook open, to be all social and that, while having another window open with an actual property portal on the go.

    • 04 January 2012 12:54 PM
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    Looks to be a pretty good idea - well done on Property Place - we agents need all the help we can get and whilst it will not be for everyone, I will certainly be trying it.
    Congratulations Sohail - it may not work - but at least you are giving it a go ....

    • 04 January 2012 12:41 PM
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    This seems a pretty good idea to me.

    From a marketing perspective the move onto Facebook makes a lot of sense - giving the chance for people to endorse and share with family and friends creates a far more interactive process.

    Will be interested to see how Twitter can be used in conjunction with this as well.

    Good luck to it I would say - nothing wrong with a bit of innovation.

    • 04 January 2012 12:35 PM
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    Alright,

    There is a couple of things we need to put aside first – there is the profile of Facebook users and why they use it – any heterosexual bloke over 25 that’s on there is trying to get laid, any married bloke on there is……………im not sure but its just a bit odd isn’t it? and any woman on there is fine as are teenagers, so that’s the summary your market on FB is teenagers and women with to much time on their hands blithering on about their wonderful husband while he’s arranging a bunk up with an old flame from school via the same medium.

    So based on this yes im sure FB is a runner for another medium of marketing houses and one that most agents seem to use / have pages on already along with Twitter and LinkedIn

    I suppose that’s this fangle technology for you though – ex lawyer chap has an idea, gets himself organised, gets a press release out to EAT and in that short space of time every other sod is wooing Face Bookers with likes and tags etc and its all a bit old hat

    Jonnie

    • 04 January 2012 12:26 PM
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    "What are GMG doing supporting a site like this with private sellers. Talk about biting the hand that feeds them"

    Goddard and Summerly haven't got a clue about the industry and will sack anyone who suggests that feckless bollocks like this isn't a great Idea.

    No doubt they are hoping to pick up referral or listing fees from Sohail Rashid and will have convinced the Numpties at head office that soicial media is the next big thing that is going to save the Grauniad.

    Perhaps this was intended as a new year glimmer of hope for the creditors.

    Watch this post disappear!

    • 04 January 2012 12:01 PM
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    yes what would we do without facebook and twitter?

    all these things to make us less time poor seem to have the opposite effect

    I know its a bit old fashioned,but I quite like meeting people in person

    putting a homemade board outside your house/flat will have the same effect as facebook and twitter(if not quicker) and probably get someone who actually wants to live in the area

    • 04 January 2012 11:14 AM
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    Good luck to the new site. I will be subscribing.
    Landlords use agents to oversee their properties, to be fully complient with legal issues and make sure property management issues are sorted properly & on time.
    If landlords want to create a fag packet AST and tenants are happy to risk dealing with landlords who dont maintain their properties and give feeble excuses not to give back deposits when they leave, then that is their issue.

    • 04 January 2012 11:06 AM
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    Yes site scraping and easy to replicate. I predict dozens of similar 'facebook pages'.
    The big question (like all these startups) is how much are they spending on advertising? Facebook is not a wonder drug. People don;t just find you because you have a facebook page - you need to market it like anything else.
    Sorry to put a downer on it but agents don't waste your money !

    • 04 January 2012 10:58 AM
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    Sounds like a great idea to me...we already use Facebook and Twitter to market our lettings so having a one stop solution already sitting inside Facebook has to be a win situation.

    So what if private landlords advertise, the more property they have on their site the better !

    We've signed both our offices up and are looking forward to a new avenue to market our properties through.

    • 04 January 2012 10:46 AM
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    Sounds like a great product!

    It certainly sounds like a win/win from a consumer perspective, why not pay £75 to get access to a much broader audience and potentially sell your property quicker with more offers in this climate? For me it's a route I'd definitely try with mine if/when I sell mine!

    It's clearly rolling with the times and taking advantage of the 10's of millions of people on Facebook allowing and adding a lot more clarity and competition in to the place market!

    Good luck to him!

    • 04 January 2012 10:14 AM
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    From what I can see my clicking on the link and and in our area is that this is just another scraping site

    • 04 January 2012 09:54 AM
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    To the one that remains nameless.......

    A win/win situation is a bit like Ronseal, it does exactly what it says in the title.

    Your description of Win Win is actually the estate agent winning and no one else......how exactly is having your own portal a win/win for everyone?....clearly you are confused.

    Roll on rightmove being available to all.......

    • 04 January 2012 09:43 AM
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    Are 'private sellers' using this 'app' regulated by the PMA?

    Is the operator/vendor of the app an 'Estate Agent' according to the PMA definition?

    • 04 January 2012 09:29 AM
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    What are GMG doing supporting a site like this with private sellers. Talk about biting the hand that feeds them.

    • 04 January 2012 09:26 AM
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    I really wonder if rightmove will change and risk their multi million pound model and allow privates to advertise

    • 04 January 2012 09:09 AM
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    Allowing private sellers to use this property application surely is taking business away from an estate agent - the market is harder enough!

    Appreciate there is nothing stopping a private seller to use social media to sell now but using this application would benefit them even more.

    Sending my clients to a facebook property application that clearly shows my competitors properties is not something l would dream of considering.

    We are doing this now with web portals etc.

    I am looking to have my own property application where l have complete control and will only strenghthen my brand a win win for all.

    We use facebook daily and are already selling/letting property through this meduim.

    This year will be big for social media for the property industry.

    • 04 January 2012 09:07 AM
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    This should be fun..


    Happy new year all!

    • 04 January 2012 08:56 AM
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    I think this is a fantastic idea, it may cause a bit of controversy, but people have to move with the times. There are millions of people on Facebook...so where better to advertise your properties, be it estate agents doing it or selling private? Good luck to him.

    • 04 January 2012 08:56 AM
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    Using facebook as a marketing tool for estate agents does work as l am aware that some agents are producing more leads from facebook than web portals today.

    Having a facebook property application is a great idea but one that is your own and not one that basically sends traffic to your competitors.

    #fail

    • 04 January 2012 08:14 AM
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