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Written by rosalind renshaw

An estate and letting agent comparison website has launched, aiming to deliver direct leads straight to the estate agent’s door.

Netanagent.com allows those with a property to sell or let to post their property details on the site free of charge, which are then passed on to local agents, omitting the owner’s own contact details.

The agents can then decide whether to register an interest in the property, and can submit a tailored bid, with details of fees and services offered.

The property owner can then compare the quotes before choosing which agents to proceed with for a valuation. The website is free for users, and for an estate agent to receive and post bids, with the agent paying a fee only on sale or let of a property. For sales, the fee is 0.1% of the sale price, with a minimum of £200 and a maximum of £300; for lettings, there is a flat fee of £100.

The idea of an online consumer comparison service is not new, with similar propositions already in the market, for example Agentquote and Whichpropertyagent.

It is not clear to what extent consumers have embraced the idea, but Alex Thorpe, managing director of netanagent, is upbeat about his new venture.

He said:  “The site will turn the property selling or letting process on its head, and we’re hoping that it will really stir up competition in the market.

“Our research shows that consumers aren’t fully aware what they are being charged by estate agents or what to expect for their money.

“This can cause a breakdown in the relationship right from the start. We anticipate that the whole industry will benefit from this open and transparent process, and go some way to improving standards across the board.”
 
Research undertaken for netagent by Opinium, among over 1,000 people who had just sold a home, found that only a third (31%) felt they got the best deal from their estate agent in terms of service received for the fees charged.

When choosing an estate agent, the top factors that property owners were looking for were reputation of the agency (48%), followed by their knowledge of the local area (42%), then trustworthiness (39%) and cheapest fees (38%).
 
Thorpe said: “The findings show that consumers aren’t just interested in getting the best price for their property, or paying the lowest fees, and we’ve responded to that need by allowing agents to demonstrate the whole package offering to the seller.

“We also believe this creates a level playing field. Smaller local estate agents can compete with larger national brands, allowing them to demonstrate what value they can add to the sales process.”
 

Comments

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    Okay...

    My unbiased opinion (as a non-Agent who frequently uses and abuses Estate Agents):

    It's cr@p.

    Will I be using it? Not in a month of Sundays.

    Sorry to those "experts with many years’ experience in the property and digital industry" who have obviously spent a couple of hundred quid on the site - but the idea and the execution both suck.

    Big style.

    • 20 September 2012 15:38 PM
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    I wonder who posted that last one…

    • 19 September 2012 17:58 PM
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    The only Website outwith Rightmove and zoopla that can provide any credible leads is Allagents.

    • 19 September 2012 12:49 PM
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    Got it - it was a different one with the same modus operandi, apparently ....

    http://www.estateagenttoday.co.uk/news_features/New-estate-agency-comparison-website-gets-set-to-launch

    • 19 September 2012 11:48 AM
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    I'm sure I've read this before.

    Wasn't this launched/publicised here a few months/years ago?

    • 19 September 2012 11:09 AM
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    Not another one!

    • 19 September 2012 11:03 AM
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    Shived with a shank?

    Or shanked with a shiv?

    The average commission paid to Go Compare I have heard (no proof - sorry) is about £120 while the average transaction value cannot be much more than about £800 (huge guess there).

    If your average fee is £2500+VAT - imagine giving over £600 per lead to an Agent Comparison website.

    • 19 September 2012 10:12 AM
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    Agents, stop relying on everybody else to get the business for you!! RIghtmove, Zoopla, now this. How about learning some marketing and getting clients under your own methods.

    Anybody that signs up for this is daft, you will be competing on price, nothing else. If you want to be the cheapest agent, that is fine but you won't be in business for much longer.

    • 19 September 2012 10:03 AM
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    Does it do landlord quotes as well?

    • 19 September 2012 08:56 AM
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    Yes, same thing for me too.

    Are there any customers?

    • 19 September 2012 08:42 AM
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    Interestingly, their "sign up' page to recruit agents ( on which the success of the site must depend ) isn't working !!! .. and displays this message ..

    "Our sign up page isn't quite ready yet, it will be by Tuesday 11th September"

    not a very good start eh guys ? ? ?

    • 19 September 2012 08:32 AM
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