A new online house-swapping website has launched which estate agents can use to promote their own listings and to find people willing to exchange or part-exchange.
Although house-swapping has so far failed to take off in the UK, it has proved highly popular in America following the collapse of the housing market.
Martin Walker, founder of Swap the House, says his service offers a fast, cheap way for home owners who have found themselves gridlocked by the lack of mortgage products – and complements the role of estate agents.
He said: “We’re not trying to replace the service that estate agents provide. Indeed, we want sellers to ask their estate agent to list their home on Swap the House.
“I see no reason why Swap the House can’t quickly become an established and key element within the range of marketing tactics used by estate agents for a seller.” The scheme is free to use until June 1.
Comments
We're delighted that our launch has prompted comments on this forum.
We're offering agents an additional resource to add to their existing marketing toolkit, that's all.
It's something pro-active that could help some of your vendors move on.
Happy to discuss more with anyone who cares. Details are on the website.
Mark, No need to hide..I know who I am!! The idea sounds, and generally is, to good to be true. It was a flop due to not only software problems but also marketing.
"You either know us and you are a little jealous or just misinformed" - LOL, or is actually just in touch with reality.
Johnno.
Without the HSS software and technology we couldn't have done what we are doing now.
Interesting comment.You either know us and you are a little jealous or just misinformed, as you are hiding behind a pseudonym I can't tell,but will give you the benefit of the doubt.Please visit us at www.radarhomes.co.uk and give us a call we will be very pleased to talk with you and tell you how well things are going.Or you can decide to just keep paying more and more to non agent owned portals each and every year from now on.
Brian:
Grow up!
It only really works if the husbands swop houses and the wives stay put - or vice versa.
If you want to do it, do it, if not why bother posting so much negative rubbish, got nothing better to do?? Bet you think the NAEA is worthwhile! Paid for initials thats all.
In 30 years of selling residential property I have only ever done two of these and would be very, very surprised if there is any real opportunity for many of these. Good luck with an interesting idea but swaps and P/Xs are very rare outside new property sales. What I would really want to look at is the amount of time involved compared with the chance of any real return.
Not worth the time or effort...........
"You Must Be Joking"...you forgot Homeswapshop.co.uk...ran by former agents that failed spectacularly!!
These sites never get off the ground due to one key factor: agent apathy and laziness. The concept is workable, the software is available but because there aren't immediate results - and income - agents simply can't be bothered. Sad but true.
Hmmm. I seem to Remember the NAEA's Homelink trying to set up just such a system a little while ago. And there hangs a tale...
Why do people never learn?? This has been tried and tested, to its absolute maximum. I am not being rude but please, do some research. Partexmyhome.com, homeswapper4sale.co.uk, they have all tried and failed, it is system that people are not willing to embrace and it is far from new. Put your energy into something else and save yourself the heartache!