A new ‘rate or slate your estate agent’ website has launched.
Agents will have to sign up to it for £25 per month. In return, buyers and sellers will be able to leave reviews of the agent on the site and give an overall star rating.
The object is to allow other consumers to make an informed choice when instructing an agent.
Martin Reynolds (pictured), director, said Agent Tracker is the first independent verified review site for estate agents.
He said: “The UK’s estate agency industry remains unregulated, which is why it’s essential that customers have access to information which will enable them to instruct the best agents in the business.
“Agent Tracker is an excellent selling tool for agents competing for instructions, not only highlighting excellent service which already exists in the industry, but encouraging agents to reach new levels of customer care.
“Agent Tracker will also work alongside agents to help them deliver excellent customer service and ultimately raise standards across the industry. By helping customers share their experiences, agents who perform strongly will be justly rewarded, while others can see exactly where they need to improve.”
Karl Knipe, partner at Hertfordshire estate agents Kings Group, has already signed up to Agent Tracker. He said: “There are some agents who would run a mile at the thought of encouraging clients to comment on their services in a public forum, but we are confident in the service we offer and Agent Tracker will help us improve even further.
“Customers increasingly expect openness and transparency. By offering unbiased and verified reviews, Agent Tracker can help to change the often negative image of our industry.”
Only the five most recent reviews are visible on the site, giving customers an accurate picture of current service levels and ensuring that agents who have received a weak review can quickly put it right.
Customers are given a password at the beginning of the process which enables them to leave a review on the site, ensuring that the process is only available to genuine vendors.
Agent Tracker is the brainchild of three people with financial services backgrounds. They are mortgage broker Simon Djemil; Martin Reynolds, a former manager with specialist lender Birmingham Midshires; and Martin Wilson, former chairman of Personal Touch Financial Services.
The site is offering an introductory deal to new agents of £25 per month for three months, available until the end of March.
www.agent-tracker.com
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Comments
In the middle of a chain of three - buyer in rented house, seller in care home - yet still it takes 6 months to get under contract! Our agent Hopsons of Southend on Sea allowed my buyer to miss out on stamp duty exemption for 1st timers, his solicitor did nothing to help either. Who does my buyer turn to for help to pay his stamp duty? Yes you guessed right - it was us. It was only then that our agent started to push things - almost 5 months into the transaction - 7 weeks later we complete the deal. If only Hopsons had taken the initiative in the beginning instead of sitting back and just waiting for things to happen we would not have been asked to pay £2400 to cover my buyers stamp duty! Crazy world!
Anyone know how to replicate the sound of fingers drumming on a desk in written form...?
I'M STILL WAITING, MR. REALISING REALITY!!!!!
Come on - Chartered Surveyor (lapsed) vs. 'A''-Level dropout - you surely can't think I can win this one??
Think of the following you will have if you lift the severed head of that waste of space PeeBee high on your pike...
He might skulk into a corner and never again post on EAT - heck... you could receive universal praise for that! People might just come round to your way of thinking because NO-ONE will dare to challenge you!
Drrrrrrrrruuuuuuuuuummm... drrrrrrruuuuummmmmmm... drrrrrruuuuummmmmmmm... de dddddddrrrrrrruuuuuuummmmmmmmmmmmmm...
RR: What - no comment?
Oh, Sir - when you aim to be controvertial, then you should expect some fallout! Mores to the point - you should be up to it; above it; and on top of it in order to defend your position with professionalism and credibility. Surely you can borrow some from somewhere and crush this pesky, insignificant individual who absolutely dares to incessantly question you; your reasons and your (poorly) hidden agendae. And question you. And...I guess you get the picture ;0)
Meanwhile... the silence is deafening... I'm having to vent my spleen at the HPC brigade instead. Nowhere near as much fun...
"I don't like your tone, it sounds threatening. "
THREATENING?? Mere words on a website? A written exchange between two persons of opposing opinion?
Grow up!
You should think yourself lucky you are not an Agent. They get called al the w*****s, d***heads, knobs and knockers on earth on this site and not one of them bleat about it the way you do. Thin skinned - and with no perceivable substance beneath to boot.
Why do my comments lead you to wonder whether I am trained, experienced, or in employment? My comments are causing you so much of a pain in the rectum already, that you should not worry your little head about me. However, the answer to your questions are Yes; Oh, Yes; and HELL, YES! - so I hope this ends your need for lumping additional stress on yourself.
I can assure you that I am not in contact with any individuals who post on this site - with the exceptions of Ros and Nat who I have occasion to email for various reasons. I do not speak on behalf of and body or professional group - the comments I make are personal observations upon matters concerning the housing market and the housing industry, as it is where I earn my living.
You fail to acknowledge one vital point. I want what you want. A smooth housing market. I want Estate Agents to do what they are empowered to do under the Estate Agents Act 1979 - to act in the best interests of their clients. IF the way forward is to have a Buyers Agent and a Sellers Agent; IF the way forward is for all Agents to drop out of Rightmove tomorrow and market the properties elsewhere; IF the way forward is a rate-the-Agent website that would not be subject to inter-company foul play or bitter outbid buyer giving perfectly competent and successful Agents poor ratings and comments for the sake of it; IF the way forward is to have a pair of HIPs that work together and not in direct opposition of each other - then I will embrace the way forward. IF regulation was a guarantee of professionalism and service standards increased accordingly - then bring it on!
You see, Sir - I FIGHT with more Agents on here than I agree with. The 'Numbers Game' that rules the way many think and operate - my pet hate.
I ALSO question anything that claims to be "the answer". THERE IS NO ANSWER. As long as you have buyers and sellers, you will have opposing views. Buyer wants it for nothing; seller wants the sockets as well as the eyeballs. YOUR offering - to remove a sellers' representation by implementation of crazy legislation, virtually guaranteed to wipe out the Estate Agency industry (clever...clever...), and a p***-poor excuse for a website for all sellers to list privately at knock-down values when the Estate Agents all close down and Hey Presto! you will sell overnight (wow - that's a USP if I ever saw one...) is high on my list of 'the-process-needs-that-like-a-hole-in-the-head'.
And so I post on here, poking away at your flimsy bubble, watching you get redder and redder until you burst or the final, capilliary-thin sinew of sanity snaps and you will be taken somewhere you have no access to the internet, for it has patently obviously fried your brain beyond recovery, my friend.
Now - have I covered everything. I have answered your questions - despite you consistently avoiding mine (and those of others...) like a bad smell in a diving suit. Hold your breath as long as you want - truth will out. You can run - but you can't hide.
OOPS - is that a threat?
Double edged sword! Regrettably we are a society that likes to knock more rather than praise. So good for nice comments, fraught with danger of bogus praises or brown stuff when it was the reviewer at fault!
I've explained why.
I don't like your tone, it sounds threatening.
I realise, from what you say, that you are not 'in practice' and I therefore wonder, after all your increasingly acidic comments, whether you have any training, experience, or any work?
The other thing that seems clear is that when you are posting, the others seem to stop doing so.
Would it be right to assume that you are in touch with some of these separately, or that they are happy to let you be their spokesperson?
In other words who are you representing? That is the important question for you to answer. People do have a right to know who or what those posting are associated with.
Finally, why do you think estate agents are scared of being judged by their own clients? Surely, good references about them, on an independent resource like agent-tracker (with or without the hyphen) are the best chance they'll ever have of improving their reputations?
Realising Reality (...is a far-away place that I once may have inhabited...): You ask -
"...why on Earth are you bothered to argue the case against any change to estate agency practice,.. Why do you comment on this blog?"
Sir - as a self-proclaimed 'non-Agent', I respectfully suggest you practice what you preach.
However, if you want me to continue to rub your nose in your own dirt, I am DELIGHTED to oblige.
I haven't even warmed up yet - and you don't know what has hit you.
People know who the bad agents are in their area they do not need to go on a site and read false reviews of how great an estate agent is (often written by the agents themselves). Business plan needs re-thinking and I do believe Rightmove are launching a social network where users can rate agents and write reviews so this plan is not going to work. Also any website with "-" is doomed!
I know you have stated you are not an estate agent before. Fair enough.
However, it does leave me wondering why on Earth are you bothered to argue the case against any change to estate agency practice, if you have no direct interest in defending their actions.
What sort of knowledge do you possess about the housing market and its deficiencies?
Why do you comment on this blog? Wouldn't it be better for you to leave any comments to my proposals to come from, and be made by agents?
Mr Realising Reality. I've told you once, some time ago. I've told you twice. Three times. Four, even. I even said it again in the post you refer to - TWICE. Here I tell you again. P L E A S E this time take note.
I AM NOT - REPEAT, NOT - AN ESTATE AGENT!
I am a seller; a buyer - all the things that you delusionally believe should give hail to your opinions and insane proposals for the revolutionistion of the housing market.
So - Estate Agents think you're off your trolley. I - a prospective costomer - think you're off your trolley.
Do you NOW see the common denominator?
NO-ONE is supporting your rantings on here - which, by the way, are becoming more off-subject, more fragmented, and therefore less sustainable by the minute.
I ask you, once again, as a concerned citizen - please, please, give it a rest. You are one of one. Keep your crackpot opinions to yourself, as they do you, or anyone else, any good whatsoever. You are simply coming across as a failed and VERY bitter individual who has a massive axe to grind with the property industry. You are not - and CAN not - make things better or worse with your bitter words directed at those who strive to make a living out of something that has scarred you so deeply - and so blatantly obviously.
Any passion you may once have had for the market - the industry, has soured beyond recognition. Instead, you now simply appear to attempt to push blocks of negativity in the way of the homeselling and buying process. By the very virtue of the fact that the entire process be built, for the vast majority of people, upon foundations of positive thoughts and aspirations, there can be - and should be - no place for this negativity.
You call yourself "Realising Reality". Sir - if only you could...
Yours respectfully (although you won't see it that way...)
I totally disagree with what you have said in your reply.
Your answer also shows there is a festering annoyance between agents and anyone wishing to point out the shortcomings in what they currently do.
As there is no offer or attempt at conciliation on your behalf, it is clear that there is a BIG problem. It is the very existence of this, that is the rationale for trying to air this in public.
There IS a fundamental difference of opinion about how houses should best be marketed, but you estate agents are refusing to listen to any reasoned debate, which suggests you are deaf to all proposals of change, because you think you know best all the time. This is an untenable position to hold which, in the end, will fail.
I hope the public take a proactive interest and, as a result, decide for themselves, where their allegiances ought to lie.
If homeowners are to survive, and indeed prosper, in the UK dialogue resulting in wise conclusions, put into practice, are the essential prerequisites.
I remain available for engaging in such discussions should the opportunity to do so subsequently arise.
I hope others who see the need for such dialogue, may voice their support on this page.
Here we go again...
"People 'buying' need to find agents that are achieving sales, as against agents who are simply listing properties at ridiculous prices."
DON'T TALK SUCH UTTER SH!TE!!
Homebuyers look for the PROPERTY they want; WHERE they want it; WHEN they want it! Whether an Agent prices them high, low or right means nothing. They make an offer based on their opinion of the property "value". They proceed on the basis that they will not offer - or pay - more than the property is "worth" to them.
If their dream home is listed with the Agent who has the worst reputation in the town, they will buy the house. I have heard people countless times say "I wouldn't use XXXXXX" - but then they offer on a property that Agent has on its' books. More perverse - they then give THEIR property to that Agent!!
If I were an Agent I would welcome reviews of my service. I WOULD, however, be conscious that thetre are those who might post rogue reviews in order to dent my reputation. The internet is a dangerous place, Sir - filled with dangerous people. Dangerous in that they do not comprehend the repercussions of their actions; their words.
Know what I mean? Recognise anyone?
Oh, by the way... when you go on to say you have posted more on the David Dalby blog, actually - no you haven't - you have posted exactly the same. Back to the "...ill-prepared dialogues..." that you, by the power of t'internet, are becoming WORLD FAMOUS for!
Keep it up. Your misguided efforts to disenchant the buying and selling population (of which I am a member, don't forget...) are doing Estate Agents the POWER OF GOOD!!
To answer your most salient points:
People 'buying' need to find agents that are achieving sales, as against agents who are simply listing properties at ridiculous prices.
I'm saying that without an effective way for the public to find reputable agents to use, to buy or sell for them, they would be better to simply forget about agents and go direct.
I'd love agents to be reputable, then the public would be OK to use them but as of now, many are disreputable. The state of the market itself is, of course, also giving testimony to this.
Things need to change. Thats why I bother to post here. Thats also why I have developed a fully feasible online method for offering such change, should the so-called 'professionals' that you allude to in estate agency, not be prepared to embrace necessary change from within their own organisation.
Beware, there is a prospect of people agreeing with me and disagreeing with your existing 'bash anyone who in not on your side' approach.
I've posed more about this on David Dalby's recent article:
Why can't estate agents bury their hatchets and work as 'Brothers in Arms' with surveyors in order to provide a totally comprehensive service to the house buying and selling public?
If they combined what they each separately know, think how the service could improve. Knowing precisely how to value the houses they should be selling, surely is one of the most important fundamentals that ought to be shared territory. Those who carry out such vital tasks should, indeed must, have a common understanding, and genuinely respect each other for this to work.
I'm not speaking as a surveyor by the way.
I've got a busy schedule these days, so please understand if I cannot answer your postings swiftly.
Realising Reality: Not sure if your 'new' name is a misdescription...but anyway...
WHEN IT COMES TO GOING OFF-SUBJECT, you, Sir, are a true artisan. You managed to barge in somewhere near the bottom of this thread with your usual diatribe that the ONLY thing standing in the way of the housing market flowing freely at present is Agents' overvaluing of property.
What does that have to do with the subject matter?
THEN, YOU RATTLE ON about certain individuals (How does yours truly get to appear on your illustrious list by the way?? I am, after all, one of the biggest and most persistent thorns in your side... ), stating that they are the prime examples of all things wrong and how you aim to offer "...public awareness to the sane online alternative choices now available for those who feel utterly let down...".
So - to YOUR "sane alternative". Please enlighten me with the following information.
How many properties were listed For Sale on your site in 2010?
Of those, what percentage sold PURELY AS A RESULT OF THE SITE?
What percentage withrdrew as a result of selling elsewhere?
What percentage reduced their price from the original asking?
What percentage of the asking price was achieved on sale?
What was the average timescale from listing to sale agreed?
Now to my last thorn for the day. Your motive obviously eludes me, as it does others. In your last post, you say "I still think agent-tracker is a good idea to help those buying to find a suitable estate agent." Two things bug me silly about this. Firstly, why should someone wanting to BUY a property need to research the Agent? It is the PROPERTY they are looking for - they don't give a rat's whassname whether the Agent is good, bad, or indifferent.
Secondly - and the REAL cruncher here - that is allegedly not your raison d'etre. YOU state, on your own website: "House owners should now be placing their property adverts direct on the Internet - without using estate agents.
In fact, the true purpose of the internet, when it comes to online house advertising, should be this. There is no need to use any form of agent to do such things anymore."
So why even bother to comment on the matter. You DON''T WANT people to use Estate Agents. Surely, a comparison site defeats your object?
Come on - admit you're a small fish that has tried to jump out of a small pond into a vast lake - only to end up between the two and flopping about on terra firma.
You can't walk the walk - and you CERTAINLY can't talk the talk! There are Agents on here who are contunually eating you for breakfast, Sir. Don't mess with the professionals - they outclass you; outweigh you - and outpunch you more than you will ever realise...
Hi Guys,
I wondered when you lot might come to Wardy's defence.
The trouble is, what you are all saying is right off-topic. You have completely lost the thread of the discussion; yet again.
It's a real pity for anyone else reading this.
Despite what you say, I still think agent-tracker is a good idea to help those buying to find a suitable estate agent. Lets introduce a bit of Amazon-style feedback into the mix, I say.
We're all entitled to express an opinion here, even if it happens to disagree with some of you agent agitatos.
Realising Reality/PropertyMatch/whatever: "You do yourselves no service by allowing online readers at large, to see your flimsy, and ill prepared dialogues; placed into the public's domain for full consumption."
Congratulations - for submitting this FANTASTIC EXAMPLE of ill-prepared dialogue!
By the way - for once, I totally disagree with wardy.
I very much doubt that ANYONE finds you amusing.
Don't feel flattered - I'm sure it wasn't a compliment.
Realising Realty - Everything Wardy has said is spot on and you look more ridiculous as the conversation continues.
What do YOU do? Not much. Probably excellent at getting the seller what their property is worth and phenomenal and keeping chains together. You're website is tedious and ugly.
One (of many) reasons that the public continue to use agents is to avoid companies like yours. In fact, if you and your service is so good, why on Earth are agents still in business, with the vast majority of sellers and buyers using the traditional method to trade. You do provide National coverage, right?
One other question I would love to know the answer to; if the house doesn't sell on your amazing site, do you buy the property for that value from the seller? Thought not.
There are already a number of review sites, some trusted and some questionable . The problem with this type of site is that the authenticity of reviews cannot always be guaranteed. As for paying for the privilege of being reviewed by others sounds like a money spinner organisation which is about to go nowhere.
Just been on this twits website and it is rap with a silent c!
This is a right dodgy looking geezer. Remember when President Raegan was pictured in an election campaigne poster as an advert stating 'would you buy a car from this man' and I ask would you want to deal with this bloke?
Oh Wardy: " and I’m not going to waste my time educating you…"
If you really have such invaluable knowledge and you think I don't, then educate me about the many reasons why the market is hard, as you put it.
If not, stop bugging me and do us all a favour?
My presence here has nothing to do with my web venture (in case you haven't sussed.) Notice too, I have not been interested in asking your opinion of what might constitute a good web site. I do not know where your web presence is either. However, if you think its that great, better let everyone have the address.
Brilliant, so your answer to a problematic house market is to spend naff all on the marketing of property and reduce house prices by whinging at estate agents. Oh, wait a minute, I remember the other one. Force agents to buy back property they fail to sell. What a genius. Please don’t make yourself out to be a fool. Your agenda is simple, get clients off of estate agents books and have them spend £30 on your site to keep you in slippers. There are many reasons whay the market is hard and I’m not going to waste my time educating you.
Seeing as you refused to answer my last question, let me give you a multiple choice.
Do you think your website, ultimately gets your clients:
A, the highest price possible?
B, the market value?
C, below the market value?
D, they don’t sell at all?
In fact don’t bother I already know your answer. Like I said before you have no credibility and the majority of readers here just find you amusing.
Wardy, You obviously have no idea about the problems the housing market currently faces, why they have developed, or how to resolve them successfully.
I happen to believe that I do.
Why pay for a service which is almost garunteeing that you'll receive negative feedback at some stage - thanks your own advertising dollar!!! Something not quite right about agent tracker 'helping' estate agents?!
Why pay even £25 per month when http://www.EstateAgancyFeesDirect.com can list your agency and has an existing advertising presence to 1000's per month since 2009 - for £49.99 inc VAT!
Better still, add your listings to LayarPropertyVision for same price!
This is no longer a case of different views. Your business model is to bash agents and then charge people for an add on a rubbish website. Simple, dress it up as much as you like. You are making assertions on an industry that you know nothing about. Your site says you are a retired surveyor. What exactly do you know about agency and marketing? judging by your site, NOTHING.
To sum up a retired surveyor, partial to a bit of down valuing, runs a website from the under stairs cupboard while clicking his wordpay account, hoping another sucker has fallen for your lose grasp on Google rankings.
Am I right?
Well, just who do you think you are to try and tell me, whom you have never met, not to post?
We just have different views.
Realising Reality/property match or what ever you want to call yourself. As I have said before, if you want a bit of credibility then I suggest you think about what you are going to type before pressing ‘submit’. Not one of your clients is getting a good service, not one. How you manage to gain an instruction at all is beyond belief considering from what I can see is just a website that looks like its been coded by a five year old.
Your aim is to advertise property as cheaply as possible, lets not forget that. You think you are being innovative? Your not.
I will agree that your online services are alternative. Poorly presented property, on a poorly presented website, yeah very innovative! Go and take your vendetta against real agents some where else where you might get taken seriously. I hear ‘house price crash’ are looking for a clown.
To Messrs. Neil Kurz, Whitehalls N19, and Harwards SL,
Well, I can only say that at Property Match (UK) we must be doing something right if we are attracting such disparaging remarks, from those bringing estate agency into disrepute right across the country.
Our aim is to be controversial in order to raise public awareness to the sane online alternative choices now available for those who feel utterly let down by your sector and by those working within it.
You do yourselves no service by allowing online readers at large, to see your flimsy, and ill prepared dialogues; placed into the public's domain for full consumption.
We have been doing this service for five years and have a very good google rating for ourselves and our customers.
Look forward to see how you do.
Www.thediscdirectory.co.uk
Coward- where are the publics comments on google please- all I get is a list of agents and then a click to their web sites?
I agree with Dave Gale, not many people would write a review once they have experienced a good service. Most vendors only go out their way to do this when they have something to complain about. Waste of time and money in my opinion!!
I really do not understand why any agent would pay £25 a month to allow an individual to review their experience. In my many years experience, whenever there is a slight hold up or any complication in the moving process, this is what sticks in the vendors mind and the agent is, for some unknown reason, blamed to some extent.
I pride myself on my services and therefore always ensure i am independantly found to be the best agent in my area, other than misleading online analysis, through various companies who will provide this information. Paying £25 a month to give an individual a chance to moan about an unknown solicitor fee or a burst pipe that they found once moving in, which was in no way related to my agency, seems pathetic.
I prefer to do my own marketing and stick to what i know best, selling homes!!!
yeh looks much better, quality website. Seems only to be Birmingham at the mo though
The funny thing is that Google Maps does this for free...
Type "Estate Agents in A Random Town" into Google and it can show you a map of where they are, with a business listing and reviews provided by the public.
I know Google have just dumped property, but they are hell for leather for advertising businesses on maps, especially as more mobile phones become internet active and location aware.
Best thing all of us can do is claim ownership of our business listings, add details of what you do and some pretty pictures and then get your (younger?) customers to leave reviews there.
It may not matter just yet, but I bet it will in 2 or 3 years...
Happy Googling!
There is a consumer website comparing estate agents based upon independent stats, which is pretty interesting, although I think it is only running for the midlands area at the moment.
www.movecompare.co.uk
Martin: Thank you for posting some form of response to what people have been saying. I will compliment you on your good humour and professionalism. Very little of what has been written - myself included - has been complimentary to this point, but so far you have not bitten or flown into bouts of denial.
My own lame attempt at humour was targeted at what I see as chinks in your armour. I am one of the few who post here who is not an Estate Agent, so I have nothing to fear from your site - everything to gain, I would suggest.
I see the registration process of potential reviewers and the actual 'ratings and reviews' process being open to all manner of tomfoolery.
Your response that the site will host "...verified reviews which are guaranteed to be from genuine customers..." did nothing to convince ME - therefore will do nothing to convince others - that there will be no such shenanigans.
Personally, I don't have a problem with your concept or your site itself. Decent enough layout - but I would suggest a 'Latest Ratings' board, so that we can at least see WHO has been the bebeficiary of a rating. At present, there seem to be none - or they are very well hidden!
I would have thought that you would have rolled this out in your own back yard first. It was with great surprise that I searched 'Solihull' to find ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY-FIVE Agents listed, but not ONE who are registered!
Surely, with your local presence and undoubted contacts you would have been able to get the ball rolling on your home ground?
Doesn't bode well for the rest of the country...
I wish you good luck with the venture. Whether or not it is 'new', 'revolutionary' or whatever - you have had the b@lls to nail your colours to the mast. For what it is worth, having been involved in the property business for 30-odd years, I still believe - and will continue to preach - that the ONLY way to choose an Agent is to check them out for yourself in person.
But I am certain, however, that those who seem to choose everything else from the comfort of their home, office, train or wherever will see merit in what you offer.
May you (...and mores to the point the Agents...) serve them well! ;0)
Martin sorry for the hair note, very sensible post from you.
Agent Tracker is the only site offering verified reviews which are guaranteed to be from genuine customers, so those agents who are committed to offering a good service have nothing to fear! We are working with agents to improve their business, boost service levels and help them win instructions.
It is great to have your own testimonial pages, but in this day and age of transparency and openness, most consumers prefer the impartial view. Agent Tracker gives people the chance to compare agents on one site, using independent reviews.
Our experience so far has shown that it is predominantly those customers who have enjoyed great service who are keen to share their opinions, rather than the disgruntled few.
Thanks for your feedback everyone, especially on the hairstyle which I think is probably justified!
Martin Reynolds.
For a minute there I though it was April the 1st! No doubt Martin Reynolds will be joining the dole queue later this year once this idea has crashed and burned. just because the word "Director" follow a name doesn't mean he knows what he's doing. In fact Martin is probably the only employee and working out of his bedroom.
With that poncy photo and silly idea, you would at least expect some free donuts, like the other launch reported today.
Nothing.
For that reaon (and many more), I am out.
Invite all of your customers to give video testimonials - it works. Give a good service, they will tell their friends, then your reputation takes care of itself.
"Share your experience of your estate agent with others. Would you recommend them to other house sellers?
To rate your agent, enter your 6-digit estate-agent code that was given to you when you instructed the estate agency."
So whom exactly issues these codes? If it is the agent then I think they will be a trifle selective who gets one. The angry looking lady with the hard to shift flat probably won't get one. And frankly nobody is likely to give out the code until the process completes, satisfactorily for both parties.
If the code is issued by the review site or some supposedly independent but obviously integrally linked secondary website, then once again it simply means anyone can have one by just claiming to be a customer.
"If you don’t have a code then you can still leave an unverified review by entering the estate agents details."
Oh, so this is how they assure that every review is genuine? By then allowing absolutely any drive-by-fruiter to log in and have a good rant. That bloke who you accidentally knocked into in the pub last night is about to attempt to destroy your livelihood in retaliation.
We used to have a free version of this website for my town. I advised my then manager that comments on it were essentially libel/slander so he sent a warning letter to the site of pending legal action. The next day the owner removed the site and closed it down forever.
I look forward to this site getting some of my competitors on-board (if any are that stupid) so that I can make wild accusation about having seen their staff molesting animals. let's see how they like paying £25 per month for that.
As for Propertymatch suffice to say that any professional property website that incorporates cartoon characters from a poorly made 1980's BBC Micro computer game - has at best another six months before it closes down and the owners declare themselves bankrupt. As it required me to extend my search to at least 35 miles away from my location to give me a choice of three random properties I suspect it will not be replacing any Estate Agents (or even some-bloke-in-the-pub) as the method by which people find local property during those six months.
The Alan Partridge idea (Monkey Tennis) was better, it would have at least got an audience. Most people get disgruntled/frustrated with the foreverandaday legal process and attach this emotion to the agent who is ever present during this stressful time, a bit like how we all feel about a Thomson Holiday Rep during a mindblowingly dull excursion. So the website should really be along the lines of www.howpissedoffatyouragentareyou?.com for which any complainant should bear the cost
Now now people, be nice
I am all for transparency if it brings better service.
We constantly invite all comers to comment on our service publicly but then have the right to reply, enabling us to box off negatives where possible.
But who is going to pay for this when you can create the same feedback section on your own website or the others that are free and already exist?????
Good luck, like the idea
Who will ever find this website anyway that reviews agents, are they going to spend millions on promoting it?? Doubt it !
WHITEHALLS - I have an idea on how you could spend your £2,500 - send it to PropertyMatch so he can improve his shocking website......!!! Oh and maybe send him on a Valuation Course.
It is also worth pointing out that most sellers will want multiple valuations. As such they will likely choose the best 3 from the local paper or the one that is selling the house they want to buy.
They will not trawl the internet for a review as if they were buying a fridge freezer. People buy People.
To the agents that have alreadfy signed up - that is money you could pay your staff to do a better job or advertise locally, sponsor local schools etc.
Stop trying to monetise a concept that is not yet established or even needed, built up the reviews and see where it takes you.
You muppets. Charging agents to get more grief than they already do?! You're all fired.
You muppets. Charging agents to get more grief than they already do?! You're all fired.
Why is everyone worried that they will get slated. I have been sending out questionaires to clients for three years via refernceline and these are published on The Property Ombudsman site. Quite rightly we have no control over comments or ratings.
If you are good, you will get the right response, if you're not you will be slatted. I use the replies to show we do deliver what we say not just say what we do.
HOWEVER, as to paying £25/month, forget it. As so many have said, this is already available.
Those who frequent this site regularly will remember that this is certainly NOT a new idea. There was a massive bruhaha on EAT last year when a company (who shall remain nameless) announced their new website would shortly be online where people could rate their Agent.
Now to the concept: 'PeeBee Estates' pays twenty five quid a month, in order for disgruntled customers to slag them off to a potentially global audience. Yup - I'm in so far!
Now to the website itself: It says (therefore it MUST be true...) "Verified reviews can only be left by customers who have received an individual one time password sent to their personal email address independently from Agent Tracker. This ensures that the reviews you read are from bona fide customers." REALLY?? Not from Agency staff, then? Not from competitors? WOW - now I am EVEN MORE up for it! But...but... why in that case does it apparently invite 'UNverified reviews' to be left? Isn't that a contradiction? A HUUUUUGE great ball of sticky brown stuff just waiting to be thrown into my office electrically powered ventilation device? Of course not. SIGN ME UP, Martin!
Please, EAT and readers, help me here - I am confused by the story above. "Only the five most recent reviews are visible... ensuring that agents who have received a weak review can quickly put it right." So - I get to edit the reviews? FAAAANTASTIC!!
Pen poised at the ready...
Then, the REAL winning line for PeeBee Estates - the public and industry comments published on the site. 'Estate Agent' (is that like 'Miss A' who wants a three bed semi on YOUR STREET...?) says "It will be interesting to read the comments on some of my competitors.” READ them? I can flippin' well WRITE THEM!!! I LOVE this!
Who do I make the cheque payable to?
I look forward to reading my Agency's reviews. Then submitting them! ;0)
Whoops...got so carried away that this idea added up to a big fat zero it seems I have added one to many to my previous post....of course it should have read '£250 or so'
its a shame they haven't done their homework on agents. The Telephone number they have put doesn't work, the email address' do not corresspond with the correct office, there are agents on their that no longer exist !!!!!
Please guys do your research before launching a site like this. Are you just another person/company trying to get money out of estate agents, surely you are not giving the client enough credit to make up their own mind of who is good and who isn't.
We were wondering how best to invest a spare £2,500 or so we had knocking around in the petty cash jar. After reading about this web site guess what, we are still wondering. Idea Fail.
Oh Dear. This must be the worst idea i have heard of since Alan Partridge came up with Monkey Tennis.
_________"PropertyMatch on 2011-01-28 09:43:25 - With all the problems in the housing market, we need a separate and dedicated agents' testimonial service. "
So you think the the various problems in the housing market are somehow linked to buyers/sellers not being able to gauge the popularity, or otherwise, of estate agents?
Strikes me that the 'housing market issues' are more related to the lack of lending, concern over jobs, inflation, recession, fear over continuing drop in house prices and so on. Perhaps you could expand your point- at the moment it just looks you are touting for business, but surely that wouldn't be the case as your website actually states "Cut out the agent" yet you are posting on the most widely read agency website?
This is definately an idea to take onto Dragon's Den. It could be in the running for the silliest idea ever alongside the man that brought the cucumber protector onto the show.
I can see Duncan Balantyne now. 'I don't like youse, i don't like ya idea, the whole thing is totally ridiculous, for those reasons I'm out!!'
Good heavens...... another spectacularly bad idea and another example of some third party trying to find a way of getting agents to pay for something they dont need. Most repuatable agents will already have a feedback system in place to deal with service issues. Trying to somehow align this concept with the need for formal regulation is not only deluded but HILARIOUS! I laughed alot at this.
Haha, this is great. Have you looked at the site? Atrocious. I understand what they're trying to do but it just isn't going to happen. This has nothing to do with consumer confidence and feedback for agents to improve, it's just a money making scheme. How much will it be after the first three months? The majority of clients we see have often come to us through word of mout or our general reputation, not because 5 total strangers on web land said we were OK.
But marks for effort anyway boys.
Isn't alltheagents.co.uk a free version of this and that site has bee going ages and still doesnt have one review for agents in my town?
Why do people with FS backgrounds always think they know more about selling houses than Estate Agents? Anyway, no sensible agent is going to pay £300 a year for such a service when it's free of charge elsewhere (i.e. genuine client testimonials). Also, I suspect that there will be some legal fall out from this site as soon as one agent with deep pockets receives a biased review or gets defamatory comments and decides to take legal action for libel.
With all the problems in the housing market, we need a separate and dedicated agents' testimonial service.
It has to be better than trying to lump it in, for free, on a hotel and travel testimonial site doesn't it!
Why not charge too? Rightmove and others do. Agents are prepared to pay for good publicity.
If its not such good publicity for some, that might help to improve the present stalled housing market, which is stalled merely because agents are not valuing houses correctly.
They've only got themselves to blame and people have a right to know about it.
Thats it I am going back to rightmove
Rubbish idea, rubbish offering and extremely poor value for money. No wonder the financial services sector is in deep trouble - the financial services 'boys' should be focusing on actually delivering_financial_services_ and not on constantly throwing out more and more half-baked and ill-thought through ideas. (For example) Haven't they got some more wills to write?
What a ridiculous idea - what estate agent is going to pay £25 a month for this!!?? Stick to the day job Martin!
Would you trust anyone who can't comb his hair? My god if your daughter came home with that!
Without wanting to encourage these people, it's clear the have the wrong business model. Who on earth is going to volunteer to be an Aunt Sally?
Bear in mind that in general only the motivated (ie the pissed off) are likely to post and that conflict over something (be it price, buyer conditions or moving dates) is almost inevitable at some stage with the agent right in the middle.
Only possible model for this is to be universal (a database of all agents) and ad-sponsored.
Or how about setting up a testimonial page on your own website?
Why would anyone want to pay £25 a month to open itself up to any spiteful vendor or purcahser that lost out on a property etc to say whatever they want about the company.
Nine times out of ten it's not the owners/landlords fault anyway!
In the words of Dragons Den - "I'm Out"
Don't waste any more of your time and money on this stupid idea, Martin.
By the way would you pay me £25 a month to read comments like this.....
Staggeringly stupid concept to try and charge agents for this, loads of free alternatives out there. Trip Advisor is the market leader in this type of thing, pretty sure they don not charge the organisations being rated.
There are free alternatives that bash agents already
Of course if you get good reviews your own website should show testimonials
Our site LettingsMole.com, is due to launch in the next few days and offers this to registered lettings agents as an extra service completely free of charge.
Why pay £25?
:-)
The Mole
£25 bargain NOT, what a ridiculos idea. Mmmm do you eally think this will catch on?