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OnTheMarket chief executive Ian Springett says he did not expect 90 per cent of agents advertising on the new site to drop Zoopla and stick with Rightmove as a result of the only one other portal rule'.

"We didn't know which way it would go but we certainly didn't expect a landslide of that kind" he told Estate Agent Today in an interview.

Last month Zoopla said it had 13,402 UK estate agency branches as members, down from 16,373 in September, and that 500 branches had given notice. A Reuters report said Zoopla has lost 3,471 members since the OnTheMarket was created. OnTheMarket claims to have around 5,000 branches now on board.

However, Ian Springett says the majority of agents dropping Zoopla made it logical for the new site to focus on becoming number two portal - an objective he says it will achieve within the year, before it then aims to "become a credible alternative to the number one portal."

Springett has insisted that OTM's calculations of having two million unique visits between the launch date of January 26 and March 8 is correct, despite the figure being vigorously disputed by Zoopla in recent weeks.

He says the next target for OTM is to acquire 7,500 branches - "this is the tipping point" in the fight against Zoopla, he believes.

Springett also revealed that he was surprised there had been not yet been an overture of some kind from another portal or industry player to buy OnTheMarket, possibly to integrate it into an existing service.

He says the portal is most definitely not for sale but that even if such an approach was made at some point in the indefinite future, it would probably be doomed to fail.

He says the new portal's mutual structure includes a condition that 90 per cent of members have to agree to such a deal before it could go ahead - something he considers highly unlikely.

He also believes that if OTM becomes the second portal and gains what he calls "some distance" over Zoopla, then any acquisition of the site may in any case be rejected by the Competitions and Markets Authority if it would lead to the creation of a de facto portal monopoly by Rightmove.

Comments

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    I spoke to Ian Springett at the beginning of the Agents Mutual venture before I became persona non grata. He specifically explained his strategy of advising and encouraging agents to drop Zoopla. The comments above are therefore entirely disingenuous, which means he is prepared to say whatever he thinks serves his purpose irrespective of the facts. I guess he is trying to protect OTM from the inevitable accusations of collusion and the potentially dire consequences therof. Oh what a wicked web we weave...

    • 31 March 2015 20:04 PM
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    So far the only "tangible" facts of value are these...
    http://www.estateagenttoday.co.uk/2193-home-portal-gives-otm-member-agents-a-boost

    Highly suspect are the 2 wordds that spring to mind.

    • 31 March 2015 08:49 AM
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    The CMA appear to take a while to investigate. But lets hope they soon fine Springette and his merry Cartel.

    • 30 March 2015 15:08 PM
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    And you know mine is non performing how!

    • 30 March 2015 14:48 PM
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    Not really, I think its a press release from OTM. If I have a comment on it then its simply that unlike Zooplas he hasn't tried to rubbish them he has simply explained where OTM are now. As usual you seem to think that someone not sharing you opinion is blindly defending. Unlike yourself I have no problem in accepting that other people have a different view to mine, what I can't abide is people who deliberately edit what was said to suit there own view as Toryboy did. As for not as good as I think, thats interesting, as you don't know me, or where I am, or what response I am getting from OTM would you care to qualify your comment!

    • 30 March 2015 14:46 PM
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    Thanks for your comment Real Agent

    All I'll say is that I don't have a non performing 5 year contract........do you

    • 30 March 2015 14:37 PM
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    It appears fairly obvious of what type of 'agenda filled' questions were asked in this interview.

    • 30 March 2015 13:44 PM
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    The reason no buyers have tried to buy is that it isn't for sale!!!
    Abramovich tried to buy the Chelsea pitch of us a few years back but failed because the mutual owners, myself included, refused to sell.
    There is no way 90% of OTM members would want to sell the site as it is the last hope on earth as an alternative national property portal to Rightmove.
    As Rightmove continue with their massive annual increases (they have said to the city that they now have the "power" to force increases) maybe the 250 a month aim for OTM will become attractive for more members to join.
    As for Zoopla.......when you look at the numbers it is amazing that no one comments on the fact that there are loads NOT advertising on Zoopla but AREN'T on OTM.......They clearly feel that 1 portal is enough, whichever 1 that may be!

    • 30 March 2015 12:52 PM
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    Spot on. My thoughts exactly, expressed in a much more coherent and articulate way.

    • 30 March 2015 12:25 PM
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    Rightmove have sat back and let agents divide whilst it conquers!

    • 30 March 2015 11:37 AM
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    KABOOM! the sound of his foot being blown off...

    Honestly... a bad luck brian meme comes to mind - "Spends bloody fortune to set up own portal to combat rightmove raising prices... kills off second portal and rightmove raises prices because they are now in a stronger position"

    honestly what a bunch of morons. anyone joining OTM should have their head examined. stick with zoopla, even if they charge 3k a month you can't do it yourself (generate the number of leads they do) so just pay them to do it for you.

    • 30 March 2015 09:57 AM
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    January 2016 anniversary is about the earliest a judgement can be made for OTM until then it is a waste of effort and time

    • 30 March 2015 09:34 AM
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    Anything to say about the actual article, Real Agent Or are you only here to blindly defend OTM Maybe people aren't interested in buying OTM, Springett, because it's not as good as you think it is. Breathtaking arrogance.

    • 30 March 2015 09:12 AM
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    Thing is, you could see this coming from a mile off. It was obvious that the one other portal rule was only going to make one portal stronger, and that this would almost certainly be Rightmove. Zoopla might have been troubled by OTM's arrival - although not as much as some here would have you believe - but RM very definitely haven't. They've barely even given it a thought, not even a shrug of the shoulders.

    OTM have made RM much stronger and haven't really dented Zoopla as much as they would have liked. Great success, then. Well done, Springett.

    • 30 March 2015 09:08 AM
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    The latter, I'd imagine. OTM hasn't been quite as all-conquering as Springett hoped (and promised). Wouldn't surprise me if he tried to get out early before the whole thing goes down the pan, passing the buck to someone else. Bit like Harry Redknapp leaving QPR, if you can excuse the terrible football analogy.

    • 30 March 2015 08:49 AM
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    "Springett also revealed that he was surprised there had been not yet been an overture of some kind from another portal or industry player to buy OnTheMarket, possibly to integrate it into an existing service."

    Curious. "Surprised" or "disappointed" the business hasn't done well enough to attract a prospective buyer Or is Mr Springett looking for an exit strategy

    • 30 March 2015 08:40 AM
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    Kind of says it all really...

    90% of agents sticking with Rightmove!

    • 30 March 2015 08:30 AM
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    The handbag-swinging infighting among agents who are all supposed to be on the same side is symptomatic of the poor judgment which led to a handful of agents believing that a cartel website would provide control of the internet.

    I'm sure that if OTM ever starts to provide any tangible results for any of its members we'll hear about it very quickly. But so far, despite the loud rhetoric from the blind-faith "we opted in so it must be a good idea" supporters have produced ZERO evidence of any value being added whatsoever.

    Opinion is pointless without the facts, boys and girls, and so far the facts are that no one is reporting any actual positive results from OTM.

    Stick to the facts: does it work Not yet. Will it Who knows. But stop pretending its a great idea until it actually delivers something.

    • 30 March 2015 07:57 AM
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    By all means comment on an article but you simply make yourself look stupid when you make comments like "there is no growth in the number of agents" when the article reports OTM hitting the 5000 offices statistic.

    As for the rest of your post, well to call you stupid twice in the same post is perhaps excessive, so perhaps I will just opt for misinformed.

    • 30 March 2015 07:33 AM
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    I'm just going to my village football team to win a few more games, sell a few players, buy a few more and then we'll be in the premier league. Do the same again and then we'll be world champions.

    He's not delivered what he promised and this is why there is no growth in the number of agents signing up. He's blown a fortune.

    The monthly subs are now going to repay the loans of the gold members who are receiving a whopping interest rate. The number of employees they have on linked in is huge. That wage bill is taking some paying. It's like a ponzi scheme!

    • 30 March 2015 00:37 AM
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