Online boss slams ‘disorganised’ and ‘cloaked’ estate agency industry

A new online estate agency has attacked the industry for being “largely cloaked and ambiguous” - and says that of all the industries suffering from poor planning and organisation “real estate is probably the worst.”

Aspire, based in a suburb of Plymouth and run by former Royal Navy employee Scott Gallacher, claims it is “challenging traditional sales practices in a bid to incorporate more openness into what is typically known to be a largely cloaked and ambiguous industry.”

In a statement sent to Estate Agent Today it claims to offer some “100 per cent free services” including market valuations, advice and expert guidance, while “Aspire sellers can pay as little as £1,500, with no hidden fees and no additional costs.”

It offers a regular bundle of services such as 3D floor plans, property videos and what it calls “a full after sales package included as standard for each and every seller, with no hidden costs” but much of the statement is an attack on the rest of the industry.

“Having come from a military background where the entire basis of our success was in planning and organisation, I’ve always been astounded by the lack of same in many industries where both planning and organisation should exist but doesn’t, and real estate is probably the worst,” says Gallacher.

“Buying and selling shouldn’t be difficult, yet it’s consistently rated as one of the most stressful life events that the average person will ever encounter. We aspire to change all that, and from the very beginning our aim has always been to transform the property sector, making it easier and more enjoyable to sell simply through being open and transparent about it all” he continues.

Then he adds: “Real estate is still very much hidden behind cloaks. We’re asking, why?”

Aspire says it can also connect sellers with associated trusted local services, including mortgage advisors, solicitors and conveyancers and“has already built up an extensive collection of in-demand houses and bungalows across Devon.”

The company’s website, as of last evening, carried only 19 property listings; all were in or very close to Plymouth and eight were marked as Sold but remained listed.