x

Steven Thompson

1492 Profile Views

About Me

my expertise in the industry

Steven's Recent Activity

The future could be bleak for estate agents unless they up their game. Hybrid or online-only estate agents are the tip of the iceberg. The next wave will see eBay-type networks that allow buyers and sellers to get in touch with each other. The antidote is to provide a quality service at a price that reflects the expertise, marketing reach and high level of service that the agent can offer. Too many people are going down the line of price cutting. It's a race to the bottom.

From: Steven Thompson 23 March 2016 08:37 AM

It doesn't appear as though they will be asking staff to work from 7 am to 9 pm in one go, more likely that they will stagger their working day so some cover the start of the day and some the end. I think that this makes better use of the time available. Working for Countrywide in the past you were stuck for long hours of the day being unable to get hold of many clients because they were at work. Being available after work (more than before work) was something that most customers wanted, so it was probably only a matter of time before someone provided it. Countrywide management seems to see estate agency as more like retail, and they definitely need to do something to fend off the upcoming threat from online-only estate agents. If their teams walk out then there will be plenty to walk into the void they leave.

From: Steven Thompson 10 February 2016 18:29 PM

Sounds like a great opportunity for the right people.

From: Steven Thompson 10 December 2015 06:00 AM

There's no financial education in this country. People are far too happy to leave it to their mortgage adviser or (incredibly) their bank.

From: Steven Thompson 07 December 2015 05:56 AM

Purple Bricks has been set up, operated and now floated for the benefit of the owners. They've constructed the site and will make their money and move on. It's up to someone else to make it a success (doubtful) or face up to the losses.

From: Steven Thompson 04 December 2015 06:06 AM

I think that hybrid is the future. Local expertise with online reach is the way to go. The future of estate agency looks like using the vendors social media reach to promote a property that has been brought to market by an expert in marketing and the local market.

From: Steven Thompson 03 December 2015 06:28 AM

In my experience, it's London and the South East that most needs these extra homes but it's other parts of the country that are having them built. And "just" building 200,000 homes per year will not work. The towns that are getting extra homes built need new schools, GP's, road improvements, better parking facilities in the town and leisure facilities. Homebuilding cannot stand on it's own. It's time for a bit of joined-up thinking from the government.

From: Steven Thompson 08 October 2015 06:50 AM

"with ... predicted interest rate rises, buyers are keen to secure properties quickly before they're priced out of the market" Surely interest rate rises will have the opposite effect? It's the potential future rises in available fixed rates that will add fuel to current demand.

From: Steven Thompson 07 October 2015 09:51 AM

It feels like these are announcements designed to keep the name in the industry press. It' hardly a priority at ATM for OTM. I do commend their ambition but there's a massive amount to do with their UK property portal before moving into this.

From: Steven Thompson 05 October 2015 09:40 AM

Do people think that the future of estate agency is a hybrid of the two approaches? I can see a non-too-distant future where local online agencies rule. A lower cost base married with local expertise can only be better than both Traditional and the current online offerings. A match of the local agents local knowledge and an online marketing expert are the ideal profile for estate agency owners from here on. Add into this your clients local reach through social media and you have a winning formula.

From: Steven Thompson 05 October 2015 08:28 AM

Breaking News