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Jonathan Doherty

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my expertise in the industry

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Low cost agents like Purple Bricks ought to thrive in a market where properties were flying off the shelf and a vendor might think why not give PB a try and pay less fees. If in that period of time PB's instructions fall, then it shows that the public don't buy the basic concept that they are saving money. Most people realise that their are two ends to a sum that adds up to whether there is actually a saving. They will never be a full on disrupter. Don't say it too loud but after 30 + years in the business I am convinced it is really the buyers that pay our fees. After all when the solicitor send us that cheque its a % of what the buyer paid for the property. The owner does not pay us in bricks.

From: Jonathan Doherty 02 August 2022 10:01 AM

The following is not getting much publicity; but where I work in the outer suburbs of north London, if someone bought a flat in around 2017 (Landlord Tax rush) they are more often than not worth less now.

From: Jonathan Doherty 11 January 2022 09:46 AM

I still don't understand the point of p/bricks. All things being equal, if I was a buyer I would make a lower offer in the knowledge that there is no middle man. Likewise, if you are vendor and your property is not selling quickly, you are more likely to take that offer as you are not paying an estate agent. In a busy market, as the article suggests, owners by-pass the online only agents. Newspaper journalists tend to talk about "saving money" by going to online only, I don't doubt it happens some of the time, just not most of the time. It is a false economy. The buyer is the one more likely to benefit.

From: Jonathan Doherty 29 November 2021 09:16 AM

Hopefully this can help. however a chain will only move as fast as the slowest part it. That slowest part is more often a leasehold property. More concentration need to be focused on how to get leasehold transactions to happen faster. Perhaps regulations for turn around of replies from Management companies... and industrywide indemnity policies that cover most eventualities. (wishful thinking I'm sure)

From: Jonathan Doherty 16 September 2021 10:00 AM

It really needs to be changed, if for no other reason that the removal firms cant cope with so many people moving in the last week of June.

From: Jonathan Doherty 28 April 2021 12:34 PM

How do Rightmove justify this abuse of power. How do they answer that they charge what they do because they can, rather than what they reasonably should, to make a fair profit to re-invest.

From: Jonathan Doherty 27 November 2019 10:00 AM

Every time I see the purple bricks shares crashing, it is always followed by what I believe is called a dead cat bounce. I dont know a great deal about shares but I wonder if the founders are secretly buying shares to try to stem the rout.

From: Jonathan Doherty 23 April 2019 09:48 AM

When they were in Enfield, their selling point was mainly "don't worry about the high fee; we will get you a much higher price." That model only has a chance of working in a rising price market. I would think prices are unlikely to start shooting up in the near future so Foxtons will continue to struggle.

From: Jonathan Doherty 01 March 2019 12:30 PM

With any chain of transactions I tend to pay less attention to the things that can happen quickly but instead concentrate on what is likely to take longest. Often this is the leases in leasehold sales and estate management of the block. I think the only way to speed up this side property matters is to have some compulsory all-encompassing insurance that covers the silly stuff that comes up in these leasehold transactions. Problems that will in reality, never come to pass could be insured against from the beginning rather than argued about for weeks/months and then an insurance indemnity policy taken out. It could also apply to freehold I suppose. There are some great conveyancers out there by the way, but not enough. The good solicitors and conveyancers I deal with say that they find those they deal with getting worse and worse as they are so scared of being sued and are not blessed with common sense. My suggested insurance would stop them worrying so much.

From: Jonathan Doherty 30 January 2019 09:14 AM

Wouldn't it be good if a former P/B client, who later sold through a High Street agent was willing to pour milk over their head. It ought to go viral.

From: Jonathan Doherty 14 December 2018 12:30 PM

I don't think the likes of the BBC have reported the demise of EMoove/Tepilo. It seems big enough a story to me, to be aired on the news as a lot of people have lost their money and crowd-funders have been asked to stump up more cash fairly recently. If they report it, the gloss on the on-line only firms will be tarnished . Does anyone know someone at the BBC/BBC Watchdog/ITV?

From: Jonathan Doherty 04 December 2018 12:47 PM

My local branch in North London seems to rarely have more than 3 properties under offer. Is that one sale a month? I guess their lettings must keep them going. The model they use..we get you a higher price, only works when prices are going up.

From: Jonathan Doherty 09 October 2018 09:44 AM

As it says money laundering checks rely on lawyers which does not take account of complicit lawyers. So, this whole swathe of red tape, that the politicians promised to reduce, is to look out for the rare bent solicitor. Thousands of money laundering checks on little old ladies or local families that you see in Tescos have to be checked for money laundering. It is a really ridiculous. I wish the NAEA would get behind getting rid of it and allowing some common sense.

From: Jonathan Doherty 24 November 2015 09:56 AM

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