Archive

One of Countrywide’s two up-market brands, Hamptons International, has unveiled a new look which it describes as part of “a transformational...

Many agents are brilliant at giving a personal touch and are professional in the way they treat customers, but I would...

Tenancy deposit disputes are messy and often frustrating for all involved. While the number of formal disputes remains low, the pandemic...

There’s no denying it, job hunting can be hard work – even more so at the moment, with all that’s going...

Propertymark, which will from later this year combine both the National Association of Estate Agents and the Association of Residential Letting...

The property market experienced a slowdown last month as a result of more people going on summer holidays, according to the...

Zoopla has been awarded £50,000 of premium ad space with the Telegraph Media Group in recognition of a campaign to help the UK...

One of Countrywide’s biggest shareholders has written a second letter to the company to demand bold action to save the agency...

In my last Natter, I explored the differences between estate agency in the UK and the US with the help of...

Zoopla has revealed details of its biggest ever marketing campaign in a bid to cash in on agents’ growing dissatisfaction with...

The debate over whether For Sale boards remain a valuable source of publicity has been in the headlines of late -...

Steve, his name was. Steve, the board man. A rather frightening man, if truth be told. When I started at Foxtons, he used...

A London Labour council has won draconian powers to effectively ban For Sale and To Let boards in several parts of...

Purplebricks is starting a new wave of TV advertisements today, continuing its theme from earlier this year as a sponsor of...

“Let’s Zoom later”, “are we Zooming in the morning or afternoon?” “Yeah, I zoomed the client earlier” – variations on these...

The only story that has come remotely close to pushing coronavirus – and its various knock-on effects – off the top...

Social distancing will be part of our daily routine moving forward for the foreseeable future and if you run an estate...

The Covid-19 crisis has forced the UK property industry to rethink the way it operates. With little warning, the pandemic disrupted the...

All my recent Natters have been focused on one particular topic, the coronavirus crisis, for obvious reasons. But there has been...

It’s another Bank Holiday weekend and the first since lockdown was eased and the housing market returns - so perhaps a...

As last Friday was the VE Day Anniversary bank holiday we have a bumper bundle of fund-raising activities to report on...

There has been much speculation about when agents will be allowed back to work, and what the new office working environment...

Since my last column in April, one could argue that very little has changed for agents in terms of the market...

Housing minister Chris Pincher is drawing up guidelines which could allow agents to return to something like normal working in the near...

NAEA Propertymark has today launched a campaign for the government to introduce what it calls a Property Sector Support Package. This would...

The Say No To Rightmove campaign, which expects to have some 3,000 offices signed up by the end of the month,...

A senior figure in the industry has spoken out against the shock sackings and branch closures announced by Spicerhaart. Jon Cooke, chief...

There’s been a huge change in the way estate agencies operate in recent years, with far more focus on marketing properties...

In the last few Natters I’ve focused on the slow death of local newspaper advertising, and how many agents are now...

When is a property really off-market? There may be many answers to that question but it’s likely that few would consider...

Six common ‘crimes of modern-day call handling’ are blighting UK estate and letting agencies and hampering their growth, reputation and profitability. These...

Hello - HNY and all that from the team at Agents Do Charity. We’re delighted to be back with three great stories...

Here at sales progression and communication tool mio, we recently caught up with Sarah Edmundson, co-director of The AllStars Group, the...

The head of a new property portal is urging agents to forget about spending money on For Sale and To Let...

A London council wants government backing for a borough-wide Section 7 direction - effectively banning all agents’ boards being erected without...

This week’s Natter is dedicated to three contrasting agencies doing things differently, from a recently established hybrid to a design-led, Insta-friendly...

Countrywide has named Amanda Rendle as a new independent non-executive director of the estate agency group; she joined the board yesterday. Rendle...

All eyes are on Japan for the Rugby World Cup beginning this weekend…but there’s still time for our industry to raise...

If you thought - perhaps hoped - that five weeks of prorogued Parliament meant a break from politics, think again: the...

They will be the doctors, lawyers, teachers, thinkers, leaders and captains of industry of the not too distant future, but is...

The former Countrywide chief executive Grenville Turner says it is an option for online estate agency Yopa to go to an...

A free-to-list property portal says that contrary to opinion within parts of the agency industry, the more portals there are the...

Purplebricks is the “Official Estate Agent Of Team GB” for the build-up to and completion of next summer’s Olympics in Tokyo. It is going...

PropTech start-up BestAgent is to stage a day-long event for suppliers to the agency industry later this month. This follows BestAgent founder...

Whether you love or hate it, Purplebricks has undoubtedly left its mark since arriving on the scene in 2015 – much...

An estate agency has contacted the police after 26 of its boards disappeared since September 2018.  Manor Estate Agents, an all-female agency...

An estate agency accused of “taking the mickey” over the number of boards it has erected has fought back. The mayor of...

A top London estate agent says the humble For Sale board remains the cheapest and most effective marketing tool - even...

It has been a long time coming, but the tenant fees ban, which forbids landlords and letting agents in England from...

When you think of the best ad campaigns – from moustachioed opera singers and talking meerkats to millions of bouncing balls...

More than 800 property transactions fall through daily, which can have repercussions both practically and financially, as agents fail to get...

Agency Express says that following a strong start to the year there’s a been a slowdown in the number of properties...

A slew of allegations have been made against agents and sometimes even by agents, over alleged misdemeanours over property listings as...

Hello and here we go with yet another Agents Do Charity, the weekly opportunity to herald the unsung efforts of our...

Who are you? Mikus Opelts, CEO of Giraffe360 What is Giraffe360 and what does it do? Giraffe360 is a unique digital photography subscription service...

The two men behind a low-profile hybrid estate agency say their company is flourishing after two years in business, during which they...

A London council is considering a borough-wide ban on agents’ boards of all kinds. Labour-controlled Camden already has a ban for a...

He may not yet have had time to produce a Brexit plan but Boris Johnson has at least had a few...

At the end of January the Asian PropTech company PropertyGuru announced the imminent launch of beta-phase testing of its cutting-edge new product, PropertyGuru Lens. This...

The regional agency MoveSelf, which set up in 2017 as an online estate agent, is shifting emphasis towards For Sale By...

When it comes to letting a property, it is important that landlords and renters have faith in their agent. The more...

Every day thousands of estate agency boards are erected across the UK. Even in the digital age the board remains one...

A PropTech firm that provides photography for virtual tours, floor plans and online and hard copy property details is relocating from Latvia to...

Part of the Arun Estates Group has rebranded - by dropping the ‘& Partners’ element of its name. The agency formerly known...

As 2018 draws to a close, it is fair to say that stretched affordability and uncertainty over the Brexit negotiations has...

When renting a property out, letting agents and landlords recognise that it is important to take a deposit from the tenant...

I’m spending a lot of time in airport terminals waiting for flights. They’re not the most comfortable of surroundings, but at...

Hello and welcome to this week’s Agents Do Charity - it’s our weekly round-up of good work done by the industry. Everyone...

It is a sobering thought that 40 years have slipped by since I first ran a tape measure across the inside...

Several agents have asked me whether they should consider ditching their high street offices and move to an out of town...

One of the industry’s best respected trainers and consultants has outlined six key reasons why agents should keep offices on the...

Those of you who receive (and read) my Sunday PropTech Review will know that, by far and away, the most shared...

The property market remained slow and stunted in August as the number of For Sale and Sold boards across the country...

Purplebricks co-founder Michael Bruce says traditional agents sell only around 50 per cent of the homes that they list, so spend...

As any agent will know, the task of ordering, erecting and maintaining boards can be time- consuming and cumbersome. While ultimately working...

The Agency Express board company says its monitor of the sales market suggests that it’s in better shape now than it...

Who are you and what does it say on your business card? Tom Cummuskey Sales & Marketing Manager … Fast approaching double...

The head of London’s largest estate agency brand has hit back at a council in the capital which wants enhanced powers...

A London council is seeking widespread powers to ban For Sale and To Let boards which it claims are seen by...

The former managing director of Foxtons, Peter Rollings, has spilled the beans on what it was like working at the heart...

Peter Rollings is one of the most respected and best-known figures in property, having helped to rapidly grow Foxtons (where he...

The For Sale board is one of the oldest marketing tools available to agents, but it is still considered one of...

As promised a few weeks ago, this week’s Natter concentrates on the importance of content, design and social media, three easily...

Hybrid agency Emoov is now offering a tailored sales package aimed at attracting developers listing and selling new homes. Rather than paying...

Maplin, Toys R Us, Carpetright, Warren Evans – what do they have in common? All are well-known high street chains that...

Agency Express, which reported a muted housing market in February, says the pace picked up considerably last month. The board company, which...

Just like that, the Easter Bank Holiday has come and gone and I find myself now looking ahead to the Summer.  The...

  An assessment of nine online agencies undertaken by a property website has seen Emoov come out on top after being analysed...

For many estate agents seeking to become entrepreneurs, the idea of starting their own business is undoubtedly daunting, especially when going...

Getting your property marketing right is vital, and the starting point is with professional images.  With most buyers browsing the internet for...

One of the industry’s largest sign makers has been spelling out its environmental credentials on the back of increased concern about...

The death of traditional TV – where viewers sit down together to watch shows at defined times – has been much...

Why I won’t buy Purplebricks shares and why if I had any, I’d sell fast… In its latest adverts, Purplebricks attempts to...

The printing industry is in the midst of a decline as digital products and services displace printed materials, which is why...

Just a fortnight today we’ll be packing our bags and preparing for a well-deserved but all-too-short festive break...but until then, there’s...

So at last someone has woken up to the fact that Purplebricks needs to be clearer about how it charges for...

An early Gold member of OnTheMarket is making a last-ditch bid to stop its parent company, Agents’ Mutual, from floating on...

Online estate agency YOPA - well known recently for advertisements featuring the Village People - is this evening launching a new...

An estate agent who is campaigning for boards to be banned in his local area says they should be 'confined to...

Jackson-Stops & Staff is undergoing a rebrand including the creation of a snappier title - it’s just Jackson-Stops now - as...

Not so long ago, new UK car sales were racing ahead, fuelled by confidence in the economic recovery, but car production...

Property has been changing hands for centuries, but when did estate agents as we know them today – with their branches,...

The housing market is approaching something of a standstill as the summer holiday season begins according to a downbeat report from...

We’re already more than halfway through 2017 and, against all the odds, it’s pushing 2016 close in terms of eventfulness and...

Major westcountry agency Wilkinson Grant has told the Advertising Standards Authority it will not re-use wording following a complaint from a...

Industry trade bodies NAEA and ARLA Propertymark have announced the appointment of their new presidents. At an AGM on Friday, Katie Griffin...

We live in world where the online economy is just as important as the offline economy. Whether your business is online...

As the nation goes to the polls today, industry boards supplier Agency Express reports that the property market picked up in...

The Wallington branch of Andrews Property Group recently contacted a local resident – but not to book a valuation or organise...

Vigilant followers of the Liberal Democrats may have spotted a blog in the name of Mark Pack early yesterday morning, commenting...

A London council has issued 49 fines to estate and letting agents in the first two months of a crackdown that...

For my latest Property Natter I have sought the opinions of two well-known property consultants - Michael Day, managing director of...

Propertymark, the new brand umbrella for the National Association of Estate Agents and the Association of Residential Letting Agents, is to...

Over 60% of UK consumers think that Estate Agents’ Photos Are Very Poor To Average A recent survey* by dedicated property photo...

A new regional property portal aiming to sign up 80 per cent of agencies in Yorkshire says it is unconcerned about...

A controversial scheme in a London borough, limiting the size and duration of letting and estate agents’ boards on display, comes...

A number of local authorities are now serving £100 or £120 fixed penalty notices on estate agents who display For Sale...

The rental market has had to face a raft of changes over the past year, including the introduction of the 3% stamp...

A local council says it is considering restricting how estate agent use boards for advertising community events like school sports days...

Next year is likely to be a challenging time for letting agents, following a raft of changes introduced by the government...

The latest data from board supplier Agency Express suggests November was a surprisingly buoyant month for the housing market, with only...

A ban on For Sale and To Let boards in central areas of Bath has been extended - for no less...

As circus performers, most estate agents would fail. Some of you might find that difficult to comprehend. After all, many uninformed members...

An online estate agency delisted by Rightmove for apparently breaching its terms and conditions has accused the portal of “gross abuse”...

Buy-to-let landlords may have failed in their recent legal battle against planned government tax relief changes for buy-to-let homes set to...

The former chief executive of Countrywide, Harry Hill, has tweeted that on a four mile walk encountering hundreds of estate agents’...

An estate agency has been fined by a local authority for putting up a 'Sold' board outside a house more than...

The network of independent estate agents known as the Property Sharing Experts has become the Experts in Property. The change of name...

The huge rush to acquire buy-to-let property in the first quarter of the year ahead of the stamp duty change deadline...

Estate Agents may say they are different. They may even believe they are different. But, the perception of many vendors is that...

A leading estate agent in a town where the local council wants to dramatically extend a ban on For Sale and...

It’s a familiar theme – kids doing charity trips and needing sponsorship or raffle prizes to help fund their fares. If we...

A ban on agents' For Sale and To Let boards is being widened out across a city six years after a...

The Conservatives on the council in Brighton and Hove have called for a ban on estate agents’ boards to be extended...

Forgive the footballing headline – perhaps inevitable now that Euro 2016 has started – but several decisions and statements across the...

Dear Sales Doctor, I'm aware I sound robotic when qualifying an applicant and don't know how to change it; any ideas? When an...

There’s been a glut of fundraising events surrounding the 90th birthday celebrations for HM The Queen - and we salute those...

Agents in a London borough have been warned that the local council now has new powers to fine the firms behind...

Respected westcountry estate agent Chris Wood is to offer consultancy and training courses through new industry training group Agency Mentors. Wood, who...

Agents' boards get a lot of stick. Many see them as stains on the landscape, some see them as useless in...

A local council is banning estate and letting agents’ boards after it has been handed legal powers to ‘prevent their spread’. Agents...

A prominent Conservative activist is calling for a strict clampdown on estate agents’ boards which she describes as “a form of...

A local authority has written to all known estate and letting agents in its area criticising those who have allegedly broken...

Dacorum council in Hertfordshire has prosecuted an estate agency for what it calls the “illegal display” of a For Sale board...

Marketing and property often go hand in hand. But from time to time you might come across certain marketing terms that...

There seems to have been a seismic shift in recent years for companies to migrate everything ‘on brand’ online. However signage...

Who are you? Steve Gosney. What does it say on your business card? Managing Director of Kremer Signs. How long has Kremer Signs...

Who are you?  Chris Rundle, What does it say on your business card? Managing Director of GK Signs.  How long has GK Signs...

Estate agents have been accused of flouting the rules by erecting For Sale and To Let signs despite a voluntary ban. The...

An anonymous group or individual campaigning to identify and publicise boards which it claims are erected in “illegal” locations has resumed...

On Wednesday 21st October future and reality will collide. Back to the Future’s Marty McFly will arrive in the DeLorean to...

A local council is attempting to introduce a permanent ban on estate and letting agents’ boards in almost two-thirds of a...

Agents in Douglas on the Isle of Man have agreed to a voluntary code governing the size of their For Sale...

You know you’re doing something right when for the third year running you are shortlisted for the Supplier of the Year...

There is controversy in the London suburb of Brixton over an estate agent which has allegedly 'spammed' the area with publicity...

A High Street estate agent has branded the latest guidance to the industry on Consumer Protection Regulations as “a complete mess”...

A High Street estate agent has cautioned others within the industry against being tempted to go down the route of charging...

One of the country largest agency chains, Connells, has unveiled an updated logo and boards, along with plans to modernise its offices...

A traditional estate agent has taken a leaf from the book of online rivals by scrapping old-style percentage commission and instead...

John D Wood & Co’s new look For Sale and To Let boards have been unveiled in a bid to give...

Yesterday we reported Rightmove’s new TV advertisement - today, Zoopla announces the launch of a new national marketing campaign which includes...

Estate agency board specialist company Agency Express has won gold in this year’s HSBC Franchise of the Year Awards against an...

A house is pretty much the largest investment a person will make in their lifetime, and it’s natural to want the...

The managing director of a new estate agency comparison website says he wants to work with and not against the industry.  Ben...

If it is true (and who would doubt it?) that 90% of property searches start online, then how does this affect...

Agency Express, the UK’s largest provider of agency board services, has now introduced an app to allow clients to enjoy board-management...

Property portal Zoopla is offering member agents the opportunity to publicise nominated properties across a range of media, and across the...

The presupposed notion still exists that new online agents are ‘tech savvy’ whilst the seemingly old fashioned high street agents are...

HAVING revolutionised the face of telephone answering and outsourced switchboards in the UK, Moneypenny has launched its pioneering service in the...