Archive

It’s been an undeniably tough year for agents so far and no one can say the industry doesn’t deserve a summer...

The Advertising Standards Authority has banned an advertisement which suggested that the firm behind it had “a physical office ... in...

For the second time in two weeks, experts are warning that new data protection laws could seriously disrupt the agency industry...

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

The Advertising Standards Authority has upheld a complaint over a Purplebricks website statement featuring testimonials from clients; the complaint was made...

The Guild of Property Professionals and Fine & Country have launched a new referral system app which allows its members to...

The start of Wimbledon means we’re reaching peak summer - even if the weather suggests otherwise. But distractions like sporting events...

Over 500 members of the Guild of Property Professionals have requested an easyProperty licence following the merger between the two organisations.   The...

Two leading property analysts have written a fiercely critical assessment of the merger between easyProperty and the Guild of Property Professionals.   The...

TV property expert and online agency owner Sarah Beeny says there will always be some sellers who prefer to use traditional...

Great Expectations was a fantastic novel-cum-social-history written by Charles Dickens, who once lived in my adopted home city of Portsmouth. But these...

The chief executive of eProp Services Ltd - the company formed by a merger between easyProperty and GPEA Ltd (the parent...

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

GPEA Ltd - the parent company of the Guild of Property Professionals and Fine & Country - has announced it has...

International agency brand Fine & Country has announced the opening of its 12th Portuguese office. The global network, which now has agents...

If a political party wants to run a country, it’s probably a good idea that it shows it can at least...

As we end an especially tragic week, it is heart-warming to remember how our industry - along with so many other...

Over 100 so-called Top Achievers from across Connells Group’s Sequence and Connells estate agencies have been taken by the company on...

Home ownership has halved for young families across some parts of the UK according to a charity.  The Resolution Foundation says its...

Our recent roundtable on the proposed ban on tenant fees generated ten tips for growing a lettings business. We’re exploring each tip in more...

This might just be one of the busiest Agents Do Charity columns we’ve ever had with many firms having a mixture...

New research has identified homebuyers' top 20 'must-have' features that would encourage them to purchase a seller's property. According to the survey...

Last week’s acquisition of high-end agency Cluttons from pre-pack administration is to be investigated by the Pension Protection Fund. We reported on...

There are only a few days to go before The ESTAS - the biggest event in the awards calendar for agents,...

Pole-axed by politics? Bored of ballots? Well, this is where you can escape from pledges, promises and politicians and instead read...

One of the biggest days of the year for agents takes place just two weeks tomorrow when The ESTAS take place...

Being featured in newspapers, magazines and websites, as well as on radio and TV, can be a great way to build...

Our recent roundtable on the government’s proposed ban on tenant fees generated ten top tips for growing your business.  We plan to...

There’s no sign yet that the snap General Election is distracting our industry from continuing its fine record of doing good...

My apologies if this causes you to break your Easter egg with a little too much aggression, but I reckon the...

It’s never more obvious how important good communication is for letting agents than in times of bad weather. Havoc caused by...

A building society claims that in the past three years alone no fewer than 1.2m buyers have given up on house...

It’s easy to be dismissive of the value of local newspapers for advertising residential property but things are never as straightforward...

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

The Charter for Independent Estate and Letting Agents has started its ‘pre-launch’ membership drive - and says it ultimately want to...

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

The publication of our Strategic Plan, ‘Building the framework for the future’, met with an anticipated degree of positive and not-so-positive...

There are more first-time buyers (FTBs) finding a way on to the property ladder than at any time since the Financial...

The property market in northern England, supported in part by the Northern Powerhouse concept, has attracted a lot of media attention,...

We’re almost nine months on from the EU Referendum and yet the issue remains the big divide across the nation: an...

Some big news in the agency world last week won’t have escaped the attention of many in the industry. Last Thursday news...

Chancellor Philip Hammond delivered his first Budget this week pledging extra funding for the NHS, transport in the Midlands and the...

The Office for Budget Responsibility, which released its latest economic forecasts on Wednesday, has adjusted its prediction for UK house prices…again.  It...

When we meet clients, we go out of our way to make a good impression. There’s no reason why we shouldn’t...

There was nothing doing in the Budget - no stamp duty reform, no second look at mortgage interest tax relief changes,...

Chancellor Phillip Hammond has introduced no new property taxes in his Spring Budget - but a clampdown on those setting up...

One of the four estate agents fined by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) for price-fixing has spoken about the details...

A new London-based online estate agency called Nested says it has had a “superb start” to trading, using its unusual business...

Fine & Country is re-launching its TV advert following what it regards as its successful campaign between March and September last...

The Competition and Markets Authority has now fined agents over £1m in two landmark cases concerning price-fixing - and it says...

Four Somerset estate agents have agreed to pay fines totalling over £370,000 to the Competition and Markets Authority, after admitting illegal price-fixing.   The...

Former Countrywide director Iain McKenzie is the new chief executive of The Guild of Property Professionals. He replaces Marcus Whewell who has...

Fine & Country has opened a new office at Lymington in the New Forest.   The branch is using staff from local...

The estate agency which was fined £200,000 after a prospective house buyer fell 30 feet into a well during a viewing...

The Purplebricks stock market bull run took yet another huge leap forwards yesterday with its share price up 20 per cent...

This week has seen the estate agency industry demonstrating just how big it is these days with Purplebricks raising £50m in...

The guys at Which? are at it again, all over estate agents like a rash for “over valuing” properties so they...

Excuse the puntastic (or not) title, but as you’ve no doubt already deciphered I took a trip northwards a couple of...

The chronic shortage of housing supply in the UK relative to demand has been a national issue for decades. The Government...

Welcome to February! It means that 2017 is well under way and we’re edging closer to Spring – a time when...

If this past year is anything to go by, outsourcing is firmly on the agenda for estate agents. Rather than being...

Annoying isn’t it. You take on a stunning property, agree a compelling asking price and your Vendor is desperate to get the...

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

Fine & Country says it is to return to the small screen with another round of TV advertising, building on its...

A founder of the new organisation seeking to be a trade body for independent estate and letting agents is warning that...

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

Fine & Country is opening a new office specialising in villages in West Sussex.  The Downland Villages branch, situated in Henfield, will...

Cheffins, the six-office Cambridgeshire-based firm, says it is creating ”a new corporate framework” to intensify its focus on estate agency, rural...

Activists who stormed a wedding as part of a protest event in which a Foxtons office was damaged have been fined...

Christmas is here - feet up, mulled wine ... a well-deserved break. As we know, however, it’s not just selling and letting houses...

As the Christmas break begins to loom larger, there’s no let-up with pics from your offices - and those amazing Christmas...

Estate and letting agent training company Agency Mentors has revealed the winner of its competition for ‘most inspirational agent’ in the...

With little more than 10 days to go before we all down tools for a well-earned Christmas break - even if...

With under a fortnight left before Christmas your photographs have been coming thick and fast - but today we start with...

With effect from the 1st December 2016, amendments to the Immigration act 2014 were made through the Immigration Act 2016.    The soundbite...

The Conveyancing Association has revised its wish-list of reforms to, in its words, “ensure fewer delays, a less costly process, and...

There’s no need to worry but...er....there are only three weeks to go until Christmas. With traditional feelings of goodwill at this time...

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

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors is the latest body within the industry to warn its members against portal juggling. Following statements...

Good branding is absolutely crucial to any successful business or product, even more so in a world of social media, instant...

When a tenant paid his initial one month’s rent in addition to a tenancy deposit in exchange for the keys to...

Portal juggling has been defined as one of a number of "emerging threats" aimed at deceiving consumers through the manipulation of...

It’s all been kicking off in recent weeks, hasn’t it? Marmite wars, the endless Trump v Clinton debate, Samsung phones blowing...

Several estate agencies have announced expansions and new offices - and once again a former Countrywide management figure is revealed to...

It’s been another very busy week for the excellent fund-raising champions of our industry - and the good causes are encouraging...

In recent weeks I have been carrying out question and answer sessions with some of the key figures in the property...

It’s curious how gloom, gloom pre-Brexit Britain’s property market has gained a much brighter outlook now that the result of the...

This week we have the Head Shepherd of EweMove, Glenn Ackroyd, in the hotseat. He’s been co-owner of EweMove Sales and Lettings,...

The Bank of England’s Prudential Regulation Authority has confirmed that tighter regulations will apply to lenders providing mortgages for buy to...

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

An estate agency in Kent is having to replace its shopfront for the second time in a year. Last week, the shopfront...

I write this during the week that David Cameron resigned as an MP – it is quite startling how quickly politics...

A property analytics company has devised a method of calculating the ‘best’ locations in which to work as an estate agent,...

With an anticipated “Call for Evidence” from the Dept of Business Innovation & Skills looking into the home-buying experience ETSOS is...

Prime residential property group Fine & Country is re-launching its TV advertising campaign this month following what it regards as a...

For many people buy-to-let continues to look an attractive income investment at a time of low saving rates and stock market...

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

An estate agency has been fined after a trading standards team accused it of making misleading statements on its website. Warwickshire county...

With ever increasing obligations, estate agents know that compliance matters now more than ever.  However, being able to obtain access to the...

As I sit here writing this on the Glorious 12th, I realise I’m going on about my favourite grouse – agents...