First off, my own quick tribute to the Queen, who died on Thursday afternoon aged 96. Despite her age and declining...
Archive
10 September 2022
From: Features
![Changing Our Industry - PropTech group hold webinars on reform](/upload/images/library/PropTech-Toolshed-400x310.jpg)
PropTech supplier tmgroup is to hold a six-part webinar series called Achieving Change: Think tomorrow, act today. The webinars - from linked...
25 February 2022
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: Farewell – what we’ve learnt and where do we go next?](/img/default/eat.png)
I have written this column for over four years. I started writing it at a time when no-one really knew anything...
27 January 2021
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: Five sessions from RE:Connect you need to watch](/img/default/eat.png)
The ‘future of residential’ is a huge term to contend with but one that was addressed last week through our RE:Connect...
13 January 2021
From: Breaking News
16 December 2020
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: Weak leadership threatens innovation](/img/default/eat.png)
After you. No, after you. That is often how innovation seems amongst the real estate elite. And this week I see it...
02 December 2020
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: how to cope with technological change](/img/default/eat.png)
A slight change to the normal column this week. I was very fortunate to be given the virtual floor at the...
18 November 2020
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: Using technology to underpin your lettings division](/img/default/eat.png)
I remember so clearly in my Foxtons days, working as a lettings manager in Putney, that lettings, though less sexy than...
04 November 2020
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: ‘Don't blame us, we are not the problem - you are’](/img/default/eat.png)
I had a wry smile when I read the article on Monday from the conveyancers complaining about people getting off their...
21 October 2020
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: the challenge with iBuyers](/img/default/eat.png)
Recently, when giving speeches, I have discussed investment trends and industry trends that the built environment is experiencing. They are quite...
07 October 2020
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today - why do PropTech companies fail?](/img/default/eat.png)
I was giving an interview this week for an upcoming conference - yet another to convert from a physical to a...
23 September 2020
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: Is there any such thing as a portal war?](/img/default/eat.png)
For a mixture of reasons, I now only write this column every two weeks. At first, I missed the weekly consideration...
09 September 2020
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: start-ups win investor backing in changing world](/img/default/eat.png)
An overview of the global PropTech sector is often what I am asked to cover at conferences around the world. This generally...
26 August 2020
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: why don't agents encourage people to swap not sell?](/img/default/eat.png)
I want to talk to you about new ways to sell homes. Let's not encourage people to sell but just swap...
12 August 2020
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: Agents’ Boards - are they protected from technology?](/img/default/eat.png)
Steve, his name was. Steve, the board man. A rather frightening man, if truth be told. When I started at Foxtons, he used...
29 July 2020
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: We need long-term visions, not short-term fixes](/img/default/eat.png)
With stamp duty cuts and 90% mortgages on their way back, anyone could think the housing market was about to go...
15 July 2020
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: another attempt at solving a problem that doesn't exist?](/img/default/eat.png)
"New property website launches. Not immediately sure what it does differently, what its USP is or who will use it, but...
01 July 2020
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: Do we care that tech can now halve transaction times?](/img/default/eat.png)
Tuesday mornings at 6am is usually my time to review all the latest PropTech news. This fires off ideas for my...
17 June 2020
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: On the offensive - why aren't you giving it all away for free?](/img/default/eat.png)
I was asked a question by a German journalist yesterday. What is the biggest lesson German and European PropTech founders can...
03 June 2020
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: Settled - people miss the point about failure](/img/default/eat.png)
I recently read the news about Settled closing its doors. As of 6.29am on Tuesday morning, the article had been read by 8,642...
20 May 2020
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: 75% of agency branches will close within five years](/img/default/eat.png)
“A lot of people have learned that they can work at home, or that there’s other methods of conducting their business......
06 May 2020
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: why the industry shouldn’t abandon best laid plans](/img/default/eat.png)
We are all operating in peculiar times. Times of great upheaval. Our lives are both in a complete state of flux...
22 April 2020
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: Ignore 2024, discover 11 home truths happening now](/img/default/eat.png)
On April 4, EAT published a piece titled: ‘It’s 2024: what will the industry look like, post corona-virus’. To me, this...
08 April 2020
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: industry chiefs helping agents through tough times](/img/default/eat.png)
For complete transparency, I write this column first thing on a Tuesday morning and have done for a couple of years...
25 March 2020
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: uncertain times to accelerate mergers and failures](/img/default/eat.png)
We live in uncertain times. That I do not need to say to anybody. I am writing this piece aboard my...
11 March 2020
From: Breaking News
![Property Natter – how did agents advertise in the pre-portal days?](/img/default/eat.png)
In the last few Natters I’ve focused on the slow death of local newspaper advertising, and how many agents are now...
29 February 2020
From: Features
![PropTech Today: Agency mergers and new business models](/img/default/eat.png)
What an interesting few days it’s been. I don’t think the topic of this week’s column is doing anything good for our...
26 February 2020
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: Why the Guild’s iBuyer move will be a struggle](/img/default/eat.png)
This week I fly to Spain to present at a conference called Immotechnia. I am opening the conference with a 45-minute...
19 February 2020
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: Humans cannot win on their own - neither can technology](/img/default/eat.png)
A book, written by Gary Kasparov, has really made me question my opinions on Artificial Intelligence (AI). The book is called...
12 February 2020
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: What can 80 conveyancers teach PropTech?](/img/default/eat.png)
“It appears conveyancers either aren’t too concerned with PropTech right now, or they don’t yet have all the information needed to...
05 February 2020
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: Could you cut months off your deal time?](/img/default/eat.png)
Quite a few years ago, I spoke at a conference for auctioneers. It was a traditional affair. Rural location. Nice hotel....
29 January 2020
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: Mortgage brokers vs robo advisers - who will win?](/img/default/eat.png)
“Give me 100 leads and I will make five-times more good appointments than any AI you put me up against,” stated...
22 January 2020
From: Breaking News
15 January 2020
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: Are you ready for a decade of planning ahead?](/img/default/eat.png)
2020, the start of a new decade. Looking back, 2010 feels like such a long time ago, and looking forward to...
08 January 2020
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today - will the home of 2040 be a blank physical space?](/img/default/eat.png)
“There won’t be a single home but millions of different homes”, is one quote. “There will be an end to gadgets”, is...
18 December 2019
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: a new year, a new you - resolutions for 2020](/img/default/eat.png)
Yes, you can promise yourself that you won't eat all the mince pies, or yet another roast potato, nor drink as...
11 December 2019
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: A lesson about agents, technology and human contact](/img/default/eat.png)
Everyone thought John Bercow was short. It probably didn’t help that I was on stage just before him. 5ft 6 versus...
04 December 2019
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: Smart contracts and their impact on trust](/img/default/eat.png)
I got an overnight flight to Nigeria yesterday. I landed at 5am local time and am only just now getting sensation...
27 November 2019
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: Is property management real estate's most undervalued area?](/img/default/eat.png)
Last week, it was announced that Plentific, the London-based tenant experience, has raised $32 million in Series B funding. Plentific’s model sees...
20 November 2019
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: increased tech awareness - data remains a weak link](/img/default/eat.png)
KPMG published its Global PropTech Survey 2019 last week with the title: Is your digital future in the right hands? Interesting question:...
13 November 2019
From: Breaking News
![Order! Order! Bercow to be key speaker at property conference](/img/default/eat.png)
The controversial former Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow, is to be the keynote speaker at a property industry...
11 November 2019
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: The biggest mistake you can make is to do nothing](/img/default/eat.png)
This line is one that I use a lot in my speeches and presentations, often as part of the final slide. I...
06 November 2019
From: Breaking News
30 October 2019
From: Breaking News
![Ex-Countrywide and Rightmove chief invests in PropTech](/img/default/eat.png)
The founder of Rightmove and former Countrywide chief executive Harry Hill is one of a number of investors behind a new...
28 October 2019
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: The government and its attitude towards PropTech](/img/default/eat.png)
It was in this very column, back in July, when I wrote about how the British government was starting to take...
23 October 2019
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: Sometimes, people don’t want technology](/img/default/eat.png)
A few weeks ago, I came across a couple of really interesting articles which I immediately thought worth writing a piece...
16 October 2019
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: What is the point of industry collaboration? It’s a risk, surely?](/img/default/eat.png)
I have been banging on about partnerships and collaborations for years now. Whether it’s between two real estate firms, two PropTech firms,...
09 October 2019
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: Agents should capitalise on pivoting companies](/img/default/eat.png)
I want to take the time this week to talk about PropTech startups and how they can often be seen to...
02 October 2019
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: New technology can make agents more valuable than ever](/img/default/eat.png)
A story from America caught my eye this week. It’s about a company called Curbio partnering with another called The Keyes...
25 September 2019
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: Is PropTech about to burst?](/img/default/eat.png)
There are those who say that PropTech is at risk of becoming a bubble market, and others who say bubbles don’t...
18 September 2019
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: Maybe the portals should just take over?](/img/default/eat.png)
I remember the day well; the day we all fell foul of addiction, the day our website was launched. Until then, at...
11 September 2019
From: Breaking News
04 September 2019
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: Are we hiring the wrong people?](/img/default/eat.png)
As real estate firms begin to execute their Q3 strategies and think more closely about Q4, there is one major question...
28 August 2019
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: Can €19 million disrupt an entire sector?](/img/default/eat.png)
News this week tells of Zehomes, the German property management company, raising €13 million in Series-A funding, bringing its all-time total...
21 August 2019
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: three holiday books and why you might want to ignore them](/img/default/eat.png)
This week, you find me in Italy. Now that we’ve entered that languid month of August, where all of real estate...
14 August 2019
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: Keller Williams proves transformation comes from the top](/img/default/eat.png)
Keller Williams continues to drive culture, mentality, and process transformation by partnering with DocuSign to enable electronic signatures. It’s another lesson in...
31 July 2019
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: UK government is beginning to take PropTech seriously](/img/default/eat.png)
I feel I am in a fortunate position. I have been central to the PropTech movement for a number of years,...
24 July 2019
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: Rightmove fails to understand first rule of innovation](/img/default/eat.png)
The recent announcement of a clicktopurchase partnership demonstrates some much-needed progression from Rightmove. In doing so, however, it could be said it...
17 July 2019
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: How will estate agents win and lose talent?](/img/default/eat.png)
The PropTech era is changing the way in which employees decide where they are going to work. As CBRE has discovered in...
10 July 2019
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: Startup should inspire agents to become community pillars](/img/default/eat.png)
This week, I want to take a look at the Israeli startup, Venn, an urban revitalisation firm which has recently received...
03 July 2019
From: Breaking News
26 June 2019
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: Facebook's own currency to drive rental transactions](/img/default/eat.png)
Facebook is set to enter the cryptocurrency business with the big reveal of its formal plans scheduled for some point this...
19 June 2019
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: now is the time to understand blockchain](/img/default/eat.png)
It’s London Tech Week, everybody! The sprawling city-wide event taking in dozens of conferences, events, workshops, panel debates and so on,...
12 June 2019
From: Breaking News
05 June 2019
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: We can’t ignore the technological underclass](/img/default/eat.png)
One of my biggest concerns in all of my writing, speaking and influencing around PropTech is that for the people we...
29 May 2019
From: Breaking News
![We’ve done it! EAT named Property Trade Magazine of the Year](/img/default/eat.png)
Estate Agent Today has been named Property Trade Magazine of the Year 2019 at the annual Property Press Awards. It fought off...
23 May 2019
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: Market disruption do’s, don’ts and value propositions](/img/default/eat.png)
We’ve reached the final instalment of my market transformation do’s and don’ts. In previous articles, we’ve looked at: Do encourage, don’t deter;...
22 May 2019
From: Breaking News
![Property Natter: has Purplebricks' bubble now officially burst?](/img/default/eat.png)
Whether you love or hate it, Purplebricks has undoubtedly left its mark since arriving on the scene in 2015 – much...
18 May 2019
From: Features
![PropTech Today: FUTURE: PropTech 2019 - A truly global affair](/img/default/eat.png)
It was long awaited, much anticipated and, thankfully, incredibly well attended. FUTURE PropTech 2019 was a big hit and a truly global affair. For...
15 May 2019
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: Market transformation – deterring, championing and Purplebricks](/img/default/eat.png)
I hope you had another wonderful Bank Holiday weekend; only three weeks to hold on until the next one. Personally, it...
08 May 2019
From: Breaking News
![Property Natter - homes of the future](/img/default/eat.png)
During our school days, most of us did that task where we imagined and drew the homes of the future, but...
04 May 2019
From: Features
![PropTech Today: Do’s & don’ts of market transformation - CBRE, Avison Young](/img/default/eat.png)
My article last week has sparked some really great engagement, which I’m delighted about! Thank you to everyone who commented or dropped...
01 May 2019
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: Do’s & Don’ts of transformation - Countrywide, Foxtons](/img/default/eat.png)
It’s not often we can enjoy beautiful sunshine on bank holidays, but I suppose this one was a particularly blessed weekend,...
24 April 2019
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: The do’s and don’ts of market transformation](/img/default/eat.png)
I am writing this as I reflect on a recent trip to Nigeria. I was asked to speak at the country’s...
17 April 2019
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: The second stupidest thing to do? Digitise the past](/img/default/eat.png)
By the time you read this article, I’ll be in Nigeria. My first ever visit to the continent of Africa. Sitting here...
10 April 2019
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: Should agents build, buy, or partner? That is the question](/img/default/eat.png)
Foxtons and Quintain have both recently made an important decision about their technological innovation, the same decision must also be made...
04 April 2019
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: Nationwide proves that collaboration is worth the risk](/img/default/eat.png)
Whether it is legacy providers with new, young businesses, or large banks with PropTech startups, all types of cross-collaboration are vital. It’s...
27 March 2019
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: MIPIM competition suggests sensors and IoT are the future](/img/default/eat.png)
This month’s MIPIM conference in Cannes once again played host to the final round of the much coveted MIPIM Startup Competition. The...
20 March 2019
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: Is PropTech ‘atrocious’ at marketing, or do we need to relax?](/img/default/eat.png)
An interesting debate has been sparked in PropTech this week. It started with an interview, published on YouTube, in which Kristjan Byfield...
13 March 2019
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: $200m investment for a storage firm – where is the potential?](/img/default/eat.png)
A couple of weeks ago, SoftBank’s Vision Fund led a whopping $200 million investment injection into Clutter, the US-based on-demand storage...
06 March 2019
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: Purplebricks’ lack of collaboration to blame for recent troubles](/img/default/eat.png)
No doubt we’ve all seen the recent Purplebricks news - shares have, according to the BBC, ‘plunged after it slashed its...
27 February 2019
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: Money for good behaviour? PropTech helping renters](/img/default/eat.png)
Interesting news this week from South Africa where the PropTech startup, Flow, has raised R20m in the country’s 'biggest PropTech seed...
20 February 2019
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: new key to agent success is a threat to the big portals](/img/default/eat.png)
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...
06 February 2019
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: Homes-as-a-service could be your greatest weapon](/img/default/eat.png)
By thinking outside the box, agents can truly embrace the idea of space-as-a-service and create entirely new, and highly valuable, streams...
30 January 2019
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: What next for agents if virtual assistants take over?](/img/default/eat.png)
If Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology is as sophisticated as they say, Porter Pioneers’ launch could leave agents kicking their feet. Those of...
23 January 2019
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: Fatigue - should estate agents bother with technology?](/img/default/eat.png)
“Estate Agents must be suffering from supplier fatigue. Where do you even begin? Most agents haven’t got the time.” So started the...
16 January 2019
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: The under-appreciated 2019 property events near you](/img/default/eat.png)
It’s time to think about planning the 2019 events calendar. This year, there are more PropTech conferences scheduled than ever before,...
09 January 2019
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: new platform to help agents find ‘best digital solutions’](/img/default/eat.png)
Today sees the launch of Unissu, a platform which has classified over 6,000 PropTech businesses in a bid to offer estate...
07 January 2019
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: Christmas gifts for the PropTech obsessive](/img/default/eat.png)
For my final EAT contribution of 2018, I’ve put together a list of Christmas gifts that you could buy your PropTech-loving...
19 December 2018
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: My predictions for 2019](/img/default/eat.png)
It’s that time of year again where we start saying goodbye to 12 months of hard work and start looking forward...
12 December 2018
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: Professor names four issues agents need to be aware of](/img/default/eat.png)
In his keynote speech at the recent Negotiator Conference, Professor Andrew Baum sparked debate throughout the property industry. Baum’s speech, which began...
05 December 2018
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: New tech offerings require action from the high street](/img/default/eat.png)
I’m spending a lot of time in airport terminals waiting for flights. They’re not the most comfortable of surroundings, but at...
28 November 2018
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: Agents - here’s why you need to differentiate more](/img/default/eat.png)
I remember renting flats when I was a 25-year-old negotiator at Foxtons. Many of you will remember my love for the...
14 November 2018
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: It’s time for agents to adapt or die](/img/default/eat.png)
This won’t be a long article. Just to the point and hopefully with a nice angle to it. I get asked at...
07 November 2018
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: Transparency and control - two conflicting tech challenges](/img/default/eat.png)
I am currently in the back of a taxi. The deadline for this piece is looming and I am desperate to...
31 October 2018
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: Are consumers abandoned by online and hybrid agents?](/img/default/eat.png)
Not so long ago, the best estate agents were those who did the best work for their clients and therefore built...
24 October 2018
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: Understand real estate robotics and we better understand tech](/img/default/eat.png)
The last couple of weeks’ articles were penned very much for a specific agent readership, something I am trying to be...
17 October 2018
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: UK government backs blockchain - what next?](/img/default/eat.png)
When Professor Andrew Baum’s PropTech 3.0 report was first published, a small event was held to celebrate the very first academic...
10 October 2018
From: Breaking News
![PropTech Today: “You’re not listening,” agents tell suppliers](/img/default/eat.png)
Last week, the first of a new kind of industry event took place; an open debate between agents and PropTech suppliers. Strong...