Archive

For complete transparency, I write this column first thing on a Tuesday morning and have done for a couple of years...

Hello: so much has happened since the last Conquering Corona column . Before we get on with it, a reminder to...

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

Hello and welcome to today’s Conquering Corona, a service we’re running to share official guidance and agents’ advice in a bid...

The coronavirus outbreak has highlighted once again how fragile and interconnected our societies have become. We don’t know yet how dangerous Covid-19...

The landscape of the estate agency market in the UK is evolving to reflect changes in the way we live our...

Estate Agent Today can reveal that one of the most senior figures in Countrywide’s upmarket John D Wood and Hampton International brands...

An outspoken industry commentator says some of the country’s leading agencies are failing because they’re not actually run by experienced agents. Russell...

For a very long time, it was one of the best ways – if not the best way – of generating...

Following on from the second half of the last decade, the first few weeks of 2020 have been a bit mad...

Yes, you can promise yourself that you won't eat all the mince pies, or yet another roast potato, nor drink as...

A new portal has been launched aiming to take on Rightmove, Zoopla and OnTheMarket in the retirement property sector - and...

28th NOVEMBER 2019: Christopher Watkin’s recent thought-provoking interview with Dan Marsden sheds light on the property industry today and offers an...

The former chief of an online estate agency says the top three surviving firms in the sector must merge if they...

I was shocked, not so long ago, by an out of office reply I received upon sending an email to a...

I have been banging on about partnerships and collaborations for years now. Whether it’s between two real estate firms, two PropTech firms,...

One of the biggest changes seen in the property market over the last decade is technology growth. With the likes of Rightmove...

Whinge. Moan. Lead quality. Crap market. Decision procrastination. Fee pressure. Bloody competitors. Especially Purplebricks. Brexit, of course, Brexit... These are just some...

Nicky Stevenson has had a very varied and interesting career in property. She started out as a lettings negotiator for Nicholas...

Sometimes having prior knowledge of a stressful event can be more stressful than the event itself, just look at Brexit for...

Countrywide’s shares took another battering yesterday as they plummeted below the psychologically-painful 5p mark - reflecting a 95 per cent loss of...

So far in our contribution to the campaign to replace leasehold with commonhold we have outlined the stories of some of...

My article last week has sparked some really great engagement, which I’m delighted about!  Thank you to everyone who commented or dropped...

With Easter now upon us (happy Easter, by the way, and hope you’re enjoying the long weekend, the Easter eggs and...

The failure of online agencies to significantly disrupt the industry is down to their being too cheap and creating a perception...

It’s a testing time for the property industry, amid Brexit fears, a slowing market and the looming tenant fees ban.  There’s no...

Thinking about the state of communication across residential property chains is enough to induce a severe migraine. We work in a world...

Instagram (or, as the younger generation would have it, Insta) is, by any measure, massive.  Only launched in October 2010, it’s a...

The former chief executive of Emoov says he has the answer to Foxtons’ current downbeat performance - it should exploit its...

Kit Malthouse has been making headlines this week, but – in keeping with his tenure as Housing Minister so far -...

Kenny Bruce, one of the founders of sector-leading online agency Purplebricks, has sent his good wishes to Russell Quirk, who founded...

The former boss of Emoov, the controversial Russell Quirk, has resuscitated his career as a public relations man and pro-Brexit commentator. Just...

Hard not to mention two major breaking news stories of recent days; one directly affecting the property market and one which...

Rather like doctors, estate agents are present at critical points in our lives – moving in together, bidding farewell to a...

It’s the most obvious visual medium high street agents have at their disposal, and for many decades has been absolutely pivotal...

Sky News says Emoov is to be sold, just months after the controversial online agency merged with Sarah Beeny's Tepilo and the...

The chief executive of Emoov, Russell Quirk, has suggested that the unexpectedly low take up of online agents may mean that...

Fake news has become the popular catchphrase of a certain orange-tinted president in recent years. And everyone, from tech giants like...

As you probably know, I have been no fan of OnTheMarket (OTM) over the years. You may see this admission as...

Before I get into the nitty gritty of the government (well, one of its startup accelerator schemes) giving away £20,000, let...

We all need to lighten up from time to time, especially at the start of another working week at the height...

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

As noted in Estate Agent Today’s news pages, OnTheMarket’s (OTM) recent dire share performance (at time of writing the price is...

For part two of the 'Day in the life of' series, I spoke to Peter Kavanagh, who first joined Romans in...

Three weeks has flown by (I missed an early deadline last week - apologies) and I find myself writing the next...

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

OnTheMarket has finally completed its stock market float, with less capital raised, at a lower than planned valuation and, as I write,...

Whatever else you say about OnTheMarket, you can’t say it’s not consistent, consistent in treating its core membership shabbily.  We already know...

Who says things slow down before Christmas? The opposite appears to be the case, at least when it comes to the...

Yesterday morning OnTheMarket confirmed its IPO plans but with no firm date. The question remains on whether the float will be...

A new software tool claims to be able to verify leads by checking on buyers via social media.  Using Facebook, LinkedIn and...

International property analyst Mike DelPrete has queried the suggestion that Countrywide's online sales option is drawing in additional business to those...

The Savills-backed online estate agency YOPA has found itself in glittering company amongst 25 firms listed by business media site LinkedIn...

Crowdfunding is nothing new. As I pointed out in a previous Natter, it dates back centuries, playing a part in the...

Purplebricks has given more details of its activities in the United States, where it is hoping to break into a market...

Before we go any further, assuming you are an Agents’ Mutual member, let me ask you a question. If you had...

After my article last week predicting that Agents’ Mutual would likely seek to raise external capital, including possibly on the public markets,...

I hate to be the guy to say ‘I told you so’…but I told you so! It seems that my predictions...

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

The UK PropTech Association (UKPA), of which I am a member of the steering committee, is an organisation with a purpose...

Our recent roundtable on the government’s proposed ban on tenant fees generated 10 tips for growing your business. Since then, we’ve been...

To give you a nice distraction from the post-election madness, here’s an interview with Charlie Wright, founder of CIELA (or The...

There’s barely a week that goes by when you don’t read about an estate or letting agency business that’s been acquired...

Since we last spoke, the ESTAS – the biggest and best property awards ceremony in the UK – has been and...

This actually happened - the names of the guilty have been withheld to protect the innocent. I live in Spain, Marbella actually,...

Purplebricks’ advertising is very negative and critical of the competition. They talk about 'commisery', trying to make potential sellers feel ripped...

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

One of Countrywide’s most senior management figures has become the managing director of the UK activities of US estate agency Keller...

Instant gratification is nothing new. It’s been around for millennia. It’s an in-built survival instinct for humans – that want, that...

When I read about the possible formation of yet another ‘mutual’ with the aim of furthering and protecting the interests of...

A post-Christmas treat this week, as I carry out a Q & A with one of the leading figures in property,...

I have a confession to make. In 1988 I became a Seekers franchisee. For those of you who don't know who...

Listening to all the coverage of the tenant fee ban, all I hear is consumer groups talking about how some agents...

It is with no pleasure and a touch of sadness that I took in the significance of OTM's recent performance in...

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

The former managing director of Countrywide has responded to claims made by Russell Quirk that the UK's largest agency rejected the...

Countrywide’s former senior management rejected an invitation to buy 10 per cent of eMoov for £100,000 five years ago, according to the...

YOPA, the online agency which now has financial investment from Savills, says its instructions have risen five-fold since February. It also says...

As promised, this week’s Natter is dedicated to a question and answer session with Peter Brodnicki, the man who has been...

The joke doing the rounds last week still seems to be just as relevant this week: “the only man with a...

I pride myself as a logical person, so much so that it amazes me how most people seem to struggle to...

It’s nearly June – June! – already. Seriously, where has this year gone? This means summer is nearly upon us, with a...

Who are you? I’m the champion of local owner managed estate agents, leading them in the fight to beat the competition   What...

When, during his budget speech, George Osborne announced Capital Gains Tax (CGT) was going down to 20%, I experienced a mix...

I'm sure most of you have seen, or at least heard of the Mad Max series of post-apocalyptic dystopian fantasies.  The latest...

Andy Clarke, who held a key product development role at OnTheMarket since before the challenger portal’s launch 11 months ago, has...

OnTheMartket (OTM) recently wrote to its membership saying how well its doing, how membership has increased beyond expectations and how it...

Zoopla has extended its Special Agents programme with customised data and newsletters, social media activity and a high-value prize amongst incentives...

Someone told me the other day that it’s now only seven Mondays till Christmas. Now there’s a scary thought. Best get...

Well, the hosts have left the party early. England have crashed out of their own Rugby World Cup after a demoralising...

So, has everyone been enjoying the fine summer weather we’ve been experiencing? Oh, wait…fear not, I will attempt to inject a...

A riposte to Paul Smith's article 'Why Estate Agents Must Stand Up to the Power of the Portals' I just read an...

As estate agents, business people and just plain people for that matter, we can't help looking at the way our society...

Hello and welcome to my brand new blog! Every month I’ll be giving you an insight into the varied, exciting and...

Yesterday we heard about the letter from the CMA warning agents about anti-competitive behaviour. Today, in a scoop for Estate Agent...

This publication recently reported on Russell Quirk's latest attempt to upset the establishment, this time by attacking the hallowed ground of...

Ian Wilson, the head of Martin & Co, recently threw his hat into the ring regarding Labour’s stated intention to cap...