By Mike Bilboe, Face For Business Buying or selling a home can be one of the most stressful and uncertain times for...
Archive
![Yopa boss rebuffs claims that online agents lack sales motivation](/upload/images/Shutterstock-only%20images/PropTech/PropertyFind1-400x310.png)
Verona Frankish has hit back at critics who claim fixed-fee agents who charge upfront fees have no motivation to sell. Frankish, chief...
16 May 2024
From: Breaking News
![Online agent market share hits new low](/upload/images/Shutterstock-only%20images/Property%20Market/Housing_Market-400x310.png)
The market share of online and hybrid agents has continued to decrease this year but self-employed agency is growing. Data from Twenty...
11 April 2024
From: Breaking News
![Market share of self-employed agents ‘rapidly growing’ – research](/upload/images/Shutterstock-only%20images/Rental%20Market/Happy_EstateAgent-400x310.png)
The market share of self-employed agents has grown by a third in the past year and by 500% since 2018 even...
28 November 2023
From: Breaking News
![Online market share falls as sellers ‘seek traditional expertise’](/upload/images/shutterstock_81519820.jpg)
The market share of online and hybrid agents for exchanges has fallen again during the third quarter. Figures from property data firm...
20 October 2023
From: Breaking News
![Online agency market share dwindles again](/upload/images/Shutterstock-only%20images/Property%20Market/Homeowners%20driving%20Google%20search%20Weekend%20Estate%20agent%20AgentOnline-400x310.png)
The market share of online and hybrid agents reduced further during the second quarter of 2023, new figures show. Analysis from property...
20 July 2023
From: Breaking News
![Former online agency founder seeks support for new property portal](/upload/images/Shutterstock-only%20images/Property%20Market/BTR%20and%20affordable%20housing%20-%20By%20Andy%20Jones%20Property%20Investor%20Today%20BuildToRent-400x310.png)
The founder of an online agency that switched to the for sale-by-owner model has turned his attention to property portals. Kae Travis...
20 June 2023
From: Breaking News
![‘Exciting plans’ ahead as Strike completes Purplebricks takeover](/upload/images/Shutterstock-only%20images/Property%20Market/PropertyNews3-400x310.png)
The boss of new Purplebricks owner Strike has said he has “exciting plans” for the brands. It comes as Strike was officially...
05 June 2023
From: Breaking News
![Strike boss: Purplebricks ‘entrepreneurial spirit’ will boost our business](/upload/images/Shutterstock-only%20images/Property%20Market/Acquisition-400x310.png)
Strike chief executive Sam Mitchell has said he is looking forward to building a “new force” in the property industry after...
18 May 2023
From: Breaking News
![Online agents blamed for property searches postcode lottery](/upload/images/Shutterstock-only%20images/PropTech/PropertySearch-400x310.png)
Online agents and outsourced conveyancing panels have been cited as factors delaying property sales in the UK. A trade body has warned...
15 May 2023
From: Breaking News
![Online agents hit by decline in market share](/upload/images/Shutterstock-only%20images/PropTech/PropertySearch-400x310.png)
Online agents have failed to capitalise on the cost of living crisis and have seen their market share for exchanges drop...
21 April 2023
From: Breaking News
![Online agents grow market share but ‘fail’ in higher-value markets](/upload/images/Shutterstock-only%20images/PropTech/AgentOnline-400x310.png)
Online agents increased their market share in 2022 but are struggling to break into higher value markets, new data has revealed. Data...
26 January 2023
From: Breaking News
![Online agents to suffer from more selective sellers – claim](/upload/images/Shutterstock-only%20images/Social%20Media/video400x310.jpg)
Sellers are set to become more selective about their estate agent this year, which could hit online brands such as Purplebricks,...
16 January 2023
From: Breaking News
![Online Estate Agents - the new dinosaurs of house selling](/upload/images/Shutterstock-only%20images/PropTech/WiFiMobile-400x310.png)
I’ve just read an article saying that this is the time of the online estate agency. The time in question is, of...
26 November 2022
From: Features
![Property Natter – is this the end for fixed-fee online estate agency?](/upload/images/Site%20logos/PropertyNatter-2019-400x310.png)
Aside from all the news surrounding the Autumn Statement this week, which will have a significant bearing on the property market...
19 November 2022
From: Features
![Online agents 'slightly' increase market share](/upload/images/Shutterstock-only%20images/Rental%20Market/Estate-Agent-400x310.png)
The market share of hybrid and online agents increased slightly during the third quarter of 2022 but firms are still struggling...
20 October 2022
From: Breaking News
![Online agents ‘struggling to break into higher value markets’](/upload/images/Housing%20Market%20%26%20Property%20Images/london-property400x310.png)
The market share of hybrid and online agents has increased slightly but they are still struggling to break into the higher...
21 July 2022
From: Breaking News
![Purplebricks dominates as online agents grow market share](/upload/images/Logos/Purplebricks-2019Logo-400x310.jpg)
Online and hybrid agents have rapidly increased their market share over the past year, research claims. Analysis of new Zoopla, Rightmove and...
09 May 2022
From: Breaking News
![Agents owed more than half a million from withdrawn sales last year - claim](/upload/images/Housing%20Market%20%26%20Property%20Images/MillennialAgents-Meeting-400x310.jpg)
Agents lost out on £600,000 worth of owed commission from withdrawn listings last year, industry data suggests. Withdrawn sales are an occupational hazard...
03 May 2022
From: Breaking News
![New Purplebricks CEO – what challenges will she face?](/upload/images/Logos/Purplebricks-TeamGB-Board-400x310.jpg)
Yesterday afternoon, Helena Marston was finally confirmed as Purplebricks new CEO after all the due diligence checks that are required for...
21 April 2022
From: Breaking News
!['Hundreds' of former Purplebricks agents back workers' rights legal claim](/upload/images/library/Sad-Tenants-Evicted-400x310.jpg)
Hundreds of former Purplebricks agents have now signed up to a potential legal claim against the firm. Contractors For Justice, known as...
12 April 2022
From: Breaking News
![Lawyers ready to issue Purplebricks working rights claim 'within weeks'](/upload/images/library/Purplebricks-2019Logo-400x310.jpg)
Lawyers working on a class action against online agents including Purplebricks have said they will be ready to send a letter...
11 April 2022
From: Breaking News
![It’s tough going for High Street agents says online boss](/upload/images/library/UKHighStreet-400x310.jpg)
The shortage of stock in the current market is making it tough for High Street agents according to one of the...
17 February 2022
From: Breaking News
![Another online agency aims to take 10% market share](/upload/images/Logos/Strike-Logo-400x310.jpg)
Strike, formerly known as Housesimple, is the latest online agency to claim it’s going to secure a 10 per cent market...
14 February 2022
From: Breaking News
![Low fee agents like Purplebricks not right for mass market - analyst](/upload/images/Logos/Purplebricks-TeamGB-Board-400x310.jpg)
Low fee agents such as Purplebricks and some other online operators are generally not trusted by the public when selling their...
01 February 2022
From: Breaking News
![Falling market share for online agencies - are they doomed to fail?](/upload/images/PropTech%20%26%20Online/PropertyOnline-400x310.jpg)
The market share of hybrid and online agents has fallen again, this time to 6.7 per cent. That figure - taken at...
24 January 2022
From: Breaking News
![High Street firm slams “nightmare” online agents who disappoint vendors](/upload/images/PropTech%20%26%20Online/PropTech-4-400x310.jpg)
A High Street estate agent on Merseyside has criticised online rivals for creating nightmares for vendors who are then obliged to...
18 January 2022
From: Breaking News
![Six Things We DIDN’T See In 2021](/upload/images/Housing%20Market%20%26%20Property%20Images/Homes-MaginifyingGlass-400x310.jpg)
We all know what did happen in 2021 - Covid and more Covid, the stamp duty holiday frenzy, a soaring rental...
11 December 2021
From: Features
![Agency closure blamed on online agents’ rock bottom fees](/upload/images/Housing%20Market%20%26%20Property%20Images/HousingMarket-1-400x310.jpg)
A long-standing estate agency with three major branches has shut after 27 years of trading - blaming online competition and ‘race...
25 November 2021
From: Breaking News
![Boomin upgrades SmartVal pledging it makes “everything easier for agents”](/upload/images/library/Boomin-Logo-400x310.jpg)
Boomin has revealed an upgrade to its SmartVal feature, which tries to blend real-time online valuations with local expertise from member...
23 November 2021
From: Breaking News
![Online agents’ market share rises - but only three brands really matter](/upload/images/library/RevenueStreams-1-400x310.jpg)
A new survey by property consultancy TwentyCi shows that the market share of online and hybrid agents in the third quarter...
26 October 2021
From: Breaking News
![Will online agencies take over, or do we still need face-to-face contact?](/upload/images/library/Millennials-Handshake-400x310.jpg)
Like most industries, estate agency is changing. A general trend to a more hybrid model, accelerated by the pandemic has resulted...
06 October 2021
From: Features
![Purplebricks’ autumn marketing blitz goes ahead despite shock jobs move](/img/default/eat.png)
Purplebricks’ chief executive says a £4m marketing blitz scheduled for the autumn will go ahead despite the upheaval caused by the...
11 August 2021
From: Breaking News
![Online agencies’ market share creeps up thanks to richer sellers](/img/default/eat.png)
The market share of the online and hybrid agencies combined has risen to 8.1 per cent in the second quarter of...
15 July 2021
From: Breaking News
![Boost for app promoting off-market homes to potential buyers](/img/default/eat.png)
An app that promotes both on- and off-market homes to prospective buyers has linked up with a moving service PropTech platform. Houso...
10 June 2021
From: Breaking News
![Online agency’s surprise claim that it’s made industry ‘more trusted’](/img/default/eat.png)
An online agency has issued an outlandish statement that it, and other online agencies, have made the profession more trusted amongst...
02 June 2021
From: Breaking News
![Revealed - market share for hybrid and online agencies](/img/default/eat.png)
The market share of hybrid and online agents has remained at eight per cent, according to property industry consultancy TwentyCi. This figure...
20 April 2021
From: Breaking News
![Adrian Gill – talking agency consolidation, PropTech, retail and Boomin](/img/default/eat.png)
This time out, I speak to one of the industry’s biggest-hitters. Adrian Gill may have retired from frontline agency, having had...
15 April 2021
From: Breaking News
![Stamp duty holiday: could the market be more vulnerable to fraud?](/img/default/eat.png)
The Chancellor’s recent announcement that the stamp duty holiday would be extended for another three months was undoubtedly great news for...
27 March 2021
From: Features
![Setback for online agents in latest survey of sellers’ preferences](/img/default/eat.png)
A new survey suggests online agents are favoured by only three per cent of sellers. The study involved a modest sample -...
03 February 2021
From: Breaking News
![Online agents and bucketshop conveyancers ‘causing transaction delays’](/img/default/eat.png)
One of the country’s top buying agents is advising purchasers and vendors to avoid online agencies and 'bucketshop' conveyancers. Edward Heaton - founder...
17 November 2020
From: Breaking News
![Lettings 2.0 - technology alone isn’t the answer](/img/default/eat.png)
The UK lettings market is no stranger to technology. But only a few of the early initiatives have remained, and landlords...
07 November 2020
From: Features
![Top 5 tips for successful estate agent social media management](/img/default/eat.png)
It’s a given these days that your business needs to be on social media. Consumers spend a large portion of their...
27 October 2020
From: Marketing & Social Media
![Online agents and deals run bigger money laundering risks - government](/img/default/eat.png)
The government has issued new guidance to estate and lettings agencies on their obligations regarding money laundering issues - and online...
15 October 2020
From: Breaking News
![Horses for courses - the rise of the personal agent](/img/default/eat.png)
The phrase ‘game-changer’ has been hugely overused. But when applied to how Covid-19 is changing the way estate agents will work...
20 June 2020
From: Features
![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
![Agency promotion website changes claim after regulator intervenes](/img/default/eat.png)
NetAnAgent, a website which offers consumers instant quotes from a selection of traditional and online agents, has changed some of its...
20 May 2020
From: Breaking News
![Agents accused of breaking lockdown before new rules announced](/img/default/eat.png)
Details being presented to Parliament today may include information on how agents can return to work in some sort of ‘new normal.’ A 50...
11 May 2020
From: Breaking News
![Purplebricks market share and revenue drop sharply - new analysis](/img/default/eat.png)
The market share for all online agents fell sharply in the period up to the start of the pandemic according to new...
05 May 2020
From: Breaking News
![Sellers desert online agents for High Street rivals, says Zoopla](/img/default/eat.png)
Almost eight in 10 sellers have instructed High Street agents in the past year - a significantly higher figure than 12...
06 March 2020
From: Breaking News
![The future of renting for property service providers](/img/default/eat.png)
The property management industry is evolving at a rapid pace, thanks almost entirely to the rise in PropTech. Hundreds, if not thousands...
26 February 2020
From: Features
![Online agencies fail once again to push market share above five per cent](/img/default/eat.png)
An analysis of the market share of online agents shows they are on 4.8 per cent - virtually unchanged from the...
03 February 2020
From: Breaking News
![Don’t use an online agent! Lawyer makes warning to sellers](/img/default/eat.png)
A leading property lawyer is urging sellers not to use online agents because to do so would be “a gamble”. Gillian Wright...
30 January 2020
From: Breaking News
![How to make your customer journey count](/img/default/eat.png)
Understanding the customer journey plays a huge role in the success of any estate agent. From that very first viewing right through...
29 January 2020
From: Features
![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
![Portals say they're ready for big changes to agencies and house sales](/img/default/eat.png)
The portals say they are ready and willing to play their part in changes approaching the industry, ranging from new agency...
10 December 2019
From: Breaking News
![Training - how can you be the best estate agent?](/img/default/eat.png)
Here at sales progression and communication tool mio, we recently caught up with Sarah Edmundson, co-director of The AllStars Group, the...
30 November 2019
From: Features
![Exclusive: new app allows agents to test interest in properties pre-sale](/img/default/eat.png)
A new app is being launched which allows agents to gauge possible interest in a property before it is formally put...
28 November 2019
From: Breaking News
![Online agency’s reason for low volumes (it’s not Brexit or stamp duty)](/img/default/eat.png)
An online agent claims to have the answer to why fewer people are buying and selling these days. It’s not Brexit, stamp...
07 November 2019
From: Breaking News
![3% commission charged by some High Street agents - claim](/img/default/eat.png)
A new league table of High Street agents’ charges published over the weekend reveals the locations where agents charge an average...
28 October 2019
From: Breaking News
![Start touting! Agents told to knock on doors and steal their rivals' vendors](/img/default/eat.png)
A controversial estate agent and former head of an online agency is urging agents to knock on the doors of vendors...
24 October 2019
From: Breaking News
![Why has Upad gone down?](/img/default/eat.png)
Upad, the national online letting agent set up by entrepreneur James Davis has announced that it is “closed to new business”...
15 October 2019
From: Sponsored Content
![Boost for Purplebricks and co as online market share rises](/img/default/eat.png)
There has been a surprise, but small, increase in the market share of online estate agents according to the latest survey. Business...
15 October 2019
From: Breaking News
![New multi-agency sales company already works with 40 agents](/img/default/eat.png)
A relatively new company which signs up vendors and then effectively sub-contracts their sales to strongly-performing local estate agents says it...
15 October 2019
From: Breaking News
![Purplebricks review methods to be investigated by Trustpilot - report](/img/default/eat.png)
The tech publication WIRED has conducted an in-depth analysis of Purplebricks’ reviews on the Trustpilot site and suggests the agency may...
26 September 2019
From: Breaking News
![Pioneering 'hub' agency is recruiting from rival freelance firms](/img/default/eat.png)
One of the first so-called ‘hub’ hybrid estate agencies using self-employed freelances instead of staff says it’s moving to bigger premises...
26 September 2019
From: Breaking News
![Simon Trippett, Partner at The Property Centre](/img/default/eat.png)
Who are you and what does it say on your business card? I’m Simon Trippett – Partner at The Property Centre. What services...
18 September 2019
From: 60 Second Interview
![Dodgy survey boosts online agents - including one that doesn’t exist](/img/default/eat.png)
A survey claims that millions of potential sellers would use online estate agents - and bizarrely, this includes an online agency...
06 September 2019
From: Breaking News
![Property Natter - how to prepare for Generation Z and Alpha](/img/default/eat.png)
They will be the doctors, lawyers, teachers, thinkers, leaders and captains of industry of the not too distant future, but is...
24 August 2019
From: Features
![Countrywide veteran says he could float online agency on the stock market](/img/default/eat.png)
The former Countrywide chief executive Grenville Turner says it is an option for online estate agency Yopa to go to an...
23 August 2019
From: Breaking News
![Online fightback: Housesimple plans media blitz as Yopa reveals new funding](/img/default/eat.png)
Online estate agency Housesimple has appointed a company to handle its public relations and social media as it rolls it its...
21 August 2019
From: Breaking News
![Online agents undervalued, underpaid and 'not really self-employed' - guru](/img/default/eat.png)
One of the most experienced and high profile figures in the industry says individual agents working for online companies are typically...
09 August 2019
From: Breaking News
![Online agents face new guidelines as advertising complaints rocket](/img/default/eat.png)
The Advertising Standards Authority has issued a guidance note warning online estate agents, after complaints about them have “grown dramatically”. “Property is big...
01 August 2019
From: Breaking News
![Embracing the hybrid model – disruption should not equal extinction](/img/default/eat.png)
When an industry disruptor enters a marketplace the impact on existing operators can be significant. It has been seen most notably...
31 July 2019
From: Features
![Industry has learnt two lessons from online, says High Street agency chief](/img/default/eat.png)
The chief executive of Hunters franchise operation, Glynis Frew, says online estate agencies have given the industry two ‘positives’ - but...
23 July 2019
From: Breaking News
![All Change: new regulator, licensing and qualifications proposed for agents](/img/default/eat.png)
The government has published proposals for far-reaching changes to the way estate and letting agents are regulated, trained and licensed. The proposals...
18 July 2019
From: Breaking News
![Online agencies in the doldrums as market share stalls](/img/default/eat.png)
There’s more bad news for online estate agencies this morning as a survey reveals that they have only a seven per cent...
17 July 2019
From: Breaking News
![Mark Worrall, co-founder of love2move](/img/default/eat.png)
Who are you and what does it say on your business card? I’m Mark Worrall the co-founder of love2move What is love2move and...
25 June 2019
From: 60 Second Interview
![Purplebricks ex-CEO hits out at untrue claim that agency sold only 50%](/img/default/eat.png)
The former chief executive of Purplebricks UK says the agency completes on over 80 per cent of the homes it lists...
25 June 2019
From: Breaking News
![Over 150 agents link with 'Modern Method' online auction firm](/img/default/eat.png)
An online auction service which only came into existence in September last year claims to have 150 partner estate agents already,...
21 June 2019
From: Breaking News
![Do online agents expect conveyancers to do their work for them?](/img/default/eat.png)
A member of a legal information and networking organisation says an online estate agency expects him to do some work in...
10 June 2019
From: Breaking News
![Emoov and Countrywide merge: it could have happened…](/img/default/eat.png)
Emoov and Countrywide: what a pair, observers might say. They present a tale of two failures - although, in the case of...
08 June 2019
From: Features
05 June 2019
From: Breaking News
![Traditional agents are good value say sellers, but deals take too long](/img/default/eat.png)
Traditional High Street estate agents have been given the thumbs up by sellers in a new survey of over 5,000 vendors...
31 May 2019
From: Breaking News
![Purplebricks share price plunges as speculation mounts over investment](/img/default/eat.png)
Purplebricks’ share price yesterday plunged to 90.5p at one point - well below the 100p level at which the company originally...
22 May 2019
From: Breaking News
![“Gaping holes” in Purplebricks business model, says ex-online investor](/img/default/eat.png)
An expert who has invested in an online agency in the past has slammed Purplebricks’ business model. James Max, who presents the...
16 May 2019
From: Breaking News
![How to thrive and not just survive in today’s market](/img/default/eat.png)
Consumer habits have changed massively over the past few years, and regardless of which market you operate in, being able to...
15 May 2019
From: Features
![Online agents will never get above 10% market share admits agency founder](/img/default/eat.png)
“I’m Russell Quirk, and I’ve failed” - with those words, the former chief executive of Emoov has begun to explain how...
15 May 2019
From: Breaking News
![30 years in the property industry – an insider’s view](/img/default/eat.png)
1989 was a significant time for the property industry: it marked the beginning of the end of a period of unprecedented...
04 May 2019
From: Features
![New blow for Purplebricks as another bank slashes share forecast](/img/default/eat.png)
Another bank has slashed its forecast for Purplebricks, citing concerns over its the long-term viability of its international activities in particular. As...
03 May 2019
From: Breaking News
![The man who polices the agency industry - an exclusive interview](/img/default/eat.png)
It’s clear that some agents are not fans of Trading Standards officers, described in the comments sections of the trade press...
27 April 2019
From: Features
![Trading Standards speak out: We do NOT favour online estate agencies](/img/default/eat.png)
The head of the new Trading Standards authority regulating estate agents says Online firms are treated exactly the same as High...
26 April 2019
From: Breaking News
![Purplebricks is hugely successful despite tumbling share price says analyst](/img/default/eat.png)
A PropTech analyst insists that the tumbling share price of Purplebricks on the London Stock Exchange does not indicate that the...
23 April 2019
From: Breaking News
![Tiny market share for online agents despite millions spent on marketing](/img/default/eat.png)
A new snapshot of market share claims that online agents accounted for 7.0 per cent of all exchanges in the first...
16 April 2019
From: Breaking News
![Online agents “too cheap” and look too good to be true - Quirk](/img/default/eat.png)
The failure of online agencies to significantly disrupt the industry is down to their being too cheap and creating a perception...
16 April 2019
From: Breaking News
![Online agents hit out at High Street rivals about ‘over-valuations’](/img/default/eat.png)
Online estate agents have seized on the recent national newspaper article accusing estate agents of over-valuing properties to earn higher fees. The...
09 April 2019
From: Breaking News
![New blow for Purplebricks as onliners’ market share dips again](/img/default/eat.png)
There’s more bad news for Purplebricks: after a shock 80 per cent downgrading of its stock value by a bank on...
08 April 2019
From: Breaking News
![Why the future of the property industry should be paperless](/img/default/eat.png)
When they first came onto the scene, online-only estate and lettings agents were predicted to swiftly spell the end for traditional...
30 March 2019
From: Features
![What do virtual tours look like for estate agents in 2019?](/img/default/eat.png)
Virtual tours are a compelling way of enhancing a property’s potential through online marketing, increased transparency and efficiency for agents, and...