Archive

I have written this column for over four years. I started writing it at a time when no-one really knew anything...

The ‘future of residential’ is a huge term to contend with but one that was addressed last week through our RE:Connect...

It is the end of my column for another year, my 4th if I am not mistaken.  This year has seen a...

After you. No, after you. That is often how innovation seems amongst the real estate elite. And this week I see it...

A slight change to the normal column this week. I was very fortunate to be given the virtual floor at the...

I remember so clearly in my Foxtons days, working as a lettings manager in Putney, that lettings, though less sexy than...

I had a wry smile when I read the article on Monday from the conveyancers complaining about people getting off their...

Recently, when giving speeches, I have discussed investment trends and industry trends that the built environment is experiencing. They are quite...

I was giving an interview this week for an upcoming conference - yet another to convert from a physical to a...

For a mixture of reasons, I now only write this column every two weeks. At first, I missed the weekly consideration...

An overview of the global PropTech sector is often what I am asked to cover at conferences around the world. This generally...

I want to talk to you about new ways to sell homes. Let's not encourage people to sell but just swap...

New information has come to light which suggests that a leading marketing platform may be planning to step into the CRM...

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

With stamp duty cuts and 90% mortgages on their way back, anyone could think the housing market was about to go...

Have you ever wondered how industry-specific software and property portals have influenced the typical estate agency of today? A new book, which...

"New property website launches. Not immediately sure what it does differently, what its USP is or who will use it, but...

Tuesday mornings at 6am is usually my time to review all the latest PropTech news. This fires off ideas for my...

I was asked a question by a German journalist yesterday. What is the biggest lesson German and European PropTech founders can...

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...

“A lot of people have learned that they can work at home, or that there’s other methods of conducting their business......

We are all operating in peculiar times. Times of great upheaval. Our lives are both in a complete state of flux...

On April 4, EAT published a piece titled: ‘It’s 2024: what will the industry look like, post corona-virus’. To me, this...

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

We live in uncertain times. That I do not need to say to anybody. I am writing this piece aboard my...

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...

This week I fly to Spain to present at a conference called Immotechnia. I am opening the conference with a 45-minute...

A book, written by Gary Kasparov, has really made me question my opinions on Artificial Intelligence (AI). The book is called...

“It appears conveyancers either aren’t too concerned with PropTech right now, or they don’t yet have all the information needed to...

Quite a few years ago, I spoke at a conference for auctioneers. It was a traditional affair. Rural location. Nice hotel....

“Give me 100 leads and I will make five-times more good appointments than any AI you put me up against,” stated...

I don’t want this to be a long piece. I want this to be short and sharp. I want it to...

2020, the start of a new decade. Looking back, 2010 feels like such a long time ago, and looking forward to...

“There won’t be a single home but millions of different homes”, is one quote.  “There will be an end to gadgets”, is...

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

Everyone thought John Bercow was short. It probably didn’t help that I was on stage just before him. 5ft 6 versus...

I got an overnight flight to Nigeria yesterday. I landed at 5am local time and am only just now getting sensation...

Last week, it was announced that Plentific, the London-based tenant experience, has raised $32 million in Series B funding. Plentific’s model sees...

KPMG published its Global PropTech Survey 2019 last week with the title: Is your digital future in the right hands? Interesting question:...

This line is one that I use a lot in my speeches and presentations, often as part of the final slide. I...

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

It was in this very column, back in July, when I wrote about how the British government was starting to take...

A few weeks ago, I came across a couple of really interesting articles which I immediately thought worth writing a piece...

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

I want to take the time this week to talk about PropTech startups and how they can often be seen to...

A story from America caught my eye this week. It’s about a company called Curbio partnering with another called The Keyes...

There are those who say that PropTech is at risk of becoming a bubble market, and others who say bubbles don’t...

I remember the day well; the day we all fell foul of addiction, the day our website was launched. Until then, at...

I suspect that at some time we have all rented an Airbnb (I am sitting on the couch of one as...

As real estate firms begin to execute their Q3 strategies and think more closely about Q4, there is one major question...

News this week tells of Zehomes, the German property management company, raising €13 million in Series-A funding, bringing its all-time total...

This week, you find me in Italy. Now that we’ve entered that languid month of August, where all of real estate...

I wrote last week about Keller Williams and how their leader, Gary Keller, is doing an admirable job of driving innovation through...

Keller Williams continues to drive culture, mentality, and process transformation by partnering with DocuSign to enable electronic signatures. It’s another lesson in...

I feel I am in a fortunate position. I have been central to the PropTech movement for a number of years,...

The recent announcement of a clicktopurchase partnership demonstrates some much-needed progression from Rightmove. In doing so, however, it could be said it...

The PropTech era is changing the way in which employees decide where they are going to work. As CBRE has discovered in...

This week, I want to take a look at the Israeli startup, Venn, an urban revitalisation firm which has recently received...

I want to take the time this week to look at an area of PropTech and real estate which is seeing...

Facebook is set to enter the cryptocurrency business with the big reveal of its formal plans scheduled for some point this...

It’s London Tech Week, everybody! The sprawling city-wide event taking in dozens of conferences, events, workshops, panel debates and so on,...

“You say tomato, I say tomato” is a line in a famous film score way back in the 1937 film Shall...

One of my biggest concerns in all of my writing, speaking and influencing around PropTech is that for the people we...

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;...

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

It was long awaited, much anticipated and, thankfully, incredibly well attended. FUTURE PropTech 2019 was a big hit and a truly global affair. For...

I hope you had another wonderful Bank Holiday weekend; only three weeks to hold on until the next one. Personally, it...

During our school days, most of us did that task where we imagined and drew the homes of the future, but...

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

It’s not often we can enjoy beautiful sunshine on bank holidays, but I suppose this one was a particularly blessed weekend,...

I am writing this as I reflect on a recent trip to Nigeria. I was asked to speak at the country’s...

By the time you read this article, I’ll be in Nigeria. My first ever visit to the continent of Africa. Sitting here...

Foxtons and Quintain have both recently made an important decision about their technological innovation, the same decision must also be made...

Whether it is legacy providers with new, young businesses, or large banks with PropTech startups, all types of cross-collaboration are vital. It’s...

This month’s MIPIM conference in Cannes once again played host to the final round of the much coveted MIPIM Startup Competition.  The...

An interesting debate has been sparked in PropTech this week. It started with an interview, published on YouTube, in which Kristjan Byfield...

A couple of weeks ago, SoftBank’s Vision Fund led a whopping $200 million investment injection into Clutter, the US-based on-demand storage...

No doubt we’ve all seen the recent Purplebricks news - shares have, according to the BBC, ‘plunged after it slashed its...

Interesting news this week from South Africa where the PropTech startup, Flow, has raised R20m in the country’s 'biggest PropTech seed...

What do BREXIT and PropTech have in common?  I got thinking about this question for a number of reasons this week but...

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...

By thinking outside the box, agents can truly embrace the idea of space-as-a-service and create entirely new, and highly valuable, streams...

If Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology is as sophisticated as they say, Porter Pioneers’ launch could leave agents kicking their feet.  Those of...

“Estate Agents must be suffering from supplier fatigue. Where do you even begin? Most agents haven’t got the time.” So started the...

It’s time to think about planning the 2019 events calendar. This year, there are more PropTech conferences scheduled than ever before,...

Today sees the launch of Unissu, a platform which has classified over 6,000 PropTech businesses in a bid to offer estate...

For my final EAT contribution of 2018, I’ve put together a list of Christmas gifts that you could buy your PropTech-loving...

It’s that time of year again where we start saying goodbye to 12 months of hard work and start looking forward...

In his keynote speech at the recent Negotiator Conference, Professor Andrew Baum sparked debate throughout the property industry. Baum’s speech, which began...

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

I remember renting flats when I was a 25-year-old negotiator at Foxtons. Many of you will remember my love for the...

This won’t be a long article. Just to the point and hopefully with a nice angle to it.  I get asked at...

I am currently in the back of a taxi. The deadline for this piece is looming and I am desperate to...

Not so long ago, the best estate agents were those who did the best work for their clients and therefore built...

The last couple of weeks’ articles were penned very much for a specific agent readership, something I am trying to be...

When Professor Andrew Baum’s PropTech 3.0 report was first published, a small event was held to celebrate the very first academic...

Last week, the first of a new kind of industry event took place; an open debate between agents and PropTech suppliers. Strong...

I am a patient man; a pacifist. Yet there is little in life right now that would satisfy me more than...

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

DISCLAIMER: The author of this article retains no responsibility for any reader discomfort experienced when recalling the seemingly endless horrors of...

Last week, I wrote about the speed of innovation in the Far East. This week I’d like to do the same...

A few stories caught my eye this week from China, all of which announce the arrival of cutting-edge technological innovation in...

I received a press release yesterday - one of many that get sent my way - and, as I always do,...

My eye was caught yesterday morning by news that PropTech company, Agent Software, is claiming that ‘some agencies deliberately over-value properties...

Hello again from Italy. Only another week or so left out here, working every day from the same table at my...

There have been two stories dominating the PropTech headlines over this past week. As WeWork places a gentle arm around the...

Since January 2018, nine of the UK’s biggest banks have allowed competitors direct access to customer data as part of the...

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

I loved my Foxtons office. I started in the Battersea branch. It was the old-style office; traditional carpets, actual properties in...

By now we’ve all seen news about the long-term decline in property sales and competition from online alternatives leading to ‘more...

The time has come for full PropTech/property integration and only those who open themselves to the globe will be part of...

What a big week for PropTech! With the very first MIPIM PropTech conference, taking place in Paris today and tomorrow, comes...

The pace of change is extraordinary. As we reach the middle of one conversation, rumblings of the next already begin. I think...

Is there really any true value to an estate agent in our current climate? Will there be a role for traditional agents...

Well last week was interesting. The column about my decision to put the property on with a letting agent went viral.  This was...

That’s it. I’ve given up. The lull has continued and it’s becoming quite a bore.  The price drop hasn’t worked. The revamped...

There is a lull in my imminent flat sale. Just no activity at all, despite a price reduction!  So, I am forced...

Today is the day. 1,600 people will gather in London for FUTURE: PropTech, an event I have supported when there were...

I have total transparency. I love that.  I know how the portals are doing, I know how many people are clicking on...

I’m writing this a week into my instruction decision. It has been a fascinating journey to date. As I discussed last week,...

To say I had a lot of reaction to last week's column about selling my flat would be an understatement. I've never...

It’s all very easy, talking and evangelising about the use of technology in the property market, but, now that I’m selling...

Last week, a story was published by CNBC about a couple who sold their home, for above the asking price, without...

Smart sensors, and smart technology as a whole, are enjoying a period of accelerated innovation and adoption.  It’s my opinion that such...

Greetings from Cannes, where the sun is finally shining over MIPIM. I’m sure many of you are out here, too, and...

The UK PropTech Awards are fast approaching. The window is open for applications and nominations and on May 2, the winners...

We think about technology all the time. At least, I do. And there’s nothing left in property that technology hasn’t touched...

Co-Founder Gary Keller has declared that Keller Williams (KW) is, 'no longer a real estate company...we are a technology company No....

And now, as if the friction between property and PropTech wasn’t difficult enough, estate agents are turning on estate agents.  We are...

I had an interesting meeting last week with a VR company called Garou. Based in New York, they claim to have...

I have high expectations for this year’s PropTech events and property conferences.  Those that I attended in 2017 demonstrated a real step...

There was an excellent article, published last week, based around an interview with Chandra Dhandapani, CBRE’s chief digital and technology officer.  The...

Fall-through rates have long been a problem for the UK residential property market, the issue is nothing new. Today, however, the...

In last week’s column, I asked 14 industry leaders to give their predictions for the year ahead. Well, it seems a handful of...

Well, I don’t know about you but after the holidays I've got an imprint just below my navel where my belt...

This week, news broke of the ‘first bitcoin homes’ being sold in the UK by Go Move, an estate agency in...

Bitcoin has smashed into the headlines again recently with major news outlets describing the ever increasing worth of this wildly volatile...

Property has always been an industry built on a foundation of personal relationships. Deals made, promotions gained, clients won, portfolios grown;...

Hands up if you’ve read all of the property reports that have been published in the past week or so? Forever...

As Augmented Reality (AR) and Microsoft’s Hololens showcase the finest in modern architecture, it’s time for me to think again about...

Online estate agent eMoov recently set itself apart by directly addressing the issues of openness and transparency that have long dogged the online business...

Countrywide's decision to 'pause' the roll-out of its online option for sellers and landlords is "unforgivable and dumbfounding" according to a...

The rise of Airbnb has been majestic, going all the way from conception to becoming a common noun in less than...

Saudi Arabia has announced it’s to build a new mega-city, rising out of the desert sands in the kingdom’s north, adorning...

With more news of PropTech investment, this time with Spotahome and Nested, one can’t help but wonder if this boom period is...

Last week was MIPIM PropTech Summit 2017 in New York, and it was the most oversubscribed to date - proof of the...

As we outlined in our EAT and LAT stories earlier this week, we (Angels Media) are seeking responses from estate and...

If an industry, which is going through a major change is going to truly implement change at every level, it must...

In his PropTech 3.0 report, Andrew Baum dedicated an entire section to blockchain; it was titled: ‘Blockchain is coming – get...

As those of us in the industry know, there is a fine balance to strike between disruptive technology – and the...

90% of PropTech’s work is good and vital, but that final ten has the potential to damage the rest. In my Sunday...

When Kenneth Bruce, co-founder of Purplebricks, published an emotional post on social media this week, my first reaction was; what a...

And so summer draws to a close. The slow, lazy months of July and August have come to pass and the...

Stephanie Slater died last week, aged 50. Whilst she died from cancer (tragically, only 11 days after diagnosis), it’s the events...

“When an industry is new, still finding its feet, finding its purpose, the tendency is for those few people within it...

As someone who spends his days peering into the PropTech world, one thing I’ve observed is the way in which certain tech prompts...

I’m excited to write this piece. I love it when something comes along and delivers that genuine thrill; the thrill of...

Even if you didn’t watch it, you’ve almost certainly heard about it by now.  The recent BBC Watchdog exposé of Purplebricks has...

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

You saw it, right? This article from Monday’s Guardian? It says that one in five estate agents are at risk of...

I would argue the property industry is fundamentally inefficient. Much of that inefficiency is now being handled by PropTech companies and...

You may have heard that Airbnb and property management company, Lavanda has closed a £1 million angel investment round.  Backers include Purplebricks...

Facebook has finally released more details about its previously announced plans to build 1,500 homes, 30 miles south of San Francisco,...

Supporting the adoption of technology does not mean we have to stop protecting the core values of the property industry. In...

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

It was only a couple of weeks ago that I was writing about the Google City, in Toronto, and now the...

This week, the obvious thing to write about would be easyProperty's merger with GPEA. It's such a huge and potentially influential...

Not in vain the distance beacons. Forward, forward let us range, Let the great world spin forever down the ringing grooves of...

It has been announced that Uber, the taxi company, has teamed up with build to rent firm, Moda Living, to ‘revolutionise renting’.    This...

Google, under the command of parent company, Alphabet, has set its sights on building the world’s first digital city, in Toronto,...

On behalf of The University of Oxford, Professor Andrew Baum has overseen the compiling of an academic study of the PropTech...

It’s that time of year again – peak conference/event season. And, while Brexit and a shock snap general election are dominating...

I was recently contributing to whitepaper by a major bank about the future of the property industry and, as I was...

News was released this week of a new PropTech partnership: banking disrupter Revolut has joined up with mortgage brokerage, Trussle, to offer...

This week, it would be very easy for me to focus on the startling figures that easyProperty logged with Companies House...

As Trussle and Placester add to 2017s bonkers tally of PropTech investment, isn’t it time we end the conflict between Tech...

In a week that I am recovering from the exuberance of MIPIM, there are two big pieces of fundraising news that...

It has been a busy week for investment in PropTech businesses and no doubt you have already got reading fatigue about...

There has been some really interesting talk recently of the relationship between FinTech (Finance Technology) and PropTech (Property Technology). A few...

So, Property Week has announced its Property Awards shortlist for 2017. Looking at the entries for PropTech Company of the Year, I'm surprised...

London based property management startup Airsorted has raised £1.5m in a funding round led by Concetric and the ever present PiLabs.  What...

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

The first week of February has seen some extraordinary goings on in the property sector, from which two stories particularly stand out...