This time out, I’m in conversation with one of the big three established portals. Since it was founded in 2007, Zoopla...
Archive

At the back-end of last year and the start of this, the biggest news stories in town – besides debates over...
30 January 2021
From: Features

Talks continue between The Property Franchise Group and Hunters with both companies agreeing a new deadline of next Friday, January 29. Just...
25 January 2021
From: Breaking News

There’s been a flurry of recent activity involving agencies quoted on the London Stock Exchange: Hunters, The Property Franchise Group and...
23 January 2021
From: Features

By any available metric, Belvoir had a good 2020. Already a well-known and well-established name, it was highly praised for its...
21 January 2021
From: Breaking News

Connells has cemented its takeover of Countrywide - it now has backing from over 52 per cent of shareholders. In a statement...
08 January 2021
From: Breaking News

Connells has revealed that it’s to keep the existing Countrywide branch structure and staff headcount when the acquisition process is completed...
04 January 2021
From: Breaking News

In a dramatic New Year’s Eve statement on the London Stock Exchange, Countrywide has agreed the terms of a recommended offer...
31 December 2020
From: Breaking News

The Property Franchise Group has approached Hunters about a possible takeover. Confirmation came this morning in a statement from Hunters, which you can...
04 December 2020
From: Breaking News

Various investors in Countrywide have submitted early online paperwork to The Panel on Takeovers and Mergers - the red tape required to...
11 November 2020
From: Breaking News

OnTheMarket has handed out more shares to agencies signing long-term agreements with the portal. It was almost three years ago that OTM, then...
30 October 2020
From: Breaking News

For a number of years now, predictions have been made that one of the major tech giants will eventually enter the...
12 September 2020
From: Features

Purplebricks’ sale of its Canadian operation for some £35m begs the question - where can it now recoup some of its losses...
16 July 2020
From: Breaking News

Purplebricks is selling its Canadian business. The sale comes little over a year after the troubled agency closed both its failed Australian and...
15 July 2020
From: Breaking News

One of the highest profile and most widely respected figures in the British property industry has died suddenly. He was 72. Tony...
29 June 2020
From: Breaking News

“Let’s Zoom later”, “are we Zooming in the morning or afternoon?” “Yeah, I zoomed the client earlier” – variations on these...
20 June 2020
From: Features

All my recent Natters have been focused on one particular topic, the coronavirus crisis, for obvious reasons. But there has been...
23 May 2020
From: Features

Foxtons - which has recently closed branches and furloughed staff - has described a shareholder rebellion over senior management bonuses and pay...
14 May 2020
From: Breaking News

OnTheMarket says it has another 32 million shares to give away to agents signing full fee contracts with the challenger portal...
27 April 2020
From: Breaking News

Only half of the branches signed up to Zoopla have taken advantage of one or other of the discount offers made...
15 April 2020
From: Breaking News

New temporary rules have thrown a lifeline to troubled agencies like Countrywide and Purplebricks which may need to raise additional funds...
09 April 2020
From: Breaking News

Individual franchisees operating under the Winkworth banner are receiving what the company calls “comprehensive help” on a range of issues, including...
07 April 2020
From: Breaking News

Yet another one of the giants of our industry, Hunters, says it’s taking “appropriate measures” to safeguard the firm in the...
31 March 2020
From: Breaking News

There’s been widespread outrage amongst agents at Rightmove’s offer to allow some agents a deferred payment scheme operating for just three...
19 March 2020
From: Breaking News

OnTheMarket is not responding to requests to reveal details of any pay-off for its chief executive Ian Springett, who was sacked...
10 March 2020
From: Breaking News

Both Countrywide and LSL Property Services have submitted early online paperwork to The Panel on Takeovers and Mergers, an independent body...
26 February 2020
From: Breaking News

The share price of challenger portal OnTheMarket has fallen to its equal lowest-ever level after a drop of over five per cent...
26 February 2020
From: Breaking News

OnTheMarket has this morning announced that as of December 2, over 3,000 more offices had been signed under new paying contracts...
10 December 2019
From: Breaking News

OnTheMarket’s share price slumped to an all-time low just before the end of trading last week. The price fell to 69.0p during trading on...
11 November 2019
From: Breaking News

OnTheMarket will on Wednesday of this week issue over a million shares to agents who have signed new long-term listing agreements...
04 November 2019
From: Breaking News

Controversy and Purplebricks have gone hand in hand since the agency was first launched in 2012, through its float on the...
18 October 2019
From: Breaking News

OnTheMarket is delivering agents “a higher marketing yield than Rightmove” according to an investment consultancy which works with OTM. Investors appear to...
14 October 2019
From: Breaking News

Purplebricks is reported to be facing a shareholder revolt this coming week at its annual general meeting because of bonuses paid...
29 September 2019
From: Breaking News

A banking company used by OnTheMarket has issued a note to its investor clients claiming the portal “arguably beats its peers...
13 September 2019
From: Breaking News

A few details of a possible takeover or acquisition of Countrywide have started to emerge. The possibility was first floated in yesterday’s...
20 August 2019
From: Breaking News

One of the agencies most active in the creation of OnTheMarket is trialling a return to listing on Zoopla after an...
08 August 2019
From: Breaking News

OnTheMarket has applied to the London Stock Exchange for the release of over a million new shares to agents who have...
31 July 2019
From: Breaking News

A note sent out by OnTheMarket chief executive Ian Springett has suggested that the way estate agents work may directly lead...
30 July 2019
From: Breaking News

Belvoir, the UK's largest property franchise, has changed its name - at least slightly - from Belvoir Lettings to Belvoir Group. In...
22 July 2019
From: Breaking News

OnTheMarket chief executive Ian Springett says rival portals may want to “interfere” with his aim of converting agency members from free...
18 June 2019
From: Breaking News

An analyst on shares website Motley Fool says Purplebricks is not only in surprisingly strong financial health, but is actually outperforming...
17 June 2019
From: Breaking News

There seems no end in sight for the share turmoil going on at Purplebricks, with several new developments on Friday before...
10 June 2019
From: Breaking News

It's been another busy 24 hours for publicly-quoted estate agencies. Swiss investment bank UBS has increased its stake in the troubled London...
07 June 2019
From: Breaking News

Beleaguered fund manager Neil Woodford, one of the first champions of Purplebricks, has reduced his stake in the troubled agency for...
06 June 2019
From: Breaking News

Beleaguered fund manager Neil Woodford, one of the early champions of Purplebricks, has slashed his stake in the company from 28.9...
06 June 2019
From: Breaking News

Two of Britain’s largest and best known estate agencies have endured a day of turmoil at the hands of investors -...
04 June 2019
From: Breaking News

A writer for the influential financial publication Money Week says investors should “steer clear” of Foxtons - at least for now. Sarah...
04 June 2019
From: Breaking News

Purplebricks’ most influential investor says there is “opportunity aplenty” for the company but says it would back the closure of the US...
03 June 2019
From: Breaking News

In a shock announcement Purplebricks says founder Michael Bruce is to leave the business and its Australian operation will shut. “With hindsight, our rate of...
07 May 2019
From: Breaking News

Countrywide’s share price woes continued yesterday with another new low being reached in early morning trading. A low of 6.5p at close...
02 May 2019
From: Breaking News

OnTheMarket has applied to the London Stock Exchange for the release of over 528,000 new shares to agents who have signed...
30 April 2019
From: Breaking News

For the second day in a row Countrywide was subject to two so-called Price Monitoring Extensions - temporary freezing of trading...
25 April 2019
From: Breaking News

The London Stock Exchange twice froze trading in Countrywide’s shares yesterday after volatile movements - and a new record low price. The...
24 April 2019
From: Breaking News

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

OnTheMarket has applied to the London Stock Exchange for the release of shares to agents signing long term deals with the...
02 April 2019
From: Breaking News

Savills has this morning talked up its investment in onliner Yopa, which it claims is the sixth largest estate agency in...
14 March 2019
From: Breaking News

Online estate agent Emoov failed to tell crowdfunding investors it was losing £3m a month before its collapse, a Sunday paper claims. The...
24 February 2019
From: Breaking News

New figures released this morning from OnTheMarket claim its listing inventory bis now over 80 per cent of the size of...
06 February 2019
From: Breaking News

Zoopla is radically changing its strategy by exploiting the freedom it has under its new private equity ownership. That’s the conclusion of...
16 January 2019
From: Breaking News

Purplebricks has revealed that it’s given its new global chief operating officer 700,000 shares - valued at around £165p each that...
09 January 2019
From: Breaking News

UBS, a Swiss multinational investment bank and financial services company based in Zurich and Basel, now owns approaching 10 per cent...
04 January 2019
From: Breaking News

Rightmove has launched a share buy-back programme to run until late next month, February. Companies buy back their own shares to keep up...
03 January 2019
From: Breaking News

Given that online property portals, dominated by a handful of websites, are by far the most popular home search method, it...
17 November 2018
From: Features

OnTheMarket has issued an upbeat statement about the Court of Appeal setting a date to hear Connells-owned Gascoigne Halman's challenge to a ruling...
13 November 2018
From: Breaking News

OnTheMarket plc, the company which operates the OTM portal, gives its first formal stock market figures tomorrow morning, for the six...
10 October 2018
From: Breaking News

OnTheMarket has this morning announced that it now has signed listing agreements with more than 11,000 estate agency offices - over...
02 October 2018
From: Breaking News

A statement to the London Stock Exchange by eProp Services has cemented its role primarily as a PropTech firm. This is in...
28 September 2018
From: Breaking News

Franchise giant Hunters has reported its latest results to the city, showing impressive growth despite a slow-moving property market. In the six...
07 September 2018
From: Breaking News

Speculation is growing that Rightmove could drop out of the prestigious FTSE-100 within the next few days as the stock exchange...
30 August 2018
From: Breaking News

Countrywide’s embattled management leaders have been overwhelmingly backed by shareholders in their bid for additional funding. A General Meeting of shareholders was held...
28 August 2018
From: Breaking News

OnTheMarket has seen another increase in listings to more than 10,500 offices, but it is repeating a warning that its free...
24 August 2018
From: Breaking News

Countrywide’s share price defied the expectations of some analysts and rose over six per cent yesterday with the company moving from...
23 August 2018
From: Breaking News

In yet another statement to the London Stock Exchange and shareholders, Countrywide says its last-gasp £140m fund-raising is likely to be...
21 August 2018
From: Breaking News

Today sees the first of a series of important deadlines which will determine the success of otherwise of Countrywide’s controversial rescue...
17 August 2018
From: Breaking News

The chief executive of the newly-expanded Emoov group has been giving details of the merger with Tepilo and the possibility of...
17 August 2018
From: Breaking News

OnTheMarket has signed up 12-office regional agency Robert Oulsnam and Company. The firm, which handles sales and lettings, has 12 offices in...
08 August 2018
From: Breaking News

Countrywide's share price has dropped sharply following the announcement of the company's rescue plan - but the firm itself says this...
02 August 2018
From: Breaking News

OnTheMarket has now signed listing agreements with UK estate and letting agents with a total of over 10,000 offices - but...
26 July 2018
From: Breaking News

Countrywide, the troubled estate agency group thought by some to be near collapse, has delayed issuing its interim figures which were...
24 July 2018
From: Breaking News

Foxtons share price hit a new low yesterday, dropping to only 46p early in the afternoon: it eventually closed narrowly up...
19 July 2018
From: Breaking News

Peter Long, executive chairman of Countrywide, has resigned from another boardroom to focus on saving the troubled estate agency. Long has chosen...
18 July 2018
From: Breaking News

Emoov’s latest crowdfunding campaign has now gone well over £1.5m, making it already 50 per cent over-funded already from its original...
18 July 2018
From: Breaking News

Another update from OnTheMarket this morning claims the portal is now listing over 550,000 UK residential property listings, in excess of...
04 July 2018
From: Breaking News

Emoov has launched a crowdfunding campaign giving investors, it says, “a final chance” to put their money into the hybrid agency...
03 July 2018
From: Breaking News

Purplebricks is reported to be set to reveal increasing losses when it issues its full-year financial results to the London Stock...
03 July 2018
From: Breaking News

One of Countrywide’s former allies in the City broker community - independent corporate advisor Numis - has downgraded the troubled agency...
27 June 2018
From: Breaking News

OnTheMarket now has listing agreements with over 9,000 estate agency branches - that's another 500 or so since its previous release...
14 June 2018
From: Breaking News

OnTheMarket has announced to the City and its shareholders that it’s to reveal its annual results tomorrow - the first such...
06 June 2018
From: Breaking News

Property portal OnTheMarket has announced that it now has listing agreements with over 8,500 estate and letting agency branches. It says that...
30 May 2018
From: Breaking News

A study of estate agencies and portals floated on the London Stock Exchange suggests that digital companies have shown much better...
18 May 2018
From: Breaking News

UK measures to retaliate against alleged Russian government-sponsored nerve agent attack on former spy Sergei Skripal have excluded any attempt to...
15 March 2018
From: Breaking News

OnTheMarket says estate agencies with some 1,000 offices have joined the portal in the five weeks since it floated on the...
14 March 2018
From: Breaking News

The UK chief executive of Purplebricks, Lee Wainwright, has been granted an option to buy 100,000 shares in the firm. The purchase would...
13 March 2018
From: Breaking News

In an unexpected trading statement this morning, OnTheMarket says it has signed 243 new listing agreements within its first 10 days...
23 February 2018
From: Breaking News

OnTheMarket’s share price fell just over five per cent yesterday, continuing its troubled launch on to the London stock exchange. It...
13 February 2018
From: Breaking News

The bank Morgan Stanley says OnTheMarket’s listings have fallen 19 per cent in the past year. In a note to investors issued...
12 February 2018
From: Breaking News

All eyes are on Agents’ Mutual’s first day of trading on the London stock exchange - just over five years after...
09 February 2018
From: Breaking News

Most listed agencies and portals suffered share price falls yesterday, creating a challenging landscape for Agents’ Mutual which launches on the London stock exchange...
07 February 2018
From: Breaking News

Purplebricks has this morning issued an unusual statement to the Stock Exchange blaming a City report for the sharp fall in the...
02 February 2018
From: Breaking News

Figures presented to the London Stock Exchange by Agents’ Mutual appear to show that it has 200 fewer branches now than...
29 January 2018
From: Breaking News

Analysts have given a frosty reception to the announcement by Agents’ Mutual that it is going to float shares priced at...
29 January 2018
From: Breaking News

Agents’ Mutual has released more details of its float on the stock market, which begins on February 9 with a placing priced...
26 January 2018
From: Breaking News

If Countrywide thought its fortunes would immediately improve following the departure of chief executive Alison Platt, it has to think again...
25 January 2018
From: Breaking News

There was confirmation this morning, as expected, that Countrywide chief executive Alison Platt has quit - but so far there is no...
24 January 2018
From: Breaking News

Purplebricks has this morning announced it’s to launch in New York. A statement to the London Stock Exchange this morning read: The...
24 January 2018
From: Breaking News

Franchise giant Winkworth has told its shareholders that its revenues for 2017 are likely to be less than five per cent...
18 January 2018
From: Breaking News

Sky News is reporting that the non-executive chairman of Purplebricks, Paul Pindar, is set to invest a seven figure sum in...
16 January 2018
From: Breaking News

OnTheMarket has announced some details of its IPO and the launch of its stock market flotation - but it has given nothing...
11 December 2017
From: Breaking News

Global investment bank RBC Capital Markets says OnTheMarket has the potential to undermine the pricing power of Rightmove and ZPG -...
22 November 2017
From: Breaking News

Belvoir has revealed that it has won the backing of a minority shareholder in The Property Franchise Group to resume merger...
14 November 2017
From: Breaking News

ZPG says that the number of estate agency branches that left to join OnTheMarket but have now returned has reached over...
13 November 2017
From: Breaking News

The much-expected pause in the roll out of Countrywide's online service to vendors, confirmed yesterday, did not appear to impress investors. Countrywide's...
10 November 2017
From: Breaking News

Crowdfunding is nothing new. As I pointed out in a previous Natter, it dates back centuries, playing a part in the...
28 October 2017
From: Features

ZPG has announced that Connells is the latest major agency chain to sign a long-term deal with its portals Zoopla and...
17 October 2017
From: Breaking News

Agents’ Mutual is officially making no comment on the timetable for the company flotation but speculation within the industry is mounting...
12 October 2017
From: Breaking News

It appears that OnTheMarket member agents can, if they wish, opt out of the five year ‘lock in’ share agreement and...
11 October 2017
From: Breaking News

Investec Asset Management has bought a 5.6 per cent share in Countrywide, having had no previous involvement in the troubled estate...
05 October 2017
From: Breaking News

The research director of an investment firm which has advised Purplebricks says the “odd detractor” who doesn’t sell their home does...
04 October 2017
From: Breaking News

Countrywide’s share price hit another new low yesterday of around 115.5p - a fall of just over four per cent on...
26 September 2017
From: Breaking News

One of the world’s leading property technology experts, who at one time was head of strategy at a property portal, says investing...
14 September 2017
From: Breaking News

Sky News says the online estate agent eMoov is drawing up plans to float on the stock market. Sky has been well-informed...
12 September 2017
From: Breaking News

The flotation of Agents’ Mutual on the London Stock Exchange could happen as soon as later this year following the endorsement...
12 September 2017
From: Breaking News

An early Gold member of OnTheMarket is making a last-ditch bid to stop its parent company, Agents’ Mutual, from floating on...
11 September 2017
From: Breaking News

Agents' Mutual has told the London Stock Exchange that it is going to float after winning support from 89 per cent...
07 September 2017
From: Breaking News

The growing anger of some OnTheMarket member agents about the portal’s parent company proposal to float on the London Stock Exchange...
29 August 2017
From: Breaking News

Countrywide’s share price hit a record low during trading yesterday afternoon when it dropped to 137.75p, having opened the day at...
25 August 2017
From: Breaking News

The investment consultancy chosen by Agents’ Mutual to advise on its float plans - Zeus Capital - is the same one...
22 August 2017
From: Breaking News

Humberts, a member of Agents’ Mutual, is today launching an online-only option and claims it can list online-only properties on OnTheMarket. Such...
14 August 2017
From: Breaking News

The stock exchange seems to be on everyone’s lips at the moment. There’s Agents’ Mutual seeking to float on the Alternative Investment...
12 August 2017
From: Features

There has been a sceptical reception from City analysts to Agents’ Mutual’s decision to restructure and float on the stock market...
07 August 2017
From: Breaking News

Agents’ Mutual has confirmed that it proposes to form a new company, OnTheMarket plc, to list on the AIM market of...
04 August 2017
From: Breaking News

Sky News is reporting that OnTheMarket is to demutualise and list on the Stock Exchange. The portal made much of its mutual...
03 August 2017
From: Breaking News

After a roller-coaster day on the Stock Exchange yesterday, Purplebricks has sought to defend itself against further possible share price losses...
03 August 2017
From: Breaking News

LSL Property Services does not report its figures for the first half of 2017 until August 1, but even so it...
18 July 2017
From: Breaking News

Foxtons - a company seen by many as a barometer of the London housing market - is likely to face a...
10 July 2017
From: Breaking News

Property portal Rightmove has appointed easyJet's chief financial officer to its board. Andrew Findlay will join Rightmove as a non-executive director...
15 May 2017
From: Breaking News

Reports in the commercial property industry publication Property Week suggest there may be difficulties concerning the sale of Countrywide’s commercial operation,...
08 May 2017
From: Breaking News

Peter Robinson, CEO of AIPP – Association of International Property Professionals – shines a light onto the international property market. Some UK...
01 April 2017
From: Features

Foxtons has received lavish praise from investment consultancy Jefferies despite long-term share price worries reflecting its mixed performance in the troubled...
20 March 2017
From: Breaking News

Swiss bank UBS has downgraded Countrywide’s status to ‘sell’ in a move which has prompted the troubled estate agency’s share price...
16 March 2017
From: Breaking News

Countrywide has successfully placed 21.6m shares to institutional investors at the competitive price of 175p per share - allowing it to...
10 March 2017
From: Breaking News

An analysis of estate agents quoted on the London Stock Exchange suggests that almost all the traditional firms have suffered since...
28 February 2017
From: Breaking News

The remarkable bull run on the London Stock Exchange continues for hybrid estate agency Purplebricks, which floated shares at 100p just...
09 February 2017
From: Breaking News

Purplebricks has issued its second statement to the City on successive trading days - and its share price has risen by...
31 January 2017
From: Breaking News

The board of Purplebricks has issued a statement to the City saying it has no idea what lies behind the soaring...
30 January 2017
From: Breaking News

The stock market appears to be continuing its love affair with Purplebricks, as the hybrid agency share price rose once again...
27 January 2017
From: Breaking News

Countrywide’s share price closed slightly down again yesterday to finish trading at 176.0 after news emerged that the group was selling...
16 December 2016
From: Breaking News

Each year the London Stock Exchange lists 1,000 firms in a league table entitled ‘Companies To Inspire Britain’ and for the...
15 December 2016
From: Breaking News

Countrywide estate agency group is to drop out of the FTSE 250 from the start of trading on December 19. The news...
02 December 2016
From: Breaking News

The share prices of Countrywide and LSL Property Services diverged yesterday in response to both agency groups being downgraded by influential...
26 October 2016
From: Breaking News

The chief marketing officer of Purplebricks, Joby Russell - who in the recent past has described the hybrid as “the UK’s...
26 July 2016
From: Breaking News

The high-profit property crowdfunding site Property Partner has laid off 13 of its employees - equivalent to around 29 per cent...
21 July 2016
From: Breaking News

Swiss bank UBS has given an upbeat assessment of online estate agencies in the changing housing market - but it warns...
14 July 2016
From: Breaking News

Agency and other property shares that have been buffetted in the past two trading days have now stabilised - in most...
29 June 2016
From: Breaking News

The only way Purplebricks' dominance of the online agency sector can be challenged is via a merger between competitors or another stock...
27 May 2016
From: Breaking News

Purplebricks Group has issued a trading statement to the City - with another dramatic revenue increase and a claim that the...
11 May 2016
From: Breaking News

The Motley Fool, a widely-read City investment column, says a Leave vote could result in a fall in housing market transaction...
04 May 2016
From: Breaking News

Purplebricks has appointed Grant Thornton as its ‘growth adviser’ as the hybrid agency continues to fly high on the London stock...
14 April 2016
From: Breaking News

Countrywide has announced to the Stock Exchange this morning that Peter Long will take over from Grenville Turner as chairman at...
11 February 2016
From: Breaking News

The co-founder of hybrid estate agency EweMove says if the newly-floated Purplebricks fails "the online agency game could be up." Glenn Ackroyd,...
18 January 2016
From: Breaking News

Purplebricks recorded a volatile bout of trading on London’s Stock Exchange yesterday, where it ended the day with a 5.7 per...
08 January 2016
From: Breaking News

Star fund manager Neil Woodford - whose investment judgements have made him something of a celebrity in the world of high...
24 December 2015
From: Breaking News

Purplebricks is very easily the most recognisable online estate agency, according to a survey of 1,300 home owners by respected polling...
23 December 2015
From: Breaking News

Hybrid online estate agency Purplebricks is expected to start trading on the Stock Exchange on December 17. It has already raised £58.1m...
04 December 2015
From: Breaking News

Shares in Foxtons start the week at 244 after staging a dramatic stock market recovery following a poor set of figures. The...
03 August 2015
From: Breaking News

A former director of Foxtons has been appointed chief executive of a high-profile London estate agency chain. James Evans takes up the...
29 July 2015
From: Breaking News

Hunters, the franchise chain with over 150 branches and now established as the UK's sixth largest estate agent, could be valued...