Archive

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

The former managing director of Foxtons, Peter Rollings, has spilled the beans on what it was like working at the heart...

One of the country’s best known regional traditional agencies, Pygott and Crone, has used a promotion in local news outlets to...

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

Last time out I looked at the growing importance of content, social media and design – but these should only form...

A housing association has launched its own online agency which offers to sell vendors' homes for £275. Capsel Homes, based in Mamhilad,...

A leading agent has urged major portals Rightmove, Zoopla and OnTheMarket to feature virtual viewings content more prominently on their platforms. Writing...

Firstly, my sincere apologies - it has now been over a month since my last PropTech blog, doesn’t time fly!  In the...

Sotheby's International Realty has launched what it claims to be the first 'real estate-branded' augmented reality (AR) app. 'Curate', which is now...

To demonstrate the lengths some buyers will go to make sure their offer is accepted, NAEA Propertymark has asked its agent...

An estate agent claims that online property listings which include video tours receive 'hundreds more views' than those without. Dan Killeen of...

Two online agents and a number of PropTech companies have been named in startups.co.uk's Startups 100 index. Coming in at number 64...

The chief executive of Winkworth says the upcoming Brexit is creating uncertainty and causing buyers and investors to delay purchasing plans. Dominic Agace,...

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...

Outsourced viewing operator Viewber is expanding its offer to agents by forming what it calls “a close technical cooperation” with keyholding...

Estate agents don’t necessarily have the most eco-friendly image as an industry - but here’s one who’s really making a statement...

One in five sellers suffer a fall-through costing them an average £2,700 - but many lose £5,000 or more. These are the...

Who are you and what does it say on your business card? Ben Robinson, Director of Agency Services at Landmark What is Landmark...

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

The average number of viewings received by properties before a sale is agreed has risen from 11 in 2015 to 19...

The UK’s largest property auctioneer says its first quarter’s sales figures for 2018 are ahead of those for the same period...

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

The outsourced viewing service Viewber says it has now conducted over 20,000 viewings on behalf of agents and has secured another...

Floor plans are an essential marketing tool, which play an important part in helping an estate agent sell a home.  A floor...

With the rise of Purplebricks in recent years, many will be eager to know what the hybrid agency’s Local Property Experts...

Winkworth, the agency which released its 2017 results this morning, says the franchise business model it supports is more resilient than others...

  An assessment of nine online agencies undertaken by a property website has seen Emoov come out on top after being analysed...

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

The Haart agency group has given an upbeat picture of the housing market in its latest figures with instructions up 15...

The death of traditional TV – where viewers sit down together to watch shows at defined times – has been much...

Agents have welcomed more data suggesting the 2018 market is enjoying a robust start. Last week Rightmove reported a record number of...

Coming into force on May 25, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) - which replaces the Data Protection Act 1998 -...

The other day I met with two agents who have 30 years of property sales experience between them, and yet also...

Yopa, the online agency with financial backing from Savills and LSL Property Services, is the latest online firm to launch a...

The number of first-time buyers has increased 16 per cent in the past month and 10 per cent year on year...

The Advertising Standards Authority has ruled on another complaint lodged about Purplebricks. Although the latest appears minor it adds to a lengthy list...

House Network, which describes itself as the UK’s first online estate agency, is using TV advertising to promote a new "20-point...

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

Latest figures suggest there are only 1,850 apprentices employed in the entire property sector, suggesting an even smaller number in the...

Leading independent property expert Kate Faulkner says the current row regarding the accuracy of Purplebricks’ sales figures should be the trigger...

Former estate agent Nick Ferrand has gone public with a new website which says home owners decide when and to whom...

Q. How did you get in to the property industry? My career in the property industry actually started out as a holiday...

A website called Roofoveryourhead has launched which threatens to bypass estate agents and allow vendors to sell for free. The site uses language similar...

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

Foxtons says it takes just eight minutes for a purchaser to know whether they will go ahead with buying a home.  The...

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

A firm which offers a white-labelled online estate agency platform which can be used by otherwise-traditional agencies to provide a Purplebricks-style...

What does your role involve? By answering my estate agent clients’ telephone calls, I assist in their day-to-day office needs.  An...

A new website which completely by-passes all kinds of estate agents and allows vendors to upload details of their own properties...

An estate agent branded as "thoroughly dishonest" following a Gumtree scam has been jailed for 20 months, suspended for two years....

What is your experience in the property industry? I worked in estate agency for 12 years before joining Moneypenny and really enjoyed...

A mystery online petition is urging Rightmove to filter its advertisements “in a bid to curb down inflationary / speculative / fake...

It used to be so easy. Around 20 years ago there were what we now call full-service estate and letting agencies, and...

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

How has the world of estate agency changed in the last few decades? That’s the question this week’s Natter is going...

Estate agency James Pendleton says it wants to give its clients more digital advantages without becoming an online operation itself -...

An online platform that allows the public to compare the services and fees of traditional estate agents in their areas has...

Viewber, the outsourced viewing service, has marked its first anniversary by notching up its 6,500th appointment.  Launched in early September 2016 by...

easyProperty has unveiled details of its relaunch, declaring itself to be the UK’s second largest hybrid estate agency - second only...

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has informally resolved another complaint made against wording on Purplebricks’ website.  A complainant suggested that the wording...

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

Nearly all home owners (96%) consider fees to be the most important factor when choosing an estate agent, according to research...

Consumer group Which? says the public should be wary of claims made by online estate agents. This follows a series of complaints about...

Jackson-Stops & Staff has revealed what it believes to be the main noise problems that deter buyers and distress existing owners. A...

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

Well over a third of buyers will view between four and eight houses before putting an offer in on their choice,...

House hunters in the UK are the global leaders in online property research according to a new study from HSBC.    The bank...

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

Reapit has launched a new digital product following agents’ demands to handle an increasing volume of out of hours dealings with...

Given the shift change in the estate agent world at the moment, with online models becoming more prevalent (think easyProperty’s £60...

The first ever home to have a viewing staged over Facebook Live has sold after it received three offers as a...

  A hybrid agency called 99Home Ltd, which made its debut back in April, appears to have relaunched with what it calls...

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

PropTech start-up OneDome - which describes its products as allowing traditional estate agents to challenge Purplebricks and other online rivals -...

A study using ‘eye-tracking’ technology has revealed what prospective buyers pay most attention to during viewings and shows critical differences between...

A network of almost 80 independent estate agency offices has launched what it calls a hard-hitting campaign against 'internet-based call centre...

Calls made to estate agents to book property valuations increased by 26% this spring, according to telephone answering service Moneypenny. Enquiries made...

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has upheld a complaint made against hybrid estate agency Pink and Cow. The Portsmouth-based firm claimed on...

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

A conveyancing expert is calling for sellers to complete and return their property information questionnaire to their conveyancer before there have...

A company which last month launched a service which it claims allows High Street estate agents to compete with online and...

A provider of 360 virtual tours for estate and letting agents has announced it is offering customers a 'freemium package'. EyeSpy360 previously...

Viewber, the outsourced property viewing service and brainchild of high-profile former estate agent Ed Mead, says its network of 'Viewbers' now...

Even some of the most successful professionals from other professions fail to grasp the most important point when it comes to...

Countrywide’s Bairstow Eves brand has launched a series of video guides for customers using their £995 online agency service and for...

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

It’s easy to be dismissive of the value of local newspapers for advertising residential property but things are never as straightforward...

A branch of Martin & Co is changing the wording it uses on a leaflet following a complaint from a rival...

A Hampshire estate agency has promised the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) not to make competitor comparisons which cannot be independently verified...

Estate agency Butters John Bee has been told by the Advertising Standards Authority not to re-run an ad because of an...

A survey of 5,000 people by agency chain Your Move reveals that 80 per cent of buyers view three or more...

The East Midlands, which consists of several areas including Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, and much of Lincolnshire, has an ancient...

If this past year is anything to go by, outsourcing is firmly on the agenda for estate agents. Rather than being...

Peter Rollings, the well-known former managing director of Foxtons, has taken a stake in Viewber, the recently-launched outsourced viewing service.  Viewber allows...

EweMove - the hybrid agency now part of Martin & Co’s Property Franchise Group - is slashing its up-front franchise fee...

Allegedly-inaccurate descriptions and difficulties finding convenient times for viewings are among the most common frustrations people find when buying and renting. That’s...

Technology has been continuing to shape the way estate agents manage their customer service offering for years. It’s now a completely...

Hatched, the online agency snapped up just over a year ago by Connells in what was described as an ‘industry defining’...

Prominent top end London estate agent Trevor Abrahmsohn says some homes in the higher levels of the market may now have...

A health service tribunal has found that a senior paramedic tried to sexually assault an estate agent as she prepared for...

Chancellor Philip Hammond caught the lettings industry unaware with an incredulous Autumn Statement.  The buy-to-let sector took a bashing earlier in 2015...

An estate agency described as operating a ‘pay as you go’ business model says it wants to “disrupt the disruptors” operating...

Liz runs her own estate agency in Gateshead. When researchers for the Suzy Lamplugh Trust got in touch earlier in the year to...

There were some absolutely brilliant figures released recently by telephone answering specialist, Moneypenny.  The highest call volumes diverted from agents to Moneypenny occurred between 10am-11am...

An Essex estate agent who believes he is the youngest in the industry has explained his success to Estate Agent Today...

An online agency called DoorStepAgents.com claims to have set up a service which is both the cheapest and ‘best value’ sales...

Strutt & Parker says it has achieved record annual sales figures from its latest National Open House day on October 8. It says...

Estate agents are already setting out their stalls ahead of Chancellor Phillip Hammond’s November 23 Autumn Statement with one simple message...

Suzy Lamplugh was just 25 years old when she disappeared whilst working as an estate agent in London in 1986. She’d...

More estate agents are using – or at least considering using – virtual reality viewings as part of their services. But what...

More than 900 sales branches will be taking part in the UK's 'largest open house weekend' later this week.  The event, which...

A Nottingham estate agency is set to open its fourth branch with a dedicated 'VR Zone'. Walton & Allen is holding an...

A campaign has been launched to make Bristol the colour capital of the UK by ensuring that more homes are painted...

Purplebricks says it will have a marketing budget of AUS$17.2m - that's over £9.9m - to spend on marketing for its...

With ever increasing obligations, estate agents know that compliance matters now more than ever.  However, being able to obtain access to the...

The morning after the EU referendum, and Westminster, Britain, Europe and the world were left in shock at the news that...

Whether you work from a traditional office, a coffee shop or a bedroom, one thing's for sure is that these days...

Analysis of data from some 2,100 estate agents suggest that the single busiest period for prospective vendors seeking an automated valuation...

As a service provider to both Estate Agents and Conveyancing Solicitors from one platform, ETSOS sits in a fairly unique position...

New research appears to confirm what many agents have thought for a long time - many prospective buyers take only five...

Online estate agency easyProperty has brought in a veteran psychology expert to look at the stress of buying a home -...

With more house-hunters than ever now starting their search for a new home by typically looking online on one of the major...

One of the original online estate agents, Hatched, is marking its tenth anniversary with a series of announcements.  The firm, which began...

The weather may be saying otherwise, but we're now in June and agents will be extra busy as buyers look to...

Women property buyers are more instinctive when buying a home and are therefore 13% more likely to 'mentally move into a...

Rightmove has begun testing a virtual reality viewing platform which will allow prospective buyers to view properties without leaving their own...

The main debate at this year’s FUTURE: PropTech conference - the industry’s leading technology forum, held yesterday in London - saw...

One of the founders of online agency Purplebricks says his aim is for the firm to become the "first choice" for...

When a potential buyer comes into the office and says they want to view a property on your books, the natural...

In 2014 there were 19,000 estate agent branches in the UK. Of which 18,000 were registered to list properties on the...

This website recently published a piece ahead of the nationwide launch of our new property platform, Be Street Smart.  It explained how...

The spring agency merger and expansion tradition continues apace with a series of announcements by firms. Bristol-based online agency Urpad.online - which...

The days are getting longer, the sun is starting to appear on a more regular basis, Easter is just around the...

The property market is racing ahead, but not everyone who wants to be part of it appears to want to keep...

London estate agency Douglas & Gordon, one of the firms which founded Agents’ Mutual, has launched a new website with a...

Life is getting pretty frustrating for estate agents, and not just because getting houses onto the market is such an uphill...

Calls to estate and letting agents to request viewings rose by 70.8 per cent in January over the previous month -...

It is reported this morning that OnTheMarket has lost one of its key early investors, the Gascoigne Halman agency which is...

South of England agency chain Andrews has launched a new app and website as part of its brand-refreshing programme for 2016.  The...

Online estate agent Purplebricks has now completed its pre-Christmas IPO with shares initially valued at £240m. It’s the latest news that...

The possibility of agents having to keep offices open until 7pm from next summer to accommodate late key releases has put...

A new app, Qoob, allows people to use a smartphone to swipe through homes put on the market by private sellers...

An agency that offers both traditional and online sales and lettings services to clients has opened a new office - in...

It’s interesting to read of plans to debate which business plan really is best for the customer, online or traditional estate...

One of the UK franchise holders of US-based Keller Williams has accused this country's agency industry of being "complacent and unimaginative"...

Knight Frank has become the latest high-end agency to admit that the prime central London market is in the doldrums, with...

One Direction may be about to split up but this cloud might just have a silver lining for our industry -...

There’s been a lot of talk lately about artificial intelligence (AI). We’ve seen it feature prominently this year on film (in...

Paralympian Libby Clegg has set out recommendations that may provide food for thought for agents showing properties to buyers with visual...

An unusual but large-scale piece of research suggests that older buyers are more likely to take their time viewing a property...

It’s always interesting when Which? produces a report that includes estate agency. It asked 1,990 people their views on buying and selling...

Online agency easyProperty has launched its residential sales service this week, ahead of schedule - and catching some elements of the...

Introduce your properties to over 500,000 investors, increase sales and management stock... WHAT IS PRING Pring.co.uk is the largest investment property portal...

Estate agents want systems that deliver power, speed and mobility. Increase efficiency, reduce admin, offer a personalised service and increase your income...

A small online survey carried out by Reeds Rains agency suggests buyers decide whether they want to own a home between...

In today’s highly competitive market place, no company can afford to miss a business opportunity. Roy Fuller Managing Director at Everything Lettings...

Another week, another online estate agency launches - but the latest, called YOPA, claims not to charge any upfront fee to...

A London start-up is the latest to launch virtual reality technology aimed at estate agents and property buyers.  Launched last week, VirtuEye...

I recently visited Life Residential at their bright and modern West London headquarters. I carried out a quick interview with Joint Managing...

Telephone calls taken for estate and letting agents increased dramatically in a number of high-end London postcodes since the general election...

As the nation finally gets to cast its vote at the polling booths, telephone answering specialist, Moneypenny has reported a dramatic...

The presupposed notion still exists that new online agents are ‘tech savvy’ whilst the seemingly old fashioned high street agents are...

Connells says the early 2015 business has picked up from the winter lull but “couldn’t match the beginning of last year”...