Archive

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

In the modern marketplace – where people live their lives on their smartphones and tablets, social media has a bigger influence...

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

One of the most important aspects of running a successful estate or letting agency is being able to generate new business...

An estate agency has been the subject of a complaint over website wording which appeared to suggest that it had a...

The operation of ‘online estate agencies’ has changed substantially in the relatively short few years of their existence: I have spotted...

When it comes to growing your business sustainably, maintaining a brand that is eye-catching and identifiable with your audience is vital...

In a show of changing consumer behaviour in the property market, new research has revealed that digital-savvy movers are favouring specialist...

Having built over 1,800 websites for estate and lettings agents in the last 20 years, it will come as no surprise...

Hello and welcome to the latest Property Jobs Today, our round-up each Monday of key job moves within estate and letting...

ZPG has revealed that it had 58m visits to its property websites, Zoopla and Primelocation, last month. This is 10 per cent up...

Between October and December 2017, some £822 million worth of UK residential property was sold at auction, according to the Essential...

Outspoken buying agent Henry Pryor has set out 10 points that he claims many traditional agents overlook when they debate the...

ZPG says it anticipates a strong 2018 according to a trading statement ahead of the company’s annual general meeting today. The firm...

  A new league table showing how long it takes homes to sell on average in different postcodes across England and Wales...

Hunters is partnering with a PropTech firm to allow homes on the market and still awaiting buyers to be short-let for...

In 2018, Google will introduce changes to the way it ranks websites, meaning sites will be ranked on the quality of...

The Property Franchise Group has launched five new websites, one for each of its high street brands.  These are CJ Hole, Ellis & Co,...

The Advertising Standards Authority has told the organisers of a house raffle that they must not repeat a promotion because of...

Purplebricks is to work with respected review website Feefo - in addition to keeping its controversial existing link with Trustpilot which...

ZPG is refusing to increase its rejected bid to buy comparison website GoCompare. Earlier this month GoCompare turned down an unsolicited takeover offer...

News agency Reuters says a top five shareholder in price comparison service GoCompare says the firm should respond “positively” if ZPG...

OnTheMarket is reported to be threatening an estate agency with legal action. Earlier this week Estate Agent Today reported that Henry Adams, a...

The 15-branch Henry Adams agency has signed up to ZPG, just the day after the portal group said it had seen...

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

The ZPG app for mobile users of the Zoopla and Primelocation websites has now been downloaded more than 10m times. ZPG launched...

We recently witnessed the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) increase the base interest rate for the first time since...

The fact is that most house hunters simply do not have the time, let alone the inclination, to trawl around properties...

The 19 year old boss of online agency Doorsteps claims that his website has sold £100m worth of homes, currently lists...

There’s much said in the mainstream press about estate agency fees and how costly they can be for consumers. But one point...

One of the most thorough analyses of property portals ever undertaken shows that Rightmove is the world’s most profitable portal company...

An experiment conducted by insurance company AXA has revealed how sloppy photographs can alter the perception of a property in the...

Winkworth says solid performances from its lettings and property management services, plus new franchise deals, have compensated for a challenging sales...

Many industries in the UK are currently facing a tumultuous time as the great unknown of Brexit looms on the horizon...

Research in the United States shows that traditional full-service estate agencies achieve better sale prices than the biggest alternative in that...

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

If you’re a busy estate or letting agent, you’ll find that it can be quite difficult and time-consuming locating the right...

Facebook appears to be interested in entering the sales and lettings world with its first advertising product geared solely towards industry professionals. The...

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

A data analytics firm that has studied over 2.7m visits to UK property company websites claims that once a visitor arrives...

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

Countrywide says the roll out of its online sales and lettings service is on schedule to reach 50 per cent of...

The controversial website Houser, which made waves when it launched in 2014, has been ordered by the Advertising Standards Authority to...

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

It’s not happening here (yet) but several articles on US websites have started talking up the possibility of Amazon going into...

How many property professionals are truly happy with their revenue? High levels of competition from new market entrants is a significant...

The fees charged by estate agents receive a lot of coverage in the press - and rarely for positive reasons. Negative...

Mark Goddard was the founder and CEO of The Property Software Group (PSG), a property software solutions firm established in 2007,...

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

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

A consumer group which has consistently promoted online agencies says they achieve closer to sellers’ original asking price than the national...

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

Customers really dislike leaving voicemail messages. This may not be surprising, there may be many times when you have been faced...

ZPG has published its half-year figures this morning showing a six per cent rise in the number of agents and a...

Trinity Mirror is aiming to secure more of agents' marketing spend after launching what it is describing as a 'fightback' against...

Given that around 95% of property searches now start online, it is more important than ever that an agent has an...

The Property Franchise Group says it has seen 13 consecutive years of growth for the five High Street brands within its...

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

Being featured in newspapers, magazines and websites, as well as on radio and TV, can be a great way to build...

A controversial new search engine claiming to be in the later stages of development is seeking investment from estate agents, corporates...

People are more likely to give word-of-mouth recommendations for handyman services than recommend estate agents, according to a controversial poll. The survey...

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

Purplebricks has agreed to remove a claim from its website that “on average it takes us just 14 days to find...

A US technology company is warning that estate agency websites with log-in pages are “at risk of data theft, account takeover...

New research conducted for ZPG claims that Zoopla’s ‘national spontaneous brand awareness’ is at an all-time high - with the gap...

A survey of over 2,000 sellers who used online agency eMoov reveals that review websites were the overwhelmingly largest driver of...

Some big news in the agency world last week won’t have escaped the attention of many in the industry. Last Thursday news...

Agents who ignore critical reviews of their services do so at their peril as new figures reveal high levels of readership...

Which Money? - part of the Which? consumer organisation - says its analysis of thousands of properties for sale suggests that...

Only one in nine customers of estate agents regard face-to-face contact as the most important element of the process to determine...

One thing that can be guaranteed in the property world each year is a range of conferences and awards dinners. Very...

A Scottish property portal now ‘live’ and claiming to list almost all the homes for sale north of the border, says...

It’s over. Done. The only ones interested are those with too much time on their hands. For God’s sake - behind...

Hybrid agency EweMove is rapidly expanding its network footprint this year and will be a “challenger brand” deliberately designed to be...

The Advertising Standards Authority has stepped in following a complaint about the website for property developer Keepmoat. The ASA says that the...

Zoopla Property Group says that in the last three months alone over 100 estate agency branches have returned to its portal...

Property Service Holdings - parent company of the 150 branches trading under the Romans and Leaders names - has signed up...

A new website that will allow vendors and landlords to compare the expertise and fees of estate and letting agents has banned online...

2016 was quite a year – eventful, dramatic, shocking and impossible to predict. In no particular order, we saw Leicester winning...

Conveyancers are to be told to publish the charges for their house-moving services in a bid to help consumers and to...

Carpe diem, seize the day – whatever you call it, it’s something all of us in the property industry should be looking...

A single-branch agency operating around Blackpool is offering vendors ultra-low fees if they register their homes for sale online on Boxing...

Zoopla Property Group has acquired the estate agency website specialist design firm Technicweb. The acquisition - its announcement was buried in yesterday's...

Zoopla Property Group's estate agency membership grew five per cent and its property listing inventory was up 10 per cent in...

In the world of property and estate agency, competition is always fierce. It’s the same when it comes to your website....

Portal juggling has been defined as one of a number of "emerging threats" aimed at deceiving consumers through the manipulation of...

All estate and letting agents now have a website – but just how effective is yours? Your 'virtual shop window' is now...

A new automated sales progression tool being launched today promises to require fewer resources from agents in return for ensuring faster...

A website live chat provider claims research shows that the facility significantly influences activity amongst users of websites on which it...

Zoopla Property Group says there were over 53m visits to its Zoopla and PrimeLocation websites in September, up 13 per cent...

The National Trading Standards Estate Agency Team has followed up the recent announcement by The Property Ombudsman to counteract portal juggling by...

A survey by the Nottingham Building Society - owner of Harrison Murray estate agency - reveals the reliance of buyers on...

When marketing a property for sale, there are a number of attributes that buyers and sellers today expect ‘as standard’, but...

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

The network of independent estate agents known as the Property Sharing Experts has become the Experts in Property. The change of name...

Two estate agencies have incorporated video footage on to their website homepages in order to promote their brands to prospective clients. Lumley...

A long-standing analyst of property portals and websites worldwide has included Rightmove, Purplebricks and easyProperty in a list of 10 sites...

It’s a headline from an Australian business journal this week but it has a familiar ring to it: “Estate agents’ attempts...

The founder of a controversial service helping vendors find the ‘right’ estate agency and negotiating its fees says he has had...

It’s easy to forget, but there was a time when the internet didn’t exist. When the idea behind the world wide...

Mystery surrounds the fate of Fresh Chilli, a north of England-based hybrid estate agency that launched with a fanfare last autumn,...

An estate agency has been fined after a trading standards team accused it of making misleading statements on its website. Warwickshire county...

Paying too much every month for your website? Move your website to us and we guarantee to halve your monthly bill I want...

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

Sheffield in South Yorkshire, which was once one of the leading industrial cities in Britain and is still recognised for its...

An online search engine claims it will allow estate agents to “make significant cost savings in advertising portal fees” with the...

An estate agency has amended its website after being contacted by the Advertising Standards Authority following a complaint from a member...

It’s official; the estate agency business is tougher than ever. Contrary to perceptions that may exist amongst observers and even clients, the...

‘Digital technology in the property industry is here to stay’ was very much the opinion drawn from the recent FUTURE: PropTech...

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

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

Zoopla Property Group (ZPG) has today reported a strong period of growth during the six months to the end of March...

So what is it with young people failing to stand up for themselves and not making the most of their money...

Zoopla says its latest research shows it has now achieved a record level of national brand awareness and leads UK property...

Finding the right estate agency software supplier can be difficult and time-consuming. It's increasingly important to find a partner that suits your...

On Tuesday we managed hail, snow, rain, sun and a chilly wind all in one day. Whatever you want to say...

A Conservative MP is to raise the portal juggling controversy in the House of Commons. Derek Thomas, MP for St Ives in...

A digital marketing agency says it has identified ‘top key phrases’ used by would-be buyers when they begin their property searches...

The Competitions and Markets Authority has sent two open letters - one to online publishers and one to marketeers - warning...

One of the leading financial advice websites in the country has said that Rightmove’s “significant market share” and “insanely high margins”...

Storm Katie (makes it sound so harmless when they give it a name like that, doesn’t it?) might have given the...

What Countrywide are getting at is that they want to think more like retailers to engage better with customers.  If this is...

Who are you? My name is Sham, I am based in the UK and my core experience is in running cross border...

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

OnTheMarket, the property portal founded by Agents' Mutual, has announced its launch in Northern Ireland. The website is aiming to go head-to-head...

The Competition and Markets Authority has ordered a company to stop writing fake reviews for small businesses and to try to...

If you’re considering using a telephone answering service, what are the types of questions you need to ask, before you commit...

There has been a surge of new crowdfunding platforms aimed at people who either cannot afford to purchase their own buy...

Research conducted for Zoopla Property Group claims its own Zoopla portal has a higher level of ‘spontaneous awareness’ than Rightmove amongst...

Police have released footage of an estate agent who has been jailed for four years after repeatedly running over his girlfriend's...

Estate agents with a difference, a twist, a unique selling point, whatever you want to call it, seem to be becoming...

The raterAgent website is to use an automatic email generating service to encourage more reviews. raterAgent has teamed up with Reapit to...

The Competition and Markets Authority has updated its advice to all online review sites - including those for estate agencies and...

A west country property developer is reported to have taken “a significant stake” in Netanagent, a price comparison website focused on...

Zoopla Property Group has gone for a new chief financial officer steeped in online and digital experience rather than one with...

There seems to have been a seismic shift in recent years for companies to migrate everything ‘on brand’ online. However signage...

Both Zoopla and OnTheMarket have ramped up their long-standing rivalry. As we reported yesterday afternoon, Zoopla has revealed what it calls a...

A ‘points of interest’ web portal is being offered to agents and developers who want to have additional information on property...

With the portal wars ratcheting up ahead of OnTheMarket’s first anniversary, Zoopla has revealed what it calls a “record number” of...

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

The Accessible Property Register, a website specialising in promoting wheelchair-accessible homes, has been taken over by TheHouseShop.com.  APR was set up by...

The founder and co-owner of hybrid estate agency EweMove has written to the chief executive of the OnTheMarket portal, lavishly praising...

The Competition and Markets Authority says one of its priorities for 2016-17 is to pursue a project analysing the accuracy and...

There are a number of fairly recent regulations that agents need to comply with. One of them, now just over a year...

We know so many agents do good fund-raising during the festive season - here are just a few who made contact...

eMoov is one of several property firms to have ‘informally resolved’ disputes with the Advertising Standards Authority - usually achieved by...

A large survey of home movers reveals that over one in five of them considered using only an online-only estate agent...

This week, Storm Desmond has left devastation in its wake. Once again, the nation’s attention is drawn to the threat flooding...

Who are you?  Chris Rundle, What does it say on your business card? Managing Director of GK Signs.  How long has GK Signs...

It was an end of an era in the property world this week. Christopher Hamer stepped down as the Property Ombudsman...

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

Two leading estate agency groups have changed website details of properties after complaints were lodged with the Advertising Standards Authority. The ASA...

Rightmove has grabbed market share from OnTheMarket according to a report from City analysts Liberum and is now the ‘portal of...

It’s been revealed that the National Home Building Council has been helping the National Association of Estate Agents with a toolkit...

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

After a week of criticism from some parts of the industry, OnTheMarket has released a series of testimonials from agents who say...

There was a recent article in Estate Agent Today titled: Agents 'missing out on income by not charging for referrals'. A study...

Research commissioned by Zoopla claims it remains the property portal in the UK with the highest spontaneous national consumer brand awareness. The...

The chief executive of Countrywide, Alison Platt, has hinted her firm may invest in, or acquire, an internet start-up company to...

A company is claiming that estate agents are missing out on substantial potential income by not charging for referrals of clients...

Zoopla Property Group, which earlier this year snapped up comparison website uSwitch, is launching a new marketing scheme allowing agents to...

The controversial UK property portal Houser is shortly launching an internet site marketing homes for sale across the United Arab Emirates,...

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

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 industry debates of the year will be held next week when the inaugural FUTURE : Property Tech conference...

Readers of Estate Agent Today and Letting Agent Today were given an exclusive opportunity to pose questions to Zoopla Property Group...

Readers of Estate Agent Today and Letting Agent Today were given an exclusive opportunity to pose questions to Zoopla Property Group...

Like many people these days I rarely make a significant purchase without first checking out online reviews.   Whether it’s for a...

It’s become almost obligatory for start-ups in many industries – frequently online agents in the selling and letting business – to...

Online agents may soon sell and let across national boundaries as company websites and property portals operate on an increasingly global...

One of the country largest agency chains, Connells, has unveiled an updated logo and boards, along with plans to modernise its offices...

I received a call from a prominent agent known to many in the industry this week, asking an unexpected question: he wanted...

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

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...

A jealous estate agent has been jailed for two months after dousing the bed of his ex-partner with diesel fuel and...

Rightmove and Foxtons have reported their half-year figures to the City this morning - and they tell very different stories. Rightmove’s customer...

Knight Frank says the summer is likely to be busier than expected for the sale of prime property as a result...

The rising phenomenon of agent-rating and review websites is a topic that seems to have caused considerable division and controversy among...

Online estate and letting agency EweMove says it is scrapping compulsory tie-ins.  “If any seller is not happy with our service, for...

Over 28,000 people visited websites connected with the first ever online-only auction for new build properties, according to the event’s organisers,...

Zoopla has launched its Real Time Listings Service, allowing member agents to send updates to property listings on ZPG websites within...

A review of 30 prominent property sales websites undertaken by a digital marketing company demonstrates, perhaps predictably, a huge lead for...

Estate and letting agency review site raterAgent says an analysis of its own website suggests that 17 per cent, or just...

OK, you’re being spoilt. This column is now going to be on a bi-weekly rather than monthly basis. You lucky people,...

Stacks Property Search, one of Britain’s largest buying agencies, has entered the debates over portals and the use of DIY house...

An online property sales platform - with a catchphrase that says traditional agents’ fees “are bigger than a Texan’s waistband and...

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

In 2007, the government introduced a compulsory deposit protection scheme as part of the Housing Act 2004 to help protect tenants...

Traditional estate agents are not actually needed to sell a home but merely serve as “reputational insurance” to reassure a buyer...

Watch the latest weekly video roundup of news from Estate Agent Today and Letting Agent Today, featuring stories on the effect...

Watch the latest weekly video roundup of news from Estate Agent Today and Letting Agent Today, featuring stories on the effect...

There’s been a remarkably positive welcome from across the industry for the new Today websites unveiled this week for Estate Agent...

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

Zoopla Property Group is looking for more potential acquisitions following its surprise announcement that it is buying price comparison website uSwitch. ZPG...

The Independent Network of Estate Agents says it is worried that the so-called ‘pension freedom’ created by relaxations in over-55s accessing...