Countrywide’s Big September Move campaign, which included an open house weekend, resulted in over 63,800 viewings of 16,000 participating properties.
Nearly 3,000 offers were accepted following the open house event, held on September 17 and 18, with ‘thousands’ of other offers being made during the campaign.
Robert Scarff, managing director of Countrywide Estate Agents, said: “The Big September campaign is yet another example of one of the innovative ways that our agents are helping buyers and sellers across the UK.
“As part of our strategy to ‘do more to get Britain moving’, we are delighted with the success of the campaign and pleased that so many customers recognised the opportunity to move before the festive season is upon us.
“With nearly 64,000 viewings conducted over the campaign and thousands of offers made, it’s clear to see that there is still a high demand for properties across the UK.
“However, although there are some very determined buyers and sellers out there, access to a mortgage and the ability to save a substantial deposit continues to restrict activity. Hopefully these constraints will ease as we go into the New Year to help boost the market and enable more people to move in 2012.”
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Comments
i would love to see how flaky and uncertain some of these so called sales are.....half of them are probably mind deals.
bet it was a big cheesy sales campaign, flip charts, targets, a deal bell ringing everytime a pretend sale was made.
shiny suits and hair gel everywhere......lovely!
and now rightmove are using CPL to offer Conveyancing.....the thin end of the wedge perhaps? not a lover of either but they just get stronger.
lol...love to read some of the comments....and although I've been in the business for about 1year, 64000 viewings does sound like a made up figure....
and off topic guys, have you seen the video "under offer" ?
Dear Friend:
I am facing a very serious problem. You see, I am a deserter from the British Army, and I have a cousin who works for Countrywide. My mother peddles Nazi literature to Girl Scouts and my father (a former dentist) is in jail for 30 years for raping most of his patients while they were under anesthesia. The sole supports of our large family, including myself and my £500-a-week heroin habit, are my uncle (master pick-pocket, Benny "The Fingers"), my 70-year-old aunt Hester (a shoplifter), and my two kid sisters, who are well-known streetwalkers. My problem is this: I have just gotten engaged to the most beautiful, sweetest girl in the world. She is just sweet fifteen, and we are going to marry as soon as she can escape from reform school. To support ourselves, we are going to move to Mexico and start a fake Aztec souvenir factory staffed by child labor. We look forward to bringing our kids into the family business. But I am worried that my family will not make a good impression on hers. In your opinion, Should I, or shouldn't I, tell her about my cousin who works for Countrywide?
Fat....Slippers..... Pipe......1980's
Gosh! One learns so much about oneself that wasn't realised from some of the newer fella's on EAT........;-)
Couln't agree more Mr Archer.
If you become a Doctor, Lawyer, Accountant, Airline Pilot et-al, your profession is specific regardless of where you ply your trade. It is to do with your qualification.
But then you may meet someone who describes themselves as a Farmer. If you ask what farm they own and discover they do not own a farm but work on one, are they a farmer or do they do farm work on a farm?
Similar with builders. I hear this all the time.
By the same token Ray we are not all pipe sucking slippers wearing good old boys from the eighties either. We all start somewhere.
P.S wasnt calling you a pipe sucking, slipper wearing good old boy BTW :-)
all this what is an EA nonsense. What does it matter if you have spots on your face or gel your hair (shockingly stereo typical). i take it an estate agent has to be in there 40's+ fat and think they know it al..... ok i see your point!
This business of EA or employee of an EA.
Interesting......
I have come across many very young people who are junior, untrained 'office boy/girl' types who state "I am an EA"........they do not say 'I work for an EA'..... Interesting..........
P.S I am a receptionist in a surgery so I am a doctor....
Looked at Countrywide Agents CV.... wow!
IT READ AS FOLLOWS !!
My first job was working in an orange juice factory, but I got canned. I couldn't concentrate.
Then I worked in the woods as a lumberjack, but I just couldn't hack it, so they gave me the axe.
After that, I tried to be a tailor, but I just wasn't suited for it - mainly because it was a sew-sew job.
Next, I tried working in a muffler factory, but that was too exhausting.
Then, I tried to be a chef - figured it would add a little spice to my life, but I just didn't have the thyme.
I attempted to be a deli worker, but any way I sliced it, I couldn't cut the mustard.
My best job was being a musician, but eventually I found I wasn't noteworthy.
I studied a long time to become a doctor, but I didn't have any patience.
Next, was a job in a shoe factory. I tried but I just didn't fit in.
I became a professional fisherman, but discovered that I couldn't live on my net income.
I managed to get a good job working for a pool maintenance company, but the work was just too draining.
So then I got a job in a workout center, but they said I wasn't fit for the job.
After many years of trying to find steady work, I finally got a job as a historian - until I realized there was no future in it.
My last job was working in Starbucks, but I had to quit because it was always the same old grind.
So, now I work for Countrywide, much better!
Ah Ha! Peebee,
Please note the legislation, you cannot be an Estate Agent if you are bunkrupt, but you can work for one.
A contradiction, I know....
Bless his Countrywide cottons
Fun Boy Agent: "You (sadly) are not an agent, you are an employee."
An employee, yes. However, unfortunately the OFT decree who is and who isn't an Estate Agent by definition - and even the Countrywide crew fall into the category by some mad twist of fate. Sort of.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news and all... ;o)
I got out of CW just before the real nonsense started, Late night call outs, missed opportunity sessions and the like. As FBA says if these directives had come from an real agent or at least one that had been at the coal face in the last twenty years, then I’m sure they would have gone down the line of getting out of the office, talking to people and shaking some hands.
Don’t take it too badly Countrywide Agent. Everyone in our company is ex CW and we all have one thing in common. None of us have to carry out stupid tasks on behalf of some out of touch director.
Just PR but it fool the public. They market as the UKs biggest agent and as such will sell for more faster, we know thats rubbish but fool vendors time and time again and listings are key in most parts now, sadly a good job in PR done by CW.
Damn !
Dear Countrywide Agent,
You (sadly) are not an agent, you are an employee. I wish you luck in becoming an Agent in the future.
These figures are worse than the ones fed to EAT by Andrews. And that was a dead loss too. Spread over the total branches it is a poor show indeed.
These scams are the product of over eager, non estate agent, spotty faced, gel haired, pointy shoed marketing buffs at head office. Jumped up pip squeaks.
Not an estate agent in sight.
Looking at the numbers published and considering the huge number of offices Countrywide have which I will estimate to be about 1300 the following comes out of it for individual office productivity
1. 63,800 Viewings = 49 Per office
2. 16,000 Participating Properties = 12 per office
3. 3,000 offers agreed = 2.3 per office
4. Viewing to sale ratio = 4.69% or 2 in 10 viewings
Add in a sale abort rate of 35% means each office will exchange on 1.5 sales.
Assume Countrywide have an average house price in line with the UK at about £165,000 and charge 1.75% means and average fee of £2887.50, and a sales arranged figure per branch of £4331 based on 1.5 sales agreed per office
Combine with abort rate of say 35% means each office will exchange on an average of £2815
Total Countrywide income from event excluding costs = £3,659,500 – assume profit margin of 20% means the group will create a pre tax profit from the event of £731,900 or £563 per office
Id be keen to hear what other have to say and comment on where my numbers are wrong but it doesn’t seem to be a big deal for individual offices and I assume the figures published are total for the period and include what would have happened anyway?
The key question to any Countrywide manager is – was it worth another £563 in your P&L this year
So from the 16,000 properties that were included in the open day they sold 3,000 or another way to look at it 1 in 5.2. what the hell were they doing before!!
sniff, sniff.... can you smell that? it smells like bulls**t.
As a Countrywide agent, i love reading all these bitter comments from others wishing/hoping for lack of activity afterwards, lots of fall throughts, or vendors changing agents etc.... what complete and utter twaddle!!
And for the numpty who is hoping for lots of fall throughs... yes i wish your business well too!! At the end of the day sales are sales... our chains contain stock from both independents and corporates, so fall throughs affect us all!!
Did the Big September Campaign affect my business?? damn right it did, we took instructions on and have sold them as a direct result of the campaign. To be honest the same old 'corporate agent' bashing is getting old boring and stale.. change the record please!
Why is EAT publicising this non-story stuff?
Nearly 3000 deals doesn't sound much from 1300 offices.
I would also be interested to know how the offices do over the next couple of weeks. I've seen it many times before when you have a huge push for something and use up all your potential - the next few days just go dead, because all the business you would have got, you've already had.
“The Big September campaign is yet another example of one of the innovative ways that our agents are helping buyers and sellers across the UK.
How is that 'innovative' and how did it 'help' buyers and sellers?
"clear to see that there is still a high demand for properties across the UK"
Of course there's demand for properties, we humans have to live somewhere, need a roof above our heads. Retards.
We held an open day weekend earlier this month, we recorded 20 billion new applicants and a record 300 million sales were generated from this. I'm not going to provide any proof but please just take my word for it.
If these figures are true, it will be interesting to see how many of these sales actually complete. I bet more than half are back on the market in two weeks time.
just curious ..how many viewings and sales would countrywides' 1300 offices' normaly do in a weekend,
Open days are really good we love it when the corporates do them, there are usually very fed up vendors to approach that or the following day, who will welcome a change of agent and fresh ideas.