Rightmove has announced an all-time record of visitors to its site, with over 34 million pages of traffic on Monday.
The site, which claims market share of 84% among the top four property portals, says this was the second time in a fortnight that the record has been broken, after a high of 33.4 million pages was set on Tuesday, January 3.
Rightmove director Miles Shipside said: “It seems like a popular New Year’s resolution must be to move home in 2012. The obvious next step for the British public is to jump on to Rightmove to see if they can turn their resolutions into reality.
“The record traffic on Rightmove is also an indicator of underlying demand, if and when the mortgage famine should ease.”
The record day included around 15% of traffic from Rightmove’s mobile platforms.
This early-year activity on Rightmove mirrors 2011 when a new record of 28 million pages was set on January 10.
Meanwhile, the NAEA has urged its members to write to the OFT about the proposed merger between Zoopla and Digital. Its email asks agents to mention the NAEA’s own website, PropertyLive, and the fact that the site is free to members.
Any agent who wishes to comment on the planned merger has only until close of play today to email their thoughts to: toby.kenward@oft.gsi.gov.uk
.png)
Comments
The sad thing about comments such as from rantrave's mummy above is that the public (in their ignorance) end up paying for RM's extortion anyway! 'Us agents' are stuffed by RM, yes, but we have no option but to pass the cost on in our fees.
There are no credible 'cheap' or 'private sale' options - estate agents are still here by popular demand. Perhaps we will cut our fees once the public stop expecting us to have High St offices etc, but until then you (the public) make your bed....
I look on RM at least 10 times a day to see what is going on in my area. This 'visitor record' is rubbish. Most visitors are agents or unmotivated browsers. I am only on RM because the public expect me to be on it - is that RM providing a good business model or RM implementing the best con of all time? Again, the public are paying for this ultimately.
The difficulty is that RM are in a no lose situation (until someone with enough money provides a viable alternative) because estate agents will NEVER act in unison - there is too much competition (in a no sale, no fee industry) for ALL agents to 'pause' their RM visibility.
The truth of it all is that we all sold houses prior to RM, and before RM we only advertised in the paper because potential vendors expected us to! Serious buyers would find a property to buy if we only had our own (virtually free) web-sites, and a board!
Unfortunately there will always be an estate agent that tries to win listings by offering additional advertising to the above, and therefore we will be stuck with RM (because surely the internet will not be bettered?) Our only hope (and the only hope of the blinkered public) for a fairer charge/cost of moving will be a competitor to RM.
And yes, if it sounds like I hate them, I do.
Oh dear Will Hicks, you are a stupid prune, have a feeling you were spotty kid at school no one liked or still does.
8 million sperm and you got through!
Poor sad person.
It's the cheapest way of getting a laugh; looking at "new price" asking prices and the fine print of "mental vendor thinks they still exist in Summer 07".
OH and Miles,
While your at it can you tell me.
What is your click through rate from these record no. of visitors?
How much do you make off advertising click throughs?
Just want to compare your advertising revenue with your take from our industry.
I sure we will all be interested in the comparative profit streams. Because there must be some justification behind these all too often fee increases.
Rightmove director Miles Shipside said: “It seems like a popular New Year’s resolution must be to move home in 2012. The obvious next step for the British public is to jump on to Rightmove to see if they can turn their resolutions into reality.
No Miles, it means that a lot of people are looking at your site.
Please can you tell us how many of your leads resulting an an EA actually selling a property?
I think that would be a more accurate assessment of your value to our industry, does anyone actually disagree with this?
My esteemed colleagues, never forget Rightmoves market is YOU, not buyers, sellers, renters or landlords.
Rightmoves profits come from your commissions, at a time when they are been reduced to gain business, from your dwindling profits.
Rightmove has no interest is supporting, developing or aiding your business, their business model is to squeeze as much as possible from you, before killing the indepent Estate agent business completely; think I am scaremongering?
Then look at the 'new facebook app....' story on EST. and think where is it leading.
@ Make Rightmove more reasonable:
Excellent idea.
I was with you all the way until you mentioned PropertyLive & the NAEA. They are too divisive (bloody crap) to build a consensus around.
I would put forward Nick Salmon as the Estate Agents' champion and a proven campaign coordinator.
Nick - what do you think?
You can knock it but you must admit brilliant business model that’s stuffs you agents!
amusing stuff there from Rightmove. the reason why any serious media company focuses on the number of unique visitors / readers is because that is what is actually relevant. that and the seriousness of their intent to transact as opposed to browse.
when in the history of newspapers would a title quote how many 'page turns' they generated to a potential advertsier?
time to bin the old page impressions herring?
Most clicks on Rightmove are agents checking out each others stock, owners admiring their own offering, neighbours having a squizzy at other neighbours sofas and decor or burgalars checking out where to get the good stuff.
And still Rightmove have their hnds on £80 million of Estate Agents commission, Ed, Joanne and Miles love ya.
It looks as though we agents were just catching up after Christmas.
It would be an interesting exercise if agents and surveyors just avoided checking on competitors and comparsions for one agreed week or month.
The word on the grapevine is that the 'No Rightmove' month is at last gathering steam.
The concept is that with most agents being concerned about handing in their notice with Rightmove would instead be prepared to 'pause' or 'make invisible' ALL their properties for a certain time period. All agents will sign up to this agreement and make their listing invisible on the same day.
This will coincide with 1000's of other agents in a demonstration against Rightmove's high prices and ongoing business plan that consists of nothing other than squeezing agents more and more each year.
Once all listings are made invisible, Rightmove's 'sky high' site traffic will soon start to dwindle as customers look on other websites for more listings.
The only issue with this plan is that viewers will turn to the likes of Primelocation or Zoopla who will then no doubt hike their prices up.
Part of the plan therefore is that all agents must push clients to the only site unlikely to put it's prices up - Propertylive. The win win solution here is that all agents will then have to be members of the NAEA meaning that the industry as a whole will start to earn more credibility.
Watch this space.
There is no doubt that RM does a good marketing job.
However, in my view the "number of visitors" should not be taken at face value as a true indication of meaningful underlying demand. With all the kerfuffle in the media over house prices many people use the site out of general interest with no intention of action or buying in the forseeable future.
Have the kncokers missed the headline , it mentions RIGHTMOVE!! No posts???