Online Estate Agents – Investments are flowing their way…
January 26, 2015
Online estate agents seem to sometime get very negative and anti feedback online, especially via social media where our LinkedIn group sometimes sees non positive thoughts as to whether an estate agency can be called one if their presence is only online.
I myself, though not an estate agent, have received calls from estate agents disolutioned that I have featured online agents next to high street agents, ie on our leaderboards.
Without an opinion on the above facts, though Estate Agent Networking being a platform that gives all an equal voice, I thought the recent activity of investments in to online estate agents was worth a quick blog.
eMoov recently saw £1.5 million investment into their business which will do doubt help to take both their company and the ‘online estate agent’ concept forward. We also recently heard that the founder of Carphone Warehouse, Sir Charles Dunstone, has joined in with an investment said to be around £5 million into another online estate agency concept, HouseSimple. Obviously, investors put money into businesses to receive a return on investment so should the industry take note that online estate agents will be increasing their marketing share going forward?
Commission rate average of 1.8% will be challenged and a set upfront fees / lower commissions will most certainly see an increased take up – whether or not the increase take up of online will worry traditional agencies, but the more money pumped in to online agencies will no doubt see increased consumer awareness and positive results / sells figures as they expand their brand and their agents across the UK.
Would be good to get your thoughts below.
You May Also Enjoy
Renters’ Rights Bill parliamentary progress
The Renters’ Rights Bill has completed its Committee Stage in the House of Lords and will move on to the Report Stage imminently. Allison Thompson, National Lettings Managing Director of LRG, comments on the progress of the Bill: “As the Renters’ Rights Bill completes its committee stage in the House of Lords, it is disappointing…
Read More Housing Market Surges as Stamp Duty Changes Drive Buyer Activity
UK Finance today releases its latest Household Finance Review for Q1 2025, which explores trends in household spending, saving, and borrowing. Mortgage lending surged in the first quarter of 2025, driven by homebuyers seeking to complete purchases before changes to Stamp Duty took effect in April. Household savings continued to grow, particularly in notice accounts…
Read More Mortgage Approvals Down in April
The latest figures show that: – Mortgage approvals on house purchases for April sat at 60,463 down (-4.9%) from 63,603 in March. This signals four consecutive months of decline. Approvals are also lower (-2.1%) than the 61,740 seen in April 2024. Despite the decline, there is still optimism for growth in the coming months, especially…
Read More Build to rent completions up, but sector has seen slowdown in construction
New research by Inventory Base reveals that the number of build to rent completions has increased by almost 16% in the past year, however, there has been a significant dip in the number of BTR buildings currently under construction. Inventory Base has analysed UK build to rent (BTR) construction planning data* and found that in…
Read More Response to latest Nationwide House Price Index
Comment on latest Nationwide data showing a 3.5% increase in house prices from the Industry. Nathan Emerson, CEO at Propertymark: “It is reassuring to witness consistent house price growth and a strong appetite as people continue to approach the homebuying and selling process, especially when the UK economy continues to adapt to both domestic and…
Read More Annual house price growth edged higher in May
Annual rate of house price growth increased marginally in May to 3.5%, compared to 3.4% in April House prices were up 0.5% month on month House prices in predominantly rural areas have risen by 23% over the last five years, compared to 18% in more urban areas Commenting on the figures, Robert Gardner, Nationwide’s Chief…
Read More