Posts by Andrew Stanton
Countrywide PLC can this financially wounded Dinosaur be saved?
A year ago I was quoted in the Daily Telegraph about my views on the travel and direction of real estate, and specifically the then aborted LSL assault on Countrywide Plc. At present Skipton building society through its Connells agency arm is looking to purchase Countrywide plc. The question though is can the Dinosaur be…
Read MoreBREAKING NEWS – 5 top stories 29/01/2021
NEW INSTRUCTIONS AT A SEASONAL LOW Typically instructions start to come to the market from the second week of January, this trend has not occurred in 2021. Many agents are now scratching around for inventory to let and sell. One agent contacted today confirmed that fees were under huge pressure as the local agents were…
Read MoreBREAKING NEWS – 5 top stories 28/01/2021
ZPG LOOKS TO PIVOT ZOOPLA PORTAL MODEL In what has been widely signalled Zoopla is looking to refine its business model, with a bigger focus on nurturing prospective vendors looking to move, building in functionality around sales control and provide agents with a marketing suite. This move very much takes it into CRM territory and…
Read MoreBREAKING NEWS – 5 top stories 27/01/2021
MONDAY 1ST FEBRUARY WATCH SDLT HOLIDAY DEBATE LIVE After immense pressure, the government is now allowing a debate on the extension of the SDLT holiday until the September, for those who are keen to see how it plays out, tune in https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0420gQEA9Hs&feature=youtu.be. THE RELOCATION NETWORK CHANGES HANDS Richard Tucker who headed (RAN) is stepping down and the…
Read MoreWill it be Amazon Estate Agents soon?
This is not a news flash that Amazon has formerly started up a chain of estate agents in the UK, more thoughts that with the demise of Debenhams, and its purchase by Boohoo, but without the physical stores, has buying and selling now entered a new phase for good? And where does that leave estate…
Read MoreBREAKING NEWS – 5 top stories 26/01/2021
CAN AGENTS SMOKE ON A ZOOM CALL IN THEIR OWN HOME? It is not clear what if any fallout can come from smoking in your own property, but if you are undertaking company business on a video conference call and you light up, will you fall foul of company procedures and be reprimanded? An owner…
Read MoreA-B-C Always be closing, but maybe just today take a day off
A-B-C Always be closing, but maybe just today take a day off. In Glen Garry Glen Ross an exceptional play by David Mamet, re-worked and expanded with the inclusion of Alec Baldwin as Blake in the 1992 film version, we hear the immortal lines, ‘A-B-C. A, always; B, be; C, closing. Always be closing! Always…
Read MoreBREAKING NEWS – 5 top stories 25/01/2021
COUNTRYWIDE PLC – THREE WEEKS AND COUNTING It is just three weeks before the shareholders of Countrywide Plc vote on whether or not to accept the Skipton building society (they own Connells) cash acquisition to purchase them. If the deal happens, the new owner has said that it will not look to make huge closures…
Read MoreMillennials and Generation-Z property buyers, are they just too demanding?
Over a year ago I penned my thoughts on this, but with the pandemic, if anything the speed of digital adoption, and the appetite of digital users seems to have leapt forward x 10. So, so I thought it worthy of sharing. Obviously, some of the referenced companies are also in slightly different positions to…
Read MoreBREAKING NEWS – 5 top stories 22/01/2021
RICS AT LAST IS FORCED TO ACCOUNT FOR ITSELF As we have been reporting for some time RICS has been torn apart by allegations that its governance has been opaque and there are big questions over its handling of financial matters, which as yet unproved may be a serious breach. There is now to be…
Read MoreWho would be an Estate Agent – The Evolution of an Industry
Using the coverall term estate agent to mean an estate or letting agent, why would anybody want to get into the profession in the first place, and why is there such a high turnover? As I have it on good authority that nearly 40% of those within the property agency are considering changing their company…
Read MoreBREAKING NEWS – 5 top stories 21/01/2021
SLIGHT DIP IN NON DOMS PURCHASING IN CAPITAL According to recent data from Search Acumen’ there has been a 5% dip on the amount of property bought in the capital by overseas buyers, this might be the impact of leaving the EU or it could of course be Covid-19 upsetting the supply chain, with investors…
Read MoreSocial Media for Estate Agents – It does not sell houses?
With the vast majority of agents only playing at using social media, posting their inventory to sell, or let on Facebook, and maybe the odd twitter here and there, I want to discuss a few reasons why social media is an essential, not a random bolt on revenue generator. I am not advocating spending thousands…
Read MoreBREAKING NEWS – 5 top stories 20/01/2021
SDLT DEBATE IN PARLIAMENT – GOVERNMENT PUTS THE BRAKES ON It would appear that there will NOT be a debate in parliament regarding extension to the Stamp Duty Debate, as no debates triggered by a petition of over 100,000 signatures are being debated in the house. So, time for those who want to see action…
Read MoreDAY IN A LIFE … Heather Staff, Co-Founder of Street.co.uk
What does a day in the life mean? Definition (expr.) a typical day; a normal day. Examples I wonder what a day in the life of a Rock star is like? We begin this series of daily insights with: – Heather Staff, Co-Founder of newly launched Estate Agency CRM street.co.uk and prospecting tool, Spectre. Heather and her brother Tom, have…
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