You don’t have to beg landlords to stay

It’s the statistic that no one in property expected but research from the National Landlords Association revealed that 61% of landlords are currently use a letting agent – a 7% increase from the final quarter of 2016. The same report also found the proportion of landlords self-managing their property slipped by nearly 10% during the…

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BTL Mortgage Guidelines – New Criteria

The buy to let market has seen many changes over the last couple of years, with new tax rules, and increased stamp duty tax to name just a few. Currently mortgage lenders are coming up with new underwriting guidelines that will come into effect in September 2017 and this will affect how a landlords mortgage…

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Competition Appeal Tribunal issues judgment in favour of Agents’ Mutual

The Competition Appeal Tribunal today issued its judgment in the case between Agents’ Mutual v Gascoigne Halman. Ian Springett, Chief Executive of OnTheMarket.com, said: “We are pleased that the Tribunal has confirmed the position maintained consistently by our Board that Agents’ Mutual’s strategy for entry to the portals market has been pro-competitive both in object…

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Why PurpleBricks Is Beating You

Most estate agents don’t prioritise email leads from Rightmove and Zoopla. It stands to reason, if an enquiry was serious they would call. But reason is WRONG.  This outdated belief about enquiries is costing High Street estate agents dearly. PurpleBricks is winning, at your expense. LeadPro is a free tool from Property Technology ltd, that will help…

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Unfair Estate Agent Stereotypes… Still.

Estate Agents are still coming up against unfair stereotypes. Still today, ‘everything is their fault’ and the blame for houses not selling, is laid entirely at the feet of smooth talking, wrist jewelry wearing ‘charlatans’ who are only interested in that commission payment. Everyone is entitled to their (wrong) opinion of course, but it still stuns me when people don’t recognise high street property sales professionals for the everyday, dream making heroes they are!

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CIELA push on with their fight against Purplebricks in Bristol:

CIELA is looking forward to meeting agents in Bristol, this coming Wednesday, and London the following Wednesday 12 July, who would like to debate the need for an organisation to represent the collective interests of law-abiding independent agents. It is free for independent agents to attend, but attendees must register in advance via the CIELA…

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Why are you an estate agent?

Do you bounce out of bed before the alarm every morning, with a spring in your step and a smile on your face? Or do you hit the snooze button seven times in a row before eventually dragging your body out from under the duvet to face the world? How you get up in the…

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Network of Agents Celebrates Whirlwind First Year

A network which helps estate agents win more instructions in the land and new homes sector is celebrating its first birthday on Wednesday 28 June. The Land & New Homes Network is a membership organisation based in Marlborough providing training, support, tools and connections for non-competing independent agents across the UK. The network’s founder, Kevin…

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Race To The Bottom

Race To The Bottom Many agents I speak to complain about the low fees On-Line agents charge and how it is affecting their ability to gain instructions. Until recently the market leading, on-line online agents have been charging around £700 (up front) to market a property. I say recently as “Move Self” have launched a…

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The Ageing Population and the Housing Market

There are many challenges associated with house hunting for older citizens stemming from a number of sources. The fact that many older persons who are interested in moving are at least partially driven by a desire to downsize from a larger family home, into something more manageable is a hurdle in itself. But when the…

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The Importance of Insulating Your Home Before Selling It

If you’re hoping to get the best possible price for your home when it sells, there’s a few things you can do to potentially increase its value. Adding good quality insulation is one of the best upgrades you can make in order to both boost the home’s price and increase buyers interest. So, why exactly…

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Letting Agents: Don’t lose landlords with poor repairs

To win new landlords, one thing is clear: letting agents must be apt at providing immediate value, particularly when it comes to protecting a landlord’s key asset – their property. After all, it was only last year that 47% of letting agents surveyed by Fixflo stated that they knew of a landlord who had changed…

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PropTech – more friend than enemy to letting agents

The lettings industry is under increasing threat from all sides, with pro-tenant regulation, a shortage of inventory and stringent tax rules all threatening industry viability. On top of these, the rapidly growing PropTech industry is often seen as one of the lettings industry’s biggest threats. But did you know that technology can be among your…

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