BREAKING NEWS – top 4 stories 21/07/2021

Daily bite-sized proptech and real estate news in partnership with Proptech-X. Today, Stanton looks at Facemasks, Viewber, The Guild of Property Professionals, and more.

1. How many estate agents are using facemasks?
2. Ed Mead announces ViewBuddy app to make property professionals safer
3. Proptech Bamboo Auctions gets £1.1m round of funding
4. The Guild of Property Professionals talks up compliance issues

How many estate agents are using facemasks?

It has been two days since “Freedom Day”, the day that wearing face masks has been made a personal choice. So, with the level of infections is rising daily, what approach are estate agents adopting?

According to Andrew Turner, who runs an independent agency in the Midlands, “We have taken the view that until the public and our teams feel safe, wearing a face mask both in the office and during all activity outside the office is the best policy. We also have a number of the team still on Furlough as well, so in fairness to all, we want to be seen as a responsible employer.”

Has your workplace put anything into practice, or are you working unmasked?

Ed Mead announces ViewBuddy app to make property professionals safer

Real estate industry veteran Ed Mead, the CEO of Viewber, an agent accompanied viewing service, has developed ViewBuddy, a new app to help keep agents safe.

He says that safety for agents is always a grey area. “Over the decades, companies have struggled to address the issue. Mobile phones clearly helped but making a call with an alert password was not always possible and could exacerbate a situation … so to enhance Viewber safety we have developed the ViewBuddy App.”

Proptech Bamboo Auctions gets £1.1m round of funding

Bamboo Auctions, who have managed to broker a deal with Rightmove to get their auction properties badged as such, with the added detail of a countdown timer, have also bagged a new round of funding to further develop its service.

The company’s Founder, Robin Rathore, comments: “Auctions are evolving, and Bamboo is at the centre of this movement.”

The Guild of Property Professionals talks up compliance issues

The Guild, which sees itself as the model for all agencies, recently had its compliance officer Paul Offley reenforcing the point.

Offley said: “When it comes to the property sector, what we need to be mindful of is that estate agency compliance is all there for a very good reason and that is to protect consumers.

“We are all consumers in some form, and we all want to make sure that if a member of our family were buying, selling, or renting a property they would be treated fairly and with respect.”

If you have a view – please let us all know by emailing me at [email protected] – Andrew Stanton Executive Editor – moving property and proptech forward.