BREAKING NEWS – top 5 stories 15/06/2021

Estate Agent Networking Breaking News

FENTON WHELAN PRIME DEVELOPMENT STARTS SUCCESFULLY SELLING VIA DIGITAL STRATEGY

Personally, knowing that last year 60% of property investors buying in the UK bought ‘off plan’ so virtual ‘digital marketing’ of a development is a perfect solution, which saves time and builds in efficiency.

The ‘Park Modern’ development of Prime properties located in London, were not marketed in the usual way due to Covid, with properties being offered initially by virtual marketing. This proved a great success with a number of reservations.

The days of huddling in a showroom and eating peanuts and cheap wine are long gone, with the digital transformation of how we buy and sell things, turbo-charged by lockdown, you do not need to be in the room to buy new home real estate if the data sets tell you that it is a good bet.

Technology is not the enemy it is an enabler and creates efficiencies that drive UX and profits – the sooner that the high street agent recognises this, the wealthier they will be. In lettings I have clients who let over 40% of their stock without a physical viewing. Times are changing – agents are your mindsets?

2,017 BUILDINGS NEED CLADDING REMOVAL, BUT LESS THAN 100 A YEAR ARE BEING DEALT WITH

The new Shadow housing secretary Lucy Howell has come out swinging saying that it will take over twenty years to have buildings with sub-standard cladding fixed. She claims that Labour’s analysis showed that the work rate was only eight high-rise buildings a month were being dealt with, leaving over 2,000 properties with hazardous cladding, on a waiting list. Meaning thousands of people are left in a state of limbo and potential danger.

In addition over 200 high rise properties that have had work done were not finished, and over a hundred still had defective cladding on them. Howell commented,

‘The government’s woeful lack of leadership is condemning hundreds of thousands of people to a living nightmare, wondering if the next disaster will occur on their block. The whole system is clogged, and most of the funding hasn’t even been paid out.’

BOOMIN GET NEW LEAD IN THE FORM OF ATHENA HUBBLE

Boomin has appointed Athena Hubble to strengthen the immediate c-suite of Booming, this is quite a coup as Hubble has a solid background in the portal, commercial and digital space and is of course an original veteran of Zoopla. As the weeks pass – Boomin seems to be getting lots of experienced talent, watch this space.

EURO 2020 WILL IT SLOW THE HOUSING MARKET

Will the present Euro 2020 football party break up the flow of viewings for the rental and sale sector. Back in the day I always went on a fortnights holiday when the world cup was on, as trade in the estate agency side was always at a low ebb, and the Euro cup also changed viewing habits.

As one agent put it, ‘If Mr Southgate gets to the semi-finals, I think England will get to fever pitch’, let us wait and see, their early game a solid win – if hopefully a sign of good times ahead.

POSSIBLY 25% OF BUYERS TO BENEFIT FROM SDLT HOLIDAY BONANZA

Though we are not yet at the end of September when phase two of the SDLT holiday comes to an end, some pundits have estimated that almost 300,000 people buying will have had some kind of benefit from the Chancellor’s stamp duty ‘holiday’ scheme.

Andrew Stanton

CEO & Founder Proptech-PR. Proptech Real Estate Influencer, Executive Editor of Estate Agent Networking. Leading PR consultancy in Proptech & Real Estate.

You May Also Enjoy

Estate Agent Talk

Are ‘for sale’ boards becoming obsolete?

Earlier this year, Westminster Council announced that it would apply to ban estate agents from displaying sales boards outside residential properties in the local area; now, Epping Forest Council is the latest to follow suit. With this in mind, Jack Malnick, Property Expert and Managing Director at Sell House Fast has shared his thoughts on…
Read More
Christmas Decorations - Good or Bad for Selling
Breaking News

A More Affordable Christmas for Homebuyers

The latest research from award-winning mortgage adviser, Alexander Hall, has revealed that – despite the government failing to leave any affordability-focused initiatives under the tree in the recent Autumn Budget – this Christmas is shaping up to be a far more positive one for the nation’s homebuyers, as borrowers entering the market today are benefitting…
Read More
buying at auction uk
Breaking News

Most active property markets in 2025 revealed

Scotland and Yorkshire home to UK’s most active property markets in 2025 The latest research from The Property DriveBuy reveals that Scotland and Yorkshire have been home to the UK’s most active housing markets in 2025, with Birmingham, Somerset, Cornwall and Buckinghamshire also ranking within the top 10. The Property DriveBuy has analysed the latest…
Read More
Estate Agent Talk

The Renters’ Rights Act: turning change into advantage

The private rental sector is entering a period of unprecedented change. For estate agents, the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 taking effect from May is not just another piece of legislation – it will reshape how you advise landlords, manage tenancies and maintain compliance. Mustafa Sidki of the real estate team at Thackray Williams explains how…
Read More
Christmas Decorations - Good or Bad for Selling
Breaking News

Lower mortgage rates help Santa deliver 600 more toys this Christmas

With Christmas fast approaching, falling mortgage rates could be doing more than easing household finances this festive season. In fact, if Santa himself were to secure a mortgage on the North Pole today, he would be saving more than £2,000 a year on his monthly mortgage repayments compared to taking out the same mortgage at…
Read More
Christmas Decorations - Good or Bad for Selling
Breaking News

Has your property paid for Christmas this year?

The latest research from Yopa has revealed that, despite a quieter year for the UK property market, the vast majority of homeowners will have effectively seen their property pay for Christmas, based on the increase in the average house price versus the average festive spend. Yopa analysed house price growth since the start of the…
Read More