By 2020, they say 50% of house sales could be done via Online Estate Agents?

online only estate agents

An interesting piece that I read online via by David Clensy in the Bristol Post highlights the growing trend of sales happening via Online Estate Agents. Obviously, as more and more online / hybrid estate agents then the inevitable outcome will be that more sales happen via them, but is this a trend that is actually growing in strength over statistics?
The Bristol Post states: “Increasingly the For Sale signs adorning properties up and down the city are not those of the traditional high street estate agents.

It is somewhat not exactly clear what falls in to ‘Online Estate Agency’ as ultimately it could be any ‘estate agency‘ that is online which would account I would say for more than 99% of all the industry? Though I hear more and more that online does not include traditional estate agents, ie those with an office / high street presence – It does include online, hybrid, do it yourself…

We must all agree that no matter what industry you are in, from takeaway pizzas to car insurance, online has and continues to change and shape industries with the way it offers businesses a vast array of opportunities for marketing and generating business.

I think we can safely say that online only estate agents are all about reducing fees for the end consumer, this may entail a reduced overall service and additional costs for extras which would normally form part of the whole package from traditional estate agents, but the appeal to the consumer is that % saving which is often in the £1,000’s. Importantly, with online estate agents, their property will still be appearing on property portals like Rightmove & Zoopla.

 

A recent, widely reported survey by Face For Business, showed that from 1,000 members of the public questioned about using online estate agents, 60% would still prefer to go with a traditional estate agency… Depending how you read this and which side of the fence you are on when reporting on it, it still shows a massive 34% would go with online estate agents (6% stated ‘Don’t Know’).

I do recommend to read the full report from David Clensy on the Bristol Post website here.

 

Christopher Walkey

Founder of Estate Agent Networking. Internationally invited speaker on how to build online target audiences using Social Media. Writes about UK property prices, housing, politics and affordable homes.

You May Also Enjoy

Breaking News

Mortgage Lending Statistics – December 2025

Latest findings The outstanding value of all residential mortgage loans increased by 0.9% from the previous quarter to £1,733.7 billion, and was 2.9% higher than a year earlier. The value of gross mortgage advances increased by 36.9% from the previous quarter to £80.4 billion, the largest increase in new advances since 2020 Q3, and was…
Read More
bank of england interest rate
Breaking News

Bank of England interest rates decision – Thoughts from the Industry

The Bank of England has just announced its decision to cut the base rate to 3.75%, the first cut seen since August of this year. This decision comes after inflation (CPI) dropped to 3.2% in November (from 3.6% in October), slowly edging towards the Bank’s 2.0% target. The Monetary Policy Committee voted 5-4 in favour…
Read More
Breaking News

A Winter Rate Cut to Thaw the Market

By Kevin Shaw, National Sales Managing Director, LRG Today’s reduction in interest rates is very welcome news – for homeowners, buyers, property professionals, and no doubt Government ministers. This warming news is set against a chilly backdrop: unemployment has increased to 5.1%, while the November Budget tightened the fiscal screws. Inflation, however, has eased to…
Read More
Breaking News

Breaking Property News 18/12/25

Daily bite-sized proptech and property news in partnership with Proptech-X.   “Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio” UK Estate Agents to go Danish style Government suggests professionalising property agents by adopting the Danish protocol Extract from the Open consultation Government Home Buying and Selling reform consultation – closing date 29th December ‘Estate agents play a pivotal…
Read More
Breaking News

2026 Predictions for the Lettings Sector

By Allison Thompson, National Lettings Managing Director, Leaders “The Renters’ Rights Bill will be the defining influence on the sector in 2026. While it raises the bar for professionalism and improves standards for tenants, it also represents the biggest operational shift landlords and agents have faced in a generation. Long-standing tenancy practices are changing, and…
Read More
Breaking News

The unexpected areas driving the UK property market

The latest market analysis from eXp UK shows that it is Derbyshire, Melton and Oldham that have driven UK house price growth over the last year, having posted the strongest annual increases of all UK local authorities. As another year comes to a close, eXp UK has analysed annual house price growth across the UK…
Read More