INDUSTRY INTERVIEW: Alex Thorpe, MD of NetAnAgent.
Where did the idea for NetAnAgent originate from?
Netanagent.com came about after two colleagues instructed the same agent, in the same area, to sell similar properties. One had agreed an agent’s fee of nearly double the other, for an identical service.
Based on this experience we felt that there was an opportunity to develop a service which would promote much needed transparency within the estate agent industry.
Innovation / #Proptech is creating a strong future for the property industry – Do you agree?
Whilst it is becoming a cliche, the property market is genuinely being disrupted and as with any market in flux there will be some casualties. That said the majority of estate agencies that identify opportunity and can incorporate them, should benefit from the new technology coming through. We have seen a substantial shift in the number of agents willing to embrace new technology. The best innovation will benefit both agents and property owners, if that is achieved then it will strengthen the property industry.
Is finding the best estate agent easier to do these days online, especially with the likes of NetAnAgent?
Yes – NetAnAgent.com provides anyone looking to sell or let a property an overview of marketing proposals from local and online agents, prior to this type of system, the vast majority of owners had very little idea of what to expect or even the questions that should be asked of an agent. Managing the sale or let of your property can be a daunting and lengthy process, a greater degree of transparency has to be good for the market as a whole and make finding the right agent easier.
Is social media an important marketing tool for your business in how it engages your brand with consumers?
From a B2B perspective it has proved very important in increasing both awareness and trust with the agents.
With regard to users there is no doubt that social media pays a huge role in increasing brand awareness but this a moving target. People are bombarded with social content from companies promoting themselves and the quality of this content has to be high and focused to prevent fatigue setting in.
We just heard positive news re you gaining investment in to NetAnAgent – What will we be looking forward to in the near future from you guys?
Brand awareness, NetAnAgent has had a fantastic couple of years and has developed strong relationship with thousands of agents, we now want to in increase the number of users dramatically.
We have just launched our new responsive site and will shortly be adding a raft of additional products both for property owners and agents.
We currently operate throughout the UK mainland and the investment will allow us to look at other territories mainly the US and Asia although we may well look to expand through partnership.
What are your thoughts on the Estate Agent Networking concept?
As an industry, Estate Agency has been slow to embrace the importance of the internet. This is of course a generalisation but, the basic premiss seems to have been as long as you were listing on Rightmove and Zoopla you had things covered. The speed and following that Estate Agent UK Networking has achieved shows that this is changing and agents and suppliers need this valuable service to exchange ideas and keep up with the market.
Thank you to Alex for answering our questions – More about NetAnAgent can me found here.
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