Online Estate Agency – The Rise of The Machine (Interview CEO of emoov)
June 21, 2018
Q: How are things going for emoov in the world of UK Estate Agency? I am sure things are looking very rosy and you will be able to dispel any myths out there that the online estate agency sector is not doing all that well with valuations to sales ratios and are just being held up by big city investments.
The sector has grown by 196% since the end of 2014, according to Rightmove. Our listings are now at an annualised 13,000 making us the seventh biggest estate agency business in the UK. Purplebricks are now in the top three. Therefore how can anyone honestly and with a straight face claim that the new sector is not growing?
The evidence that I see with regard to sales vs listings ratios is that so called online agents’ performance is the same as high street agents. I mean, why wouldn’t it be when we all advertise in the same places? And please, magic applicant hot boxes and exclusive buyers? These relics of the profession are as obsolete as fax machines.
‘Big city investments’ are indeed supporting the new sector. As they are supporting Ocado, Uber, Transfer Wise, Twitter, Snapchat, WeWorks etc etc… So what? The traditional sector is way too obsessed with the profitability of the ‘online’ model when they should be much more concerned about their own.
Q: Though we consumers are shopping more and more online, there is still that slight reluctance to steer themselves away from the high street estate agent – In your opinion, outside of the cost saving opportunity, why should the seller and the buyer look to engage and trust emoov?
24/7 accessibility. More control through technology. Better service. A better price achieved (1% by us on average according to Zoopla stats). Plus the avg £3000 fee saving of course
Q: PropTech is shaking up the industry with many elements of estate agency streamlined thanks to new software, CRM, apps and more – Is emoov an adopter of #PropTech – Maybe you now have your very own #PropTech incubator at your head office?
We don’t operate an incubator. We build our own proprietary software based on customer journey desirability, a quest for cost efficiency and through rigorous testing and evolution. So yes, I guess you could say we are an adopter of PropTech although I’d say that given our unique platform we are actually PropTech pioneers.
Q: I’m a passionate, ambitious and a hard working individual and would love to get in to UK Estate Agency and make myself a good living – What opportunity can emoov give such a person if they are considering becoming a local agent with you?
As a Local Property Agent, the opportunity to work and progress within a company that’s at the leading edge of the industry and is growing fast, always innovating. Earnings are greater than the high street equivalent for those that are prepared to step out of their traditional agency comfort zone.
Q: What is the vision for the next five years?
To cement ourselves as the UK’s best known and loved estate agent and with a 10% market share. And to ensure a profitable return for those investors that have supported us so well.
You May Also Enjoy
Annual house price growth halves in September
UK annual house price growth halved to 0.8% in September, from 1.6% in August Northern Ireland remained best performing region, with prices up 5.9% year on year in Q3 2026 East Anglia weakest performing region, with annual decline of 0.7% Terraced properties were the strongest performing property type, with a 1.8% rise, whilst flats remained…
Read More 
Homesellers say valuation appointment is key
Nearly nine in 10 home sellers say the valuation appointment is key when choosing an estate agent The latest research from GetAgent.co.uk has revealed that the valuation appointment remains one of the most influential stages of the home selling journey, with almost nine in 10 sellers saying it played an important role when deciding which…
Read More 
London’s rental market bucks the national trend
New analysis from the UK’s largest property platform Rightmove reveals that rental demand in the capital is up 7% in September while Great Britain overall is 2% below last year Rental demand in London had been running around 7% below 2025 levels on average throughout 2026 until the end of August before moving into growth…
Read More 
Higher mortgage rates put buyers in the driving seat
Market conditions vary locally: three in four Scottish homes find a buyer within three months, compared with just three in ten in London Mortgage rates now average 5.2 per cent, the highest level in three years, adding £150 a month (£1,800 a year) to typical repayments and further cooling buyer demand Homes for sale…
Read More 
Prime London buyer demand cools in Q3
he latest Prime London Demand Index by London lettings and estate agent, Benham and Reeves, reveals that buyer demand across London’s core prime property market cooled during the third quarter of 2026, falling by -1.3% on a quarterly basis. However, a number of central London markets bucked the wider trend, with demand across the super-prime sector…
Read More 
Breaking Property News 30/9/26
Daily bite-sized proptech and property news in partnership with Proptech-X. SaaS traditionally sells access, AI sells outcomes Thought Leadership by Author Andrew Stanton CEO Proptech-PR For twenty years, one of the safest assumptions in property technology has been that software companies will become increasingly important. A property business identifies an inefficient process, a proptech company…
Read More