What is a Hybrid Estate Agency?
The traditional model is a type of business hasn’t had any real change for some time. It revolves around a physical place, a shop or office something along those lines. While there has been exponential growth in the world of technology, there are plenty of businesses that have survived. This could be due to the reputation they maintain through things like quality, face-to-face customer service and the creation of a rapport between the business and their clients or customers. However, the public has decided that they are fed up with the services they provide. Here’s why; most estate agents and property management agencies will charge you an excessive fee that will leave you forking out for a second mortgage even before you’ve found the house of your dreams. This fee covers the service they’re providing… What service? Not returning calls, showing properties that do not fit your requirements; undervaluing your home; an impersonal service; inflexible working hours; and not being conveniently contactable in your hour of need.
Online estate agents and property management services grew their popularity through a DIY status. Meaning you are able to list your home for a flat rate which lets you cut out the ‘middleman’. You can cut down on those agent fees that can sometimes manage to reach thousands of pounds and save yourself a bit of money for future renovations. These online solutions also mean that you can utilise a 24-hour service with agents that work around the clock. While this may not matter to you, Britain’s largest online firm; Purplebricks say that 70% of their business is conducted during non-traditional hours. This gives their customers the ability to book viewings and make offers after work, on the sofa at home if they wanted to.
The Hybrid Estate Agent model offers a real representation of how you can devote an equal amount of resources to both selling and marketing your home or properties. This means that you’re able to utilise the assets of a traditional service while extending the convenience of a flexible, online firm that will maintain a flexible persona. Ogilvy & Sneyd are an up and coming Hybrid Estate Agents that unite the online approach with the traditional model by taking the best of both worlds and merging them together. They are able to offer a property management service that gives you full control while they do all the work; taking the stress out of renting your property. You keep track of the goings on with a login, giving you the opportunity to watch over your properties without doing the legwork. What’s more; Ogilvy & Sneyd have branches across the Midlands that feature houses, flats and properties both for rent and to sell. Which means you can talk to a friendly face when looking to move into your new home.
The trend of moving to a Hybrid model looks to be a way in which estate agents and property management firms are staying competitive. An attractive aspect of the Hybrid model is the flat-fee for listing a property. This looks to have been ‘borrowed’ from the online architecture to increase their customer base and grow their business. Customers aren’t complaining; they get the best services for the best price with the convenience of an online service.
Shared by: Charlie Worrall – charlie@imaginaire.co.uk
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