What’s the value of your agency’s reputation?

It’s been said that your reputation is what people say about you when you are NOT there.

Nowhere is this more true than on the internet.

Having worked in crisis management PR and also being on the other side of the fence as a prying, mischief making journalist I know how things can turn out when something played out in public or on the net is handled badly.

For example does anyone remember the story about the B & B that made national headlines for refusing to give the deposit back to a grieving widow whose husband had just died?

It was catastrophic publicity for the B & B. So much so they have had to change their name. I would have stopped that from becoming a problem before it became national news.

Closer to home recently one of our clients called me on Monday morning saying a rival had posted a damning (and so fictitious that JK Rowling would’ve been proud of it) Google Review about their estate agency.

My client was angry, frustrated and wanted to reply accusing the rival online and going around to his office. Thankfully he called me first and draining all the negative emotion out of the incident I created a response to the review which was factual, balanced and left my client with their great reputation and dignity intact.

We then contacted Google and they removed the review as it was so blatantly malicious and untrue.

Google Reviews are becoming an extremely popular way for people to make decisions on choosing an estate agency to instruct and give feedback on the services they have then received. Ignore this at your peril.

One of the PR packages we offer includes something called PRICE. It stands for Public Relations in Case of Emergency.

It does what it says on the tin. For just £20 per month (based on a 12 month booking) we offer the service. It’s kind of like an insurance policy which covers your businesses’ reputation.

If you are interested in hearing more about our PRICE service drop me an email at Jerry@propertyprexpert.co.uk.

A real easy (and free) way to keep tabs on what might be being said about your agency online is to create a simple Google Alert. It takes two minutes to do but can give you the heads up if someone mentions you online and Google finds it.

Thanks for reading and here’s to your next instruction.

Jerry

Alex Evans

You May Also Enjoy

Letting Agent Talk

Selective Licensing Requirements

Propertymark is reminding landlords of their responsibilities under Selective Licensing schemes as more local authorities across England and Wales continue to implement or expand these regulatory measures. Selective licensing is designed to improve housing standards, ensure safer communities, and provide greater oversight of privately rented properties. Propertymark urges landlords to familiarise themselves with the rules…
Read More
Estate Agent Talk

Autumn Budget 2025: Key advice for homeowners, buyers and landlords

The UK’s Autumn Budget delivered several headline-grabbing policies that will directly shape the future of the housing market. While initial reactions ranged from concern to confusion, property experts say the sector should take a measured, informed view, particularly as many changes won’t take effect for several years. From understanding who is going to face implications,…
Read More
Breaking News

Five real estate opportunities to watch in 2026

By Daniel Austin, CEO and co-founder at ASK Partners The 2025 Autumn Budget offered limited stimulus for the housing market and, persistent headwinds such as sticky inflation, higher for longer interest rates, elevated construction costs, and slow planning processes continue to impact development viability. But there are still reasons for cautious optimism. The UK economy…
Read More
Breaking News

Are Rightmove fee increases set to outpace agent earnings

The latest research from Property DriveBuy suggests that the nation’s estate agents are on course to see the sums paid to Rightmove in fees outpace the growth in commission earned for a third consecutive year, having already seen significantly higher increases in Rightmove fees over the last two years versus the commission bagged per property…
Read More
Breaking News

Breaking Property News 3/12/25

Daily bite-sized proptech and property news in partnership with Proptech-X.   Banking facility will make it easier and more cost-effective for TPFG franchisees to access funding  The Property Franchise Group (TPFG), one the UK’s largest property franchisors, has announced the launch of a new bespoke lending facility, created with Barclays. This initiative will make it easier…
Read More
Breaking News

What the Autumn Budget 2025 means for downsizers

Now that the dust has settled on what was a hotly anticipated Autumn Budget from the UK government, over-50s property specialist Regency Living has produced a concise guide to the implications for the nation’s downsizers, and concluded that this Budget is going to further increase demand on England’s park home market. The 2025 Autumn Budget was…
Read More