Will it work? Owner bids to sell home via Facebook Live viewing

Online estate agency Housesimple says it is aiming to sell the first home in the UK via a viewing on Facebook Live conducted by the owner.

The three-bedroom semi-detached bungalow in Rainham, east London, is valued at between £470,000 and £475,000.

The livestream will start at 1pm tomorrow on Housesimple’s Facebook page; viewers will be able to make an offer on the home via the Facebook Messenger application during and following the live streaming.

“Arranging a viewing over Facebook Live seemed to me the perfect way to allow potential purchasers to ask me questions, look around the house, and make an offer” according to Shanty Helim, the owner.

Housesimple claims that technology has allowed it to speed up the sales process - in at least one case, quite dramatically. “Currently, 50 minutes is the fastest time between a home being registered with Housesimple and the property being sold* according to a statement from the firm.

Helim’s property was chosen from Housesimple’s customer database to take part in the Facebook Live trial.

Housesimple charges a fixed fee of £595 or a no-sale no-fee charge of £995. A recent analysis by comparison service GetAgent, looking at online agency listings during a 14 month period from January 2017 to February 2017, suggested that Housesimple completed on 58 per cent of homes it marketed.