Archive

Is there such a thing as an online estate agency any more? A decade ago, about the time I started editing Estate...

Hidden amongst the annual results released by Purplebricks on Tuesday – which saw revenue and profits down, as well as a...

Yesterday afternoon, Helena Marston was finally confirmed as Purplebricks new CEO after all the due diligence checks that are required for...

Hundreds of former Purplebricks agents have now signed up to a potential legal claim against the firm. Contractors For Justice, known as...

Lawyers working on a class action against online agents including Purplebricks have said they will be ready to send a letter...

A former UK national sales director at Purplebricks has been reunited with the online agent’s founder Michael Bruce at Boomin. Paul Vickerstaff,...

For the record, this isn’t my last Industry Views for Estate Agent Today, although by the time you read this I'll be...

Purplebricks say it’s going to complete its transformation from an agency using self-employed local operatives in the field, to having fully...

Purplebricks chief executive Vic Darvey has quit, citing “personal circumstances”.  He leaves at the end of this month with chief operating officer Helena...

Purplebricks has this morning said that a newspaper report over the weekend, claiming part of the business is to be sold...

The leader of the organisation proposing a class action against Purplebricks says there’s been a “phenomenal” response to his request for...

The class action taken by former self-employed workers against two online agencies should be a warning to other firms breaking the...

A claims firm wants to commence proceedings against online estate agency companies such as Purplebricks and Yopa. It's on behalf of thousands...

Purplebricks has this morning announced that chief financial officer Andy Botha is quitting at the end of the month. In a terse...

Purplebricks says its aim to move 650 staff from self-employed status to employed has had a 95 per cent success rate. It...

A date has been set for Purplebricks’ shareholders to give their verdict on a controversial remuneration package given to the agency’s...

Two former Local Property Experts at Purplebricks have set up their own hybrid agency, offering an upfront fee or a no-sale-no-fee...

One of the biggest trends since Covid, in the property world and elsewhere, has been a shift towards more hybrid, flexible...

Self-employed agents working for Purplebricks who want to resist the instruction to become fully employed are being wooed by a Midlands...

Purplebricks’ chief executive says a £4m marketing blitz scheduled for the autumn will go ahead despite the upheaval caused by the...

The chief executive of Purplebricks says he wants to move his agency’s 600 Local Property Experts from self-employed to employed status...

Purplebricks has this morning confirmed that it’s ending its self-employed Local Property Experts operation and is moving to “a fully employed model...

Purplebricks is to launch an extensive marketing campaign after this summer’s Olympics to emphasise the local knowledge of its 600 agents...

Purplebricks is to tilt its marketing increasingly towards local advertising on traditional and online platforms, and promoting the ‘on the street’...

In my last Natter, I explored the differences between estate agency in the UK and the US with the help of...

A leading expert on estate agency and the housing market in Australia has lifted the lid on how Purplebricks failed down...

    Purplebricks says changes to its fees structure - possibly becoming less reliant on controversial upfront charges - has been delayed until...

The phrase ‘game-changer’ has been hugely overused. But when applied to how Covid-19 is changing the way estate agents will work...

Purplebricks Local Property Experts are asking sellers who are not allowing agents into their homes during the virus crisis to draw...

Hello and another Monday means PJT Day, your regular update on movers in the industry - and it’s March already. If there...

The chief executive of Purplebricks says agents are “miles behind” in using digital information to provide a personalised service.  Vic Darvey has given...

Purplebricks is not revealing details of the different pricing strategies it is testing “in the field” early this year. Last month the...

A statement made by Purplebricks in its trading statement yesterday appears to fly in the face of statements it has made...

Purplebricks says it’s put four different pricing strategies into the market with a view to testing them in 2020. In a trading...

The relaunched easyProperty hybrid agency is to rely exclusively on local marketing to drive awareness and customers, and not follow the...

Controversy and Purplebricks have gone hand in hand since the agency was first launched in 2012, through its float on the...

Upad, the national online letting agent set up by entrepreneur James Davis has announced that it is “closed to new business”...

The Advertising Standards Authority has issued a guidance note warning online estate agents, after complaints about them have “grown dramatically”. “Property is big...

The former chief executive of Purplebricks has defended claims that some Local Property Experts are underpaid, saying that success comes through...

Purplebricks’ former chief executive Lee Wainwright has made a stout defence of the controversial agency’s sales progression process and its local...

The former chief executive of Purplebricks UK says the agency completes on over 80 per cent of the homes it lists...

A former Territory Owner at Purplebricks, who at one time managed 11 Local Property Experts, has spoken out in support of...

A series of damning reviews about Purplebricks’ working environment, apparently written by existing and former staff, have appeared online. Indeed is a...

The failure of online agencies to significantly disrupt the industry is down to their being too cheap and creating a perception...

Analysts at Berenberg Bank have sharply reduced their price target for Purplebricks by over 80 per cent from 470p to 80p, accusing...

An online estate agency insists the online/hybrid sector will take a 50 per cent market share in the future - despite...

Regional agency Prospect, which already has offices in Berkshire and Surrey, has opened its 10th office at Farnborough in Hampshire. Last year Prospect...

The end of 2018 was a bit of a rocky time for online estate agents. Yet only a few years ago...

Here’s an unusual story, describing the work of one of Purplebricks’ Local Property Experts who was with the company for around...

The regional agency MoveSelf, which set up in 2017 as an online estate agent, is shifting emphasis towards For Sale By...

The demise of Emoov, Tepilo and lettings platform Urban raises question marks over the long-term viability of online agencies according to...

However mild the weather may have been for most of us, it’s a cold autumn for the online estate agency market...

Fine & Country has opened its latest office in the Lancashire town of Rossendale, specialising in high-end properties across the county. The...

Next week ludlowthompson celebrates its 25th anniversary. Here, I catch up with Stephen Ludlow, co-founder and now executive director of the...

Purplebricks co-founder Michael Bruce says traditional agents sell only around 50 per cent of the homes that they list, so spend...

A businessman who’s just entered the estate agency industry says he’s got the secret behind Purplebricks’ success - even though he...

The Advertising Standards Authority has today issued a three-point guidance note for estate agents, including controversial interpretations of what constitutes a...

A hybrid estate agency has launched in Bury, one of the first of its kind to operate in the UK on...

  Purplebricks says it enjoyed an 81 per cent growth in revenue in the UK the year to the end of April and...

Purplebricks says it completely rejects any claim of bullying its representatives in Australia. The Australian Financial Review, which last week reported the...

It looks as if Purplebricks has hit something less than a purple patch in the Australian housing market. The Australian Financial Review,...

Major online agencies appear to be unaffected by yesterday’s Supreme Court decision over workers' rights in the so-called 'gig economy'.  Yesterday’s case concerned...

GetAgent, an estate agent comparison website, has won investment from a growth fund that also provides a 10 month advertising campaign on...

Purplebricks has returned to the fray after recent controversies with a claim that home owners saved themselves over £140m in commission...

With the rise of Purplebricks in recent years, many will be eager to know what the hybrid agency’s Local Property Experts...

Purplebricks has given details of how it intends to use some of its new investment, and in particular is spelling out...

Why I won’t buy Purplebricks shares and why if I had any, I’d sell fast… In its latest adverts, Purplebricks attempts to...

Controversial new Purplebricks advertisements on social media mock traditional estate agents who “twiddle their thumbs” in offices and claim the hybrid...

Purplebricks’ new UK chief executive officer, Lee Wainwright, is to address a major industry conference in May - his first address...

Purplebricks has announced that former Countrywide director Lee Wainwright has been appointed chief executive officer of the hybrid agency’s UK operations...

Here it is - the industry’s verdict on the latest set of figures from Purplebricks. The agency doesn’t play by any of...

Purplebricks’ latest trading statement for the six months ending October 31 claims a large rise in revenue, its number of UK...

Outspoken estate agent Chris Wood has criticised the Advertising Standards Authority for its succession of ‘informally resolved’ judgements on complaints against...

Purplebricks has issued the briefest-of-brief statements to the City and the company's investors to assure them it is "on course". The latest...

Estate Agent Today has been told that there are four more complaints filed to the Advertising Standards Authority about hybrid agency...

Complaints about a Purplebricks claim concerning its Local Property Experts have been rejected by the Advertising Standards Authority. Complaints came from PDQ...

London’s long-standing chain Douglas & Gordon is the latest company to embrace the concept of the Purplebricks-style hybrid estate agency. The company’s...

Purplebricks' latest trading statement, issued this morning, claims "good progress" and says its revenue in the UK for the first half...

Purplebricks has launched something of a charm offensive to lift the lid on the experience and work of its Local Property...

Purplebricks has issued a strong defence of its Local Property Experts after an agency comparison website’s analysis was critical of the...

An analysis conducted by estate agency comparison website GetAgent has for the first time attempted to calculate how ‘local’ agencies' local property...

easyProperty has unveiled details of its relaunch, declaring itself to be the UK’s second largest hybrid estate agency - second only...

eMoov, the online agency which last month secured an additional £9m funding from investors, has launched a recruitment drive for what...

An interview in an online magazine aimed at the small business sector lifts the lid on some of the structure surrounding...

Trustpilot, the review service quoted frequently by Purplebricks as evidence of its apparent popularity, is declining to comment on the adverse...

The share price of beleaguered hybrid agency Purplebricks has recovered some of the ground it lost earlier in the week after...

The Property Ombudsman has told Estate Agent Today that it is happy with the controversial deferred payment scheme operated on behalf of...

After a roller-coaster day on the Stock Exchange yesterday, Purplebricks has sought to defend itself against further possible share price losses...

Purplebricks’ share price this afternoon dropped to a recent low of 406.50p before recovering to close down about five per cernt...

Franchise estate and lettings group HomeXperts has announced the latest areas where it has recruited local property experts. They are Berkshire, Essex, Kent and...

We’re already more than halfway through 2017 and, against all the odds, it’s pushing 2016 close in terms of eventfulness and...

Purplebricks has released more details of expansion plans to recruit hundreds of additional Local Property Experts. The recruitment drive was launched yesterday...

Purplebricks has this morning announced a drive to recruit “hundreds” of new Local Property Experts” in a bid to become what...

An expert analysis of the Purplebricks trading statement for 2016 reveals that the agency’s Local Property Experts each earn an average...

New figures released this morning from Purplebricks shows the onward march of the hybrid agency and its Local Property Experts. For the...

The share price of hybrid estate agency Purplebricks dipped yesterday after it announced its US expansion will begin in California. Purplebricks' share...

Since we last spoke, the ESTAS – the biggest and best property awards ceremony in the UK – has been and...

Hybrid estate agency YOPA has announced a successful Series B round of funding in which it raised a total of £15...

Viewber, the outsourced property viewing service and brainchild of high-profile former estate agent Ed Mead, says its network of 'Viewbers' now...

Purplebricks' share price moved up over two per cent yesterday on the strength of its latest trading statement - but its...