Archive

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

Any estate agency will have noticed the rise of the “personal agent” in the industry, with interesting propositions from eXp, The...

The complexities of the government’s leasehold reform proposals affecting millions of homeowners came under the spotlight at a seminar organised by...

The factor most likely to influence the housing market next year is entirely outside the industry’s control: the General Election. Knight Frank...

Fine & Country has launched a new Masterclass Series focused on the art of maximising fees and boosting additional revenue. Set to...

Who are you and what does it say on your business card? My name is Mark Bevan and I am the Sales...

The team behind regional agency brands Simpson & Partners and Simpson and Weekley is developing a hybrid franchise model. Andrew Simpson and...

Whether at home or abroad, here are some top tips to prevent homeowners from breaking common garden laws and rules this...

Taking a proactive approach with viewing generation can increase foot flow through properties and generate more offers, and ultimately close more...

When Winter stabs its icy fingers at us Brits our thoughts tend to turn to sun-kissed beaches, the lapping Mediterranean and...

High-profile agency self-employed agency owner Sean Newman has unveiled a rebrand of his offering. He has changed the name of his self-employed...

The property sector braced itself for the chill wind of Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s Autumn Statement this week. His pre-Budget comment that he...

Representatives from homebuilder Barratt and Rightmove are to share tips on how first-time buyers can get on the property ladder in...

The Government’s mini budget on September 23 was anything but ‘mini’ with several major announcements one of the most significant of...

You've finally found the perfect house. It's within your budget, has the desired number of bedrooms and bathrooms, and even comes...

Now that the industry has had the weekend to digest Kwasi Kwarteng’s short and dramatic mini-Budget, more reaction has been filtering...

In this latest Day in the Life of...Natter, I get an insight into one of the most vital cogs of the...

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

One of the North East’s leading property experts has claimed that Newcastle’s diverse property market is still seeing record levels of...

Recent months have seen interest rates rise from historic lows back closer to pre-financial crisis levels as the Bank of England...

National estate agency and advisory company Fisher German has merged with commercial property consultancy Matthews & Goodman. The merger creates one of...

Next month will see new rules around upfront Material Information for property sales and lettings come into force in the UK...

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...

The path from agent to developer is not easy, but it is a relatively straightforward one, if you are willing to...

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

Until a few years ago, you would have been forgiven for not knowing who or what Coadjute was. But the company, founded...

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

Property experts have joined forces to call for faster and more secure transactions.  The PropTech and conveyancing voices have united in warning...

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...

I recently took part in a webinar hosted by ICG (The Innovation Collaboration Group) – titled ‘New estate agency revenue streams...

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 most effervescent figures in the industry has given his five top tips to becoming a great estate agent...

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...

One of the best known faces in estate agency has launched his own podcast - and is giving Estate Agent Today...

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’...

One of the biggest TV hits of lockdown has been the Netflix show Call My Agent! It’s a surprise success, perhaps, because...

Agents and a wide range of property experts have demanded yet more government funds to end the cladding crisis that is...

Today’s the day when Parliament debates a possible extension to the stamp duty holiday beyond its March 31 cliff edge deadline...

High profile agency owner Sean Newman is offering his entire self-employed team of 100 agents and mortgage advisors a chance for...

Agents and property experts have reacted angrily to the government's refusal to extend the stamp duty holiday. The government has told campaigners that...

Hello and welcome to our latest doffing of the cap in honour of those in our industry fund-raising for great causes....

The agency industry’s new leaders for the coming year have expressed strong support for reform recommendations promoted by the Regulation of...

Yet-to-launch portal Boomin has secured the support of 10 more estate agencies, one of them the national chain Humberts. In its third...

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...

A former Purplebricks chief has become managing director of an agency aiming to be a national brand. Jim Harris - a former training...

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...

More than 18 months on from the acquisition of ZPG for £2.2 billion by Silver Lake Partners, a US private equity...

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

For a very long time, it was one of the best ways – if not the best way – of generating...

Purplebricks today launches its media campaign as ‘The Official Estate Agent of Team GB’ for this summer’s Olympic Games. Today’s PR onslaught...

Following on from the second half of the last decade, the first few weeks of 2020 have been a bit mad...

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...

Zoopla has this afternoon announced a massive growth programme for 2020 with 120 new staff and expansion in most of its...

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...

A prominent regional agent says the industry owes it to vendors to try competing marketing outlets for property, and not to...

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”...

A new estate agency, which claims to only hire property experts, has announced a new investment as well as the recruitment...

It’s been six years since the Help to Buy scheme was launched, with the honourable intentions of helping more people onto...

If anyone thought a Boris Johnson government would be more decisive than Theresa May's when it came to housing policies, the last...

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...

Stories of a slow property market due to an ongoing lack of supply and Brexit woes have been well-documented in recent...

Theresa May arrived in Downing Street some three years ago - but her premiership has not been a smooth ride. As she...

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...

Property developing is an incredibly diverse and exciting career choice, and something that many people aspire to do in the UK.  I...

High Street estate agents should re-define themselves in today’s competitive market by becoming Residential Property Experts offering a wide range of...

Hello - it’s that time of the week again when we celebrate the agency industry’s fantastic fund-raising. We were delighted that our...

It’s an eye-catching combination - former professional rugby players turn estate agents, set up in converted shipping containers, and promise in time-honoured fashion...

Humberts, the agency which was one of the first to ditch High Street offices in favour of fewer larger hubs, has...

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...