What House? to enter estate agency property portal market

Whathouse.co.uk, the specialist new homes portal, is to go into estate agency sales and lettings in the new year.
 
What House? is a long-established brand in the property market and has been running its annual What House? Awards for 32 years.

It also publishes a trade magazine, Show House, while a consumer magazine, What House? was published as a print title until 2006 but was relaunched in 2010 as a digital publication.

The portal has, until now, concentrated exclusively on the new homes market, but yesterday announced its move into the secondhand market.

The site, which says it has already signed up some agents in the midlands, said it will charge £75 per month per office for unlimited listings, and that 100% of the fees will be reinvested in marketing to drive leads and inquiries.  

The site also said that any annual rises in fees will be tied to the Retail Price Index.

Managing director Daniel Hill said: “When any business is doing budgets, the last thing it needs is a surprise and a big and unforeseen rise in its advertising costs, so we believe this will help agents, large and small, budget accordingly.

“There has been so much movement in portal listings prices in the last two years that the cost of delivering a sale or a new instruction has been difficult to quantify.”
 
Amongst other features being offered are tracking of phone numbers and social media distribution, as well as news and property feeds to aggregator sites.
 
Hill said: “We have been looking at moving into this for some time and have carried out a year of secondhand and lettings research.

“We believe the proposition we are making to estate agents fills a big and widening gap in the property portal market, offering a low cost, value for money alternative.”
 
Rupert Bates, editorial director, said he recognised the property portal market was a competitive space, but added that the What House? brand was the perfect name and platform for an all-round property offering, with visitors looking for the full range of homes for sale and to rent.
 
He said: “We have a great editorial pedigree and property heritage, with many top-level contacts among estate agents and a knowledge of their businesses and ambitions, alongside our unrivalled traction in the housebuilding sector.

“We will still absolutely be championing brand new homes, but alongside comprehensive listings and coverage of the secondhand market, driving more visitors to the site for all advertisers and top-quality, targeted lead generation.”