Challenger portal OnTheMarket is expected to mark its first six months by announcing that it received 5m visits this month.
With just days to go until the end of July, the portal looks set to announce its record traffic at the end of this week.
Chief executive Ian Springett said yesterday that in its first six months, OnTheMarket has “achieved what no other property portal has managed to do in recent years” and created a sea-change in the marketplace.
He also paid tribute to agents for their support and affirmed core messages – that the new portal is the shop window for full-service agents.
Acknowledging the power struggle that still lies ahead, he also affirmed that OnTheMarket’s ambition is to challenge the duopoly of Rightmove and Zoopla.
Springett said: “OnTheMarket has contributed much-needed competition as a credible, growing challenger brand and business, providing consumers with a first-class digital searching platform.
“For such a new venture, levels of traffic have been impressive and are continuing to grow.
“Businesses do not launch and become market leaders overnight.
“We have received excellent support from an increasing number of agents who recognise the need to challenge the duopoly that Rightmove and Zoopla have enjoyed in the property portal market.
“We are extremely pleased with our progress, both in terms of members signing up but also in terms of our appeal to consumers, with an anticipated 5m visits to the portal in July.
“The website is delivering increasing numbers of quality leads to our members and a clean, fast service to our visitors, who for too long have had cluttered property presentation and potentially misleading ‘tools’ and ‘features’ which detract from the properties themselves.
“We continue to see impressive levels of returning visitors to the site as well as high volumes of new ones.
“Consumers and agents have given positive feedback on the site’s speed (according to independent Alexa statistics, OnTheMarket loads considerably faster than either Rightmove or Zoopla), as well as its clear format and responsive design.
“Our members – and our property-seekers – know that the properties being marketed will not be mixed in with those of online-only property marketers or private vendors.
“Every property listed with us is on the market with high street estate and letting agents, who offer a wealth of experience and local market knowledge and a full end-to-end service to their vendors and landlords.
“These office-based agents benefit from differentiating their offering from the remotely-located, part-service, online-only offerings, which often consist of little more than a listing on their own website and on two of the three major property portals.
“Equally, property-seekers enjoy the reassurance that every property is listed with agents who they can deal with face-to-face, who can help them to organise viewings directly and who can provide solid locally-based advice.”
As for the ongoing battle, Springett said: “You can see across other sectors such as retail (Amazon), computing (Microsoft) and even search marketing itself (Google) that a challenge must be made to ensure that one or two companies do not become all-powerful.
“With the introduction of OnTheMarket, our members have injected more choice into the market and are pursuing a longer-term strategy to prevent dominance of the portals market by just two firms.”
This guy is insane.
He proudly annouces that his audience is 5% of Rightmove’s, completely ignores the fact that Rightmove is simply being put in a stronger and stronger position, Zoopla is barely effected (OTM’s traffic is 10% of Zoopla’s after many millions and six months in), every sane analyst is more and more confident it will fail, and yet this website – which happily takes a significant amount of advertising £££s from them continues to publish this drivel!!!
What happened to ‘we will be number two by January’?
Come on GPL, the good ship OTM is verily sailing on. Only a matter of time before Wrongmove’s battleship is sunk, blah blah blah.
Utterly bonkers.
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I see the anit-OTM brigade are out of the starting blocks early this morning.
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They started very late last night with what appears to be a well orchestrated press release by UBS who will no doubt have been watching the figures grow ahead of this press release.
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Funny that we’re out of bed and working before you isn’t it Pundit!?
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Out of interest HarryN by the time you posted just before 7, I had done 4 1/2 work.
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Insane would be to expect dominance within 6 months, let alone a year.
I’m curious, why would any agent still pay Zoopla money?
Surely OnTheMarket has proved an agency can leave Zoopla and with Rightmove alone do the same amount of business.
You don’t advertise on Bing as well as Google, because Google is the winner-take-all number 1.
Zoopla needs to spend £30m a year just to tread water.
And I don’t know about you, but the quality of leads from Zoopla we get is just poor (as outlined in this piece on PIE: http://www.propertyindustryeye.com/will-agents-mutual-members-ditch-rightmove-zoopa/)
When will the industry get out of its own way and back the entrepreneurial efforts to help yourselves?
The only people who are winning by cheerleading Zoopla are online agents. You know, the ones that are FSBO in disguise.
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Err, “Insane would be to expect dominance within 6 months, let alone a year.” Is is not Ian Springett himself who says OTM will be no 2 after by end of the year or similar? Even you believe he is talking complete rubbish then.
Question… and of all the agents which have left OTM already??? Why would this be?
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Well said. This thing is damaging for everyone in our industry, and many of those involved will look back with great regret when they realise this is Primelocation all over again.
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Hi @EHenderson,
This isn’t a dig, I’m genuinely interested in why you think it’s ‘damaging for everyone in our industry’?
In my opinion, if you are to make a comment like this, it might be worth elaborating so it can be understood?
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No problem Mark:
– reputation damage as consumers realise that a slice of agents are prepared to increase (however significant) risk of getting them interest in the long term interest of the agent
– stronger Rightmove is bad for everyone
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I believe MarkRowe asked that you reply in a manner that could be understood. Your response is gobbledygook.
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EHenderson – if you don’t want a stronger Rightmove why don’t you support OTM? Surely, the more Agents who support OTM, the more control you all have over your own destiny.
OTM will succeed quicker if it has the biggest stock. Surely any Agent would prefer to have the future direction of portal spend within their own ‘mutual’ control.
As big as RM & Z are their ‘achilles heel’ is the stock. Agents have the stock, if they don’t put it on RM & Z then neither have a business. If all the stock is on OTM the public will find it.
It’s a brave move but if the Agents want to have ‘control’ then the majority of them need to take that ‘leap of faith’. Otherwise the ‘status quo’ will remain.
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If you want a weaker Rightmove, why did you leave Zoopla?
Looking back, it really wasn’t a clever move, was it?
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EHenderson I’m not an Agent, just merely offering an opinion.
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M Barnard. I felt I had to respond to this. The status quo will be disprupted in any market when a better proposition comes along, whod have thought the 100 year old business of giving lifts to people for cash is now worth less than Uber. The point is that Uber is quick to use, no phone calls, safe to use late at night as the details are tracked, cheaper and you can see where your taxi is. They have taken problems that existed within the market incumbent and eliminated them, consumers followed.. better service. Saying if we make people go tho this or that website because we want to is the equivalent of trying to punch smoke. Consumers will gather where they are comfortable and happy,OTM have deliberately made their offering worse than whats already available, no info, no sold prices, no first listed etc etc. What they are finding right now is that they havent solved any problems that existed for the average househunter ……therefore the public are still riding in the taxis they trust ……
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Morning Danny, Can you explain what it is that Zoopla offers that is in anyway better than OnTheMarket, Rightmove or any other property portal?
You say that OTM has “deliberately made their offering worse” but what is it exactly that the other portals do better.
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Since you ask Paul… OTM is selling the fact that its quicker and has no adverts. Both of which are basically whiffle. How long does Zoopla or Rightmove take to load, a second longer ? Average user couldnt give a monkeys. RIghtmove and Zoopla have stuff like school catchment areas, house history, what was paid last time, time on market … I could go on … Basically user friendly information that people look at when they are moving house ….
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Danny, You can see local schools in a given area on OntheMarket as well as sold house prices. Finding out how long a property has been on the market or by how much the price has reduced by does not make Zoopla better or innovative.
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Whether its innovative or not is not for you and me to decide Paul , itll play out in the traffic numbers .If people like the features they will return. IF OTM have 25% of the market they should expect 25% of the visits by now ? IF Ian is telling us that people follow property surely this makes sense. They have less than 5… There is a disconnect somewhere
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“IF OTM have 25% of the market they should expect 25% of the visits by now ?”
danny – talk me through those numbers, please?
Where do you think such an ill thought-out and factually incorrect argument is going to get you?
I expect better – or have you ran out of steam on the subject and are now content to chuck any half-@r$ed attempt to ‘disrupt’ into the ring so that IF it were to happen, you can ‘claim your part in the downfall of OTM’?
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Danny. Thanks for your comment. In this case though the ‘status quo’ can be challenged because the Agents can choose not to place their stock on RM or Z. It’s not compulsory to be on those sites – they are marketing channels.
In any given area, and hypothetically, if the stock levels were:
OTM 1,000
RM 0
Z 0
where do you think the public will search?
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If the pulbic where forced en masse to do something they didnt want to do they would vote with their feet and probably remove the stock from our windows, this isnt Russia or China, we are in a free market society and saying we can have this utopian situation where we control all the marketing channels is just nonsense.
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This is such a stupid comment M Barnard as OTM will never be in that position because they do not accept virtual/non shop based agents nor builders.
Plus (thankfully) not all agents are gullible enough to suck up the nonsense peddled by Springer & co and are very sensibly sitting this out. That is another significant slug of the market that will never be on there…
Not a relevant or realistic hypothetical situation I’m afraid.
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“Not a relevant or realistic hypothetical situation I’m afraid.”
Yet you still can’t bring yourself to ‘play the game’ and answer this ‘irrelevant’ and ‘unrealistic’ question, in the spirit of fair play.
Speaks volumes. Your reluctance to answer is understandable under the circumstances.
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Awesome. Thanks for responding @EHenderson.
i agree that OTM could be making rightmove stronger. However I suppose we have to take into account that we have to start somewhere.
Markets shift, service suppliers come and go. Business owners have to make decisions not only for short term gains but on the long term goal. This will take time, I believe that the vast majority of the industry wants this but it won’t appeal to all as they will only jump if it’s a sure thing.
Sorry, once again, I feel this is quite an important question. I’m guessing you are either an agency owner, manager or neg? If this is the case you are, by definition, already helping rightmove and Zoopla to become stronger by not changing or taking this opportunity.
It takes a bit of belief mixed in with a real want to change the way things are, not to mention the fact that ultimately you are in control of where your business ends up.
I know you didn’t ask for my opinion but I’m going to give it anyway, as you so kindly offered up yours.
On the subject of my clients – I believe that I get the same if not more interest in my properties than some of my local competition. I carry a very low stock register (not afraid to admit, I’m not No.1 agent for new instructions) but I can safely say that I’m still not worried that we’ve dropped zoopla for OTM. I present properties in their best light and my team work hard to sell them using a mix of traditional methods as well as the portals.
What I’m in control of is where my agency is heading and these are the the first steps.
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unlike you, and although I (naturally) begrudge any cost, I actually think both do a good job for me.
As much as you are convinced that OTM will work, I am equally convinced that it has zero chance of succeeding in its aim of delivering any real control to me (or you). Even if it gets traction, I’ll just be a single voice of 10,000, with a company controlled by the top end agents and my competitors who are trying to put me out of business every day. Additionally, and in the unlikely scenario that OTM geta decent traction, I’ll also have three portals to pay for, as the ‘one other portal’ rule simply cannot survive (for commercial and legal reasons)
You and your chums are trying to bring down Coca Cola by irinating in Pepsi – good luck with that. Thankfully most of us aren’t interested in your little wheeze…
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Good morning, Ms Henderson.
Please humour me a minute – call it your good deed for the day to the morons of this world…
Of the Agents in your immediate area, would you please give us a breakdown of numbers of offices, and of those how many are on OTM?
No names; no pack-drill – just round numbers ‘x’ and ‘y’. We can work out ‘z’ (pun intended) ourselves. And I’m pretty sure that no-one will be able to work out where you are from the numbers if that is a concern – but if that is the case simply multiply or divide both by the same denominator for added ‘anonymity’.
Oh – one other favour – could you please also advise what number out of the total of non-OTM Agents would not be currently eligible to become Members?
Thanks in advance.
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Oh… ok….
Yes I agree they both perform, so does OTM.
I was trying to have a reasoned debate.
I’m happy with the amount of friends I have. If coming together to try and change something is ‘chummy’ then I guess I do have ‘chums’ as well as friends, good news for me! 🙂
With all due respect, you always sound quite angry with the comments you make. If OTM isn’t a threat and it you think it will fail then just sit back and let it happen, no need for further comment, surely?
Have a good day @EHenderson 🙂
PS. Your analogy of Coca Cola and Pepsi is slightly floored in that you’re comparing a drink to a service supplier to the property industry, they’re are worlds apart.
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Mark – OTM doesn’t perform. I was talking to a Surrey based agent last week and they have had 5 leads since launch. 5 leads – they used to get over 50 per month from Zoopla!
Its a miracle that the anonymous posters on here all claim OTM is doing a great job, but – unless in some freak circumstances – they simply aren’t.
RM and Z on the other hand ARE doing a great job today. The world isn’t going to remain the same because a bunch of agents club together to build a low flying website. Might slow or change the nature of the change but won’t stop it.
To answer PeeBee’s question – its about 60/40 not OTM/OTM in my area. The reality here is that one of the corporate brands is very strong here and they are destroying (no exaggeration) a couple of the agents who left Zoopla. So that’s 2 of the 5 or so that left Zoopla already quite publicly talking about getting out of the contracts and returning to Z.
I predict that over the next month we will hear more and more stories about the failure and lack of performance from OTM. Some agents will be isolated from this but some are having a torrid time.
In the meantime Rightmove gets quieter and quieter while they absorb the gift that has been handed to them by the agents who felt most strongly about their position. Good work guys!
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Hi @HarryN,
My original thread (that you’ve replied on) was to @EHenderson. I was simply asking her to elaborate on her comment as to why you she thought it’s ‘damaging for everyone in our industry’.
Whilst I feel we could debate this all day long. Shall we just accept that words, comments and views can be exchanged on a number of different aspects of Zoopla, Rightmove and OTM but it wont get us anywhere. I find it incredible that a story like this comes along after all the non-member agents were saying only a few months ago about how OTM should display their site stats, when they do display them, all hell breaks lose! I’m pretty sure that OTM could have reported 20 million visits and all the non member agents would still have something else negative to say about it. Tell me, what level of visits is acceptable to you?
I can promise you that I’ve had way more than five leads. I couldn’t give a tosh what an agent in Surrey has got, especially as i have no idea whether that’s true or not. We’re only six months in – it seems that (anonymous or not) some posters on here expect OTM should be as big as Rightmove already. Crazy.
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Why so personal E?
What are you worried about?
Even though the people who are with OTM and their other portal are happy, you don’t seem to want to accept this, yet you are happy to let us know that staying with RM & Z works for you.
Why don’t you just sit back, relax and wait for OTM to crash and burn and bask in the glory? No need to post so much when the end is so clear.
Or are you worried that it might turn out ok and you are too far down the road to turn back?
Rightmove getting stronger, so what, it’s been happening for years and yes it will continue to do so.
I love the way that people say you are not doing the best for your clients, yet at the same time screaming about RM getting stronger. Well given the majority chose to stay with RM, it looks like they did right by their clients. All you want to be is on is the number 1 portal, no?
The difference between the supporters of OTM and those that oppose it is simple, but it is a massive difference, that speaks volumes about the motives of the people that comment.
Putting aside the pride issues, because no one wants to be wrong do they, especially on such a large stage as PIE. The question is what happens if OTM fails or succeeds and in particular to the agents?
Failure
Zoopla breath a sigh of relief
Rightmove carry on as usual
Shareholders Win
Onliners Win
DIYers Win
Estate Agents – Carry on. We won’t be going back to Zoopla and will no doubt pay more to be on RM, which was going to happen anyway.
Success
Zoopla – Reinvent themselves, may survive
RM – Reinvent themselves, may survive
Shareholders – Lose
Onliners – Lose
DIYers – Lose
Estate Agents – Carry on. Now we won’t be on RM either and we just pay for OTM and its our portal.
So the public can either put their property on with an agent that’s OTM where the majority of property goes or they can go where the corporates, the on-liners and the DIYers go? But given the desire of some corporates to become onliners, agents on RM could be a thing of the past!
I’ve said before, I don’t need OTM to survive, but I would like it too.
Being on a portal isn’t the reason why my businesses will survive, prosper or grow, but for many people not being on the No 1 portal is a game changer and it will affect their very existence.
The sooner agents realise that portals don’t control your ability to be successful, then the easier they will find it to break away if they want to.
I’m not saying you must do this and if you are happy with your lot, then fine stay put, but lets not all kid ourselves.
This is about taking control and if you want to or not. Don’t hid behind the cry of it won’t work as they reason for not wanting to crossover.
These are the only reasons not to join OTM.
1. You can’t – (You are an on-liner, RM shareholder etc)
2. You can’t – (You don’t like change, you can’t bring yourself to do it)
3) You can’t – (You believe portals are the only way to sell or let property and coming off them now would be an end to your business)
4) You can’t – (be bothered)
My answers to the above are as follows;
1) Sorry about that, but you could start up your own Portal or stay with RM.
2) You can, don’t think about the worst that can happen, think about the best thing that could happen, apply that across all that you do and the good things that come of it will outweigh the bad results, end result you will be better off.
3) This is tricky and might need some work! No one likes to admit it, but sometimes we just don’t get it right, the reason that we sometimes don’t win the business, is down to us and not outside forces. It’s a people’s business and people want to do business with people they trust, they like and they think know what they are talking about and above all, they care. That’s why agents on all the portals, charging more, win business. That’s why agents not on all the portals, charging more also win business. It’s comes down to the individual. I could go on, but I like to keep my post’s short and sweet!!!
4) Fair enough. The world doesn’t move forward because you can’t be bothered but there is a place for you, because not being bothered allows those that can, to look better, do better and be happier. But I still respect your position 🙂
I think when posting we should state our motive so we can make a more informed decision on the posters comments?
Mine is – Agent – can be bothered. Can survive with or without OTM but want it to work, because change is good!
Cheers,
Paul
(Portals don’t sell houses, people do!)
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people don’t sell properties, portals do!
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Careful, Mr Hood – EHenderson has a word for people who make what are in her opinion ridiculous statements…
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“On the subject of my clients – I believe that I get the same if not more interest in my properties than some of my local competition. I carry a very low stock register (not afraid to admit, I’m not No.1 agent for new instructions) but I can safely say that I’m still not worried that we’ve dropped zoopla for OTM. I present properties in their best light and my team work hard to sell them using a mix of traditional methods as well as the portals.”
Nicely put Mark. We operate exactly the same way, though with maybe a few less properties than you 🙂
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“Businesses do not launch and become market leaders overnight.
6 months on…. sorry?…. when did you say it would fail….month 1 or was it 2… or month 3, 4?….
In for the Long-Term and it is by far the strongest challenger…..Hoopla?…. dead in my areas…. Hikemove…. no longer bullet proof!
OnTheMarket….. HereToStay!
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I’d imagine you’ll be their to the bitter end GPL , with a nappy on your head , riding a kids hobby horse shouting huzzah to passers by in the garden before the police come to cart you away . Just for reference … Saying things doesn’t make them true …. Counting numbers , actual things things happening … That’s what makes stuff true ….
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“The website is delivering increasing numbers of quality leads to our members and a clean, fast service to our visitors, who for too long have had cluttered property presentation and potentially misleading ‘tools’ and ‘features’ which detract from the properties themselves’
The first half of this paragraph is spot on and exactly what OTM should concentrate on. Proportionally (Unique User to Quality Lead Generation) this is an area they can make greater gains in, as when you’ve stripped away the property porn and digital curtain twitchers there is a relatively small pool of genuine sellers/buyers (compared with UU stats) The second point re misleading tools etc implies that buyers only want to know about the property itself and don’t need or want additional local, relevant information. Additional knowledge is one of the benefits of having an experienced local Estate Agent right? So surely you’d try and replicate that online, thus offering a more complete user experience? Uncluttered doesn’t have to be at the expense of facilitating the user experience though I appreciate there is an cost of inaccuracy v value of function debate.
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That should be sellers/buyers, not buyers only. Obviously the sellers are the prime target in high value lead generation.
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“Our property seekers know that properties will not be mixed in with online agents or private sellers… ”
I can totally understand how the business model OTM has created strives to protect themselves in an industry which is increasingly aware of the fact that consumers to do have to physically visit an office to be a successful agent, but HOW can they possibly try to justify that their business model in any way beneficial for the consumer!!
We operate as a full service agent, living and working in a relatively small area and knowing as much as any other local agent about all the properties, sellers and vendors in that area. We currently have around 25 percent of the market. Despite this, however successful OTM becomes consumers will NEVER be able to see any of our properties even if we wanted to be a part of it because we don’t actually have a shop front office.
Therefore a consumer has a choice, either visit Zoopla or Rightmove and hopefully see ALL the properties available in the area they want to live, or visit OTM and NEVER see the full picture. How is that in the interests of the consumer? I am confused. They may like OTM but would always have to check with at least one of the others to make sure they had not missed anything.
That has always been my problem with the concept of OTM as to me it has always seemed more about protecting the agent and the traditional industry rather than offering the best offering to the consumer and I am not sure that a business model which doesn’t put the consumer at the heart of it can ever really thrive in the long run.
Would anyone seriously use a flight comparison website exclusively over any other if it didn’t include all airlines? Is it the website’s job to protect all us stupid consumers from having to view the likes the Easyjet and Ryanair, or is it best to give them the fullest choice possible for their tastes and budget and THEM choose what is best for them?
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‘bridget’
“We operate as a full service agent… we don’t actually have a shop front office.”
Then sorry – but you are NOT a “full service agent”. What about those who want to ‘look’ in your ‘window’ – I appreciate this is alien to you but it isn’t to countless thousands who do it every day up and down the country. You are offering those people NO SERVICE AT ALL.
“Would anyone seriously use a flight comparison website exclusively over any other if it didn’t include all airlines?”
Actually – many don’t.
“…but HOW can they possibly try to justify that their business model in any way beneficial for the consumer!!”
HOW do you justify YOUR business model – i.e. non-full service; no window; I assume non-High Street – to be “in any way beneficial for the consumer”?
“…however successful OTM becomes consumers will NEVER be able to see any of our properties even if we wanted to be a part of it…”
SO – you openly admit that you would deny your customers access to a successful source of potential buyers/tenants simply because you don’t want to be a part of it. That, given the choice, you would choose ‘one other portal’ over it?
In that case – I’m sorry – your ‘problem’ with OTM is…?
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Bridget ….. you exposed yourself. Foolish to have made such a narrow minded posts, thinking you provide a full service. You certainly do not and what about all those people who are not on the internet… sorry to burst your’s and every one else who think the internet is the Holy Grail to selling a property.
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I accept I cannot call myself a ‘full service’ agent using the same parameters that you do as I don’t have a shop front – you do presumably. However, I could argue that I offer a fuller service for someone who only wants to communicate in person or by phone, as because I don’t have the constraints of an office I can be contactable pretty much 24/7 7 days a week if that was what my client wanted. – Possibly therefore a ‘fuller’ service than your average office based Estate Agent. Admittedly its not happened often, but I did once answer my phone at midnight on a Saturday, as I happened to be awake at home, arranged a viewing for the Sunday morning and the house was sold that day – they had only phoned expecting an answerphone with opening times so got a far better service than they were expecting of us. This is why I get annoyed that if we don’t have an office we are lumped in with all the other ‘online’ agent offerings. There is a different, very workable and flexible model emerging in the market, such as ours and many others like us, and yet as far as anyone at OTM seems to be concerned there is only two. ‘**** cheap online unprofessional’ or ‘experienced, professional full service’ agents such as yourselves. I wish you traditional agents would begin to recognise that not all Online only agents fit the same mould.
I also at no point said I would, or would not, like to be a part of OTM I said even if I wanted to I would not be allowed to because of the rules imposed by having to have a shop front – OTM are therefore denying my customers that opportunity not me!
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“I accept I cannot call myself a ‘full service’ agent using the same parameters that you do as I don’t have a shop front…”
Oh – I’m sorry – I thought there was only ONE SET of ‘”parameters”.
My mistake, obviously…
“I also at no point said I would, or would not, like to be a part of OTM I said even if I wanted to I would not be allowed to…”
The words that actually need highlighted in the above sentence are “…even if I wanted to…” – which to any reasonable person reading this indicates that it would NOT be your wish.
By the way – I have NO PROBLEM WHATSOEVER with your ‘business model’ IF you actually do what you claim you can do. That goes for any online or hybrid Agent. If you can honestly win business and then perform to your client’s expectations, getting them best value and winning more instructions as a result then I applaud you. Maybe some High Street Agents need to learn from people like you who certainly give the impression that you can and do make a difference.
I guess that is a ‘watch this space’ issue.
ps – in my ‘last life’ there was only one period that I never got to take a phone call for the business I ran – and that was between 02.40am and 03.55am. In the past, not only have I been instructed to market a property at 1am on 24th December – but I have taken a viewing request at 4.35am from a postman browsing in the window on his way to work who then went on to purchase the property.
My point? I’m nothing special – and I very much doubt I am alone in that sort of claim to living in the office.
We simply do what we need to do for our clients – don’t we. No medals requested or awarded.
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What a load of tosh!
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“Our property seekers know that properties will not be mixed in with online agents or private sellers… ”
Firstly, they don’t know that, and secondly, they don’t care. If you’re a buyer and your dream home was up for sale with purple bricks, you’d still enquire about it.
To try and continually spin that feature as a plus to the consumer is laughable!
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Got to agree…… buyers follow property and property alone. They care not for the Agency selling it.
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Well said bridget and The Outsider .
It is absolute nonsense that “Our property seekers know that properties will not be mixed in with online agents or private sellers” and that ““Consumers have given positive feedback on the site’s speed” and that “property-seekers enjoy the reassurance that every property is listed with agents who they can deal with face-to-face” and that old peach “a clean, fast service to our visitors, who for too long have had cluttered property presentation and potentially misleading ‘tools’ and ‘features’ which detract from the properties themselves.”
Be honest … who has EVER heard a client or potential client say anything like “RM and Z are far too cluttered, too slow to load and I don’t like seeing properties listed by online agents who I can’t deal with face to face.”
Springett is deluding himself and AM agents if he seriously believes visitors are clapping themselves on the back for finding such a fast, de-cluttered, featureless, high street agent only website.
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Unbelievably the blinkered sense of denial amongst OTM members is even more fervent now than it was pre-launch. Surely most must now see OTM’s lack of growth (in member agents, traffic, public awareness, app downloads etc etc) is indicative of the fact that the model will not work in achieving the objective of this ‘project’. They are nowhere near challenging Zoopla in any meaningful way and have only strengthened RM, which as previous posters have stated, is bad for everyone other than RM shareholders. For OTM to have stood any real chance it required its member agents to dump RM and not Zoopla…except of course very few wanted to do what was actually required…and understandably so, but if you are still seriously expecting OTM to topple Zoopla and then move on to take down RM then I suggest you make an appointment to see your GP to have your medication reviewed.
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Looks like Harree made an appointment to see the GP….L
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Quotes from a recent in depth review of the property portal market by Swiss bank UBS …
“Our analysis from UBS ‘evidence lab’ suggests that, after an initial surge post its January launch, the progress of new UK property portal OnTheMarket has been slow and that agent share has now stabilised”
“On the consumer side OTM continues to have limited traction with its app download share only five per cent of the combined app downloads of the three property portal companies (Rightmove 57 per cent, Zoopla 38 per cent). It is our view that OTM is unlikely to work over time”
“Since our collection began, there have not been material changes. Of the top 100 [agents], Rightmove has 95 per cent agents, Zoopla has 70 per cent and OntheMarket has 33 per cent. Of the top 50, Rightmove has 96 per cent agents, Zoopla has 80 per cent and OntheMarket has 30 per cent” says the report.
The report also claims that four of what it calls the ‘top 100’ estate agents are breaking OTM’s only one other portal rule.
Strange that this report is not the subject of a post on PIE.
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This publication does run the risk of looking like a real mouthpiece. what we are entitled to know, as either PIE readers or as OTM customers is how much (if of course any) is being paid? what is the deal?
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I was not going to comment on this story today as always the same for and against arguments, all gets a little tedious and childish at times.
But i got to thinking portal stories always get a massive amount of comments and obviously have much passion, why is this?
What is a portal? it is a shop window to the stock you have to offer, when was the last time you got a real valuation lead from any portal and how often do you get them? – i would say if each office gets half a dozen a year they have done exceptionally well!
What is the most important part of estate agency? is it selling houses? no the most important thing is listing houses!
in my humble opinion we are all giving these portals far too much air time, they are an advert for stock you have for sale, yes you get your shiny logo on it and can buy banners that endorse you but really are they that important?
I think we put far too much importance in the portals, if companies cared about recruitment, training, and growing your market share locally, portals would start to lose their importance.
I worry for our industry that we are being bought down to the level of online only agents, it seems too many companies and individuals think portals are the be all and end all of estate agency, basically bringing us all down to listers not estate agents.
Please if you are an owner of your company and you have not had a team meeting or a review book one in the diary today and get back to basics, are you making the most of every opportunity, are you canvassing for hot buyers, do you speak to your local to sells and not on market regulary. Are your negs asking for instructions on viewings.
If you are a neg are you always asking for the clients property and can you overcome objections, do you know your local area? the schools, doctors, shops, stations? do you build rapport on viewings or do you just open a front door and show a few rooms and smile?
its depresses me our industry is being reduced to portals. make a stand, don’t expect a new shiny portal to do it for you!
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Very, very well said, Smile. Over the years, lazy reliance and blind support of the portals has probably got us where we are now……….
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the irony of this! can’t you see that just by saying that on this subject (whose existence disproves your point) your argument contradicted and case broken?
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You sound a little lemon Harry.
Whats the problem? you seem to be having a pop at everybody on this page and we have not heard from you before.
By any chance are you a portal rep?
Tell me how my comments contradict themselves and my case broken?
I am saying a number of agents rely too heavily on portals and have lost their way, If you look at most successful agents they do not focus on portals they play a role within the business. Take the focus away from portals and their importance shrinks.
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“Well Done” to OTM, a great achievement. It is really noticeable how the leads to us have increased as public awareness increases.
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you’ve had one!
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This is the sort of typical nonsense comment that those who have a gripe against OTM post here. They are an embaressment to themselves and to the industry as a whole. As someone said earlier……”if you are not on OTM it doesn’t matter-it’s your choice” I cannot see, for the life of me, what is to be gained by posing silly, childish, comments like this one from Mr Hood???
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I’ve lost count of the appraisals I’ve carried out in the last few weeks where sellers have been asked what they think of the new property website ‘OnTheMarket’ and replied Who? – Never heard of them. Often followed by ‘what a ridiculous name for a property website’.
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Another agent who’s pitch revolves around portals?
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Haree?…. this’ll be ANALysts that would tell you there is no point in Pepsi when Coca Cola rules…. just Nike, not Addidas…. British Airways, no Virgin…. and on & on it goes!
So, really it should just be God.com as there is no point in creating anything else?
Just the 1 Estate Agency Company Selling all the properties in the world?
The thing is Harree & Co…. there are people and companies out there that believe in competition and alternatives…. and so it is with property portals…. I was stuck with Shaftmove & Bloopla!…. and now I have another option.
By all means stick with your choices along with your like-minded folk however if people, businesses etc didn’t have choice that would be a Dictatorship…. and that’s what The Duopoly were speeding towards with total freedom.
I don’t wish to rule the world and I don’t need OnTheMarket.com to blow every other portal out the water however I and the public do need an alternative to the Google type offering that The Duopoly provide…. ie they control what portal browsers receive under the guise of advertising homes that we and our clients provide.
I agree with some earlier comments about the uncluttered presentation of OTM, and that it would benefit from further development…. however, it does present property to real buyers in a way that in my view focuses on my clients properties and not the amusement arcade array of advertising & features that has expoded around the Duopoly Portals. The Duopoly Portals are akin to a vast Factory Trawler combing the seas searching to catch anything and everything…. and yes, OTM is just fishing for homebuyers…. that’s what I want first.
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there are people and companies out there that believe in competition and alternatives…. and so it is with property portals <<<<< contradiction. how can you be on OTM and believe in competition? your logic is broken
I was stuck with Shaftmove & Bloopla!…. and now I have another option. <<<<< and now you have no options because of your rules…and of course a 5 year contract!!
check your logic
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It’s nearly bedtime harry hood…. and I thought I would read your post to send me to sleep……
Zzzzzzzzzzzz
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Glad you can still sleep after signing that 5 year contract
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GPL … I and the public do need an alternative to the Google type offering that The Duopoly provide.
Really?
Since when did you ever hear a member of the public saying they wanted an alternative to RM and Z ???
Simple answer … NEVER.
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Harree?…..as I drift off to sleep….I feel your pain… you really need to stop spinning on that finger that you have inserted in your own portal!
Zzzzzzzzzzzzz
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Only in this country could we be so disparaging and express so much negativity in an attempt to scupper the chances of success of a new competitor to an established 2 horse race.
As many of the comments are obviously made by Sun readers I will tailor my response accordingly –
Boopla – Moopla – Zippola – The figures suggest that it is in fact in danger of losing 2nd place
Wrongmove – Can’tmove – Shouldn’tmove – Toooldtomove – Still has the number one slot and looks like it will do for quite some time, especially with the constant barage of ‘Baaaah no chance’ comments form the Sun readers amongst the Estate Agent community.
Kind of makes you wonder why the populus don’t really rate Estate Agents as a profession – I’m bemused by that too.
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The real problem is AM and its agents are fighting a battle over territory that only they themselves are interested in winning.
The occupants of that territory ie., buyers and sellers, are completely satisfied with their current rulers ie., RM and Z, and aren’t really interested in the war at all.
Call us doubters Sun readers if you like … but it doesn’t make our views and opinions any more, or less, true and relevant.
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Very true, it makes no odds to the public who is ruling the portal waves, so no issue with quickly and decisively moving that inventory over to another portal that can rules the waves?
What’s your reason from 1-4 of the above Harree and what’s your position?
Paul (Agent – can be bothered. Can survive with or without OTM but want it to work, because change is good!)
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If the occupants of the territory are to decide which of the portals is to work best for them should’nt the doubting Thomas’s give the newby a fighting chance ? And if proven to be correct and the masses do in fact choose RM etc then let them gloat as is their want that OTM proved to be an ‘also ran’, but lets at least have a damn good scrap about it and may the winner reign.
I have overseas clients that mock at the negativity us Brits exhibit, they think we are a nation of ‘Porsche scratchers’ and think it funny that we cannot get our heads around success is a good thing. I can’t help thinking that these guys would wish OTM well and give it a chance to succeed (or fail) without attempting to scupper it’s chances before it ever got off the ground.
Oh to be British.
I wonder – do they even have ‘The Sun’ in forward thinking countries ?
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The consistent mistake made every time OTM is mentioned by the anti brigade is the fact that OTM is for the estate agent to advertise. Not for the public to decide. Think about it and why OTM came about. The constant anti OTM is always using the red herring of if it will not be better or succeed against RM or Z. The fact they cannot argue against and never EVER come up with an alternative or an answer is the question I have raised time and time again, “it is not in a business’s interest to support an advertising model that can seriously impact or put them out of business” and why many made to move to OTM in the first place, it was NOT just about fee’s. It is for the high street agent to make comment, not Trolls that as been seen above contradict themselves and change tack to cover their ignorance.
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but have you ever thought, the medium to long term risk to you is actually OTM? if this became a monopoly then you would lose control…and you know they would try to control you because you can see they are already trying via their listing and portal rules.
if they do ever become dominant then your business will be relegated to a franchise of the springett ship which as you know is bossed by 4 people in the high end firms.
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HR your posts suggest you do not understand who is in control of OTM? May I suggest you do some homework and you may then find your post is at odds with the facts. History has already shown who is in control and it is not “the 4 ” which can never be. If you were an AM member you would understand.
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Harry Hood? Sure its not Harry Troll?
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These posts remind me of why I have never opend a Twitter or Face Book account. As a high street agent I find I have enough to deal with everyday without having my time taken up with outpourings of self elected academics of the “information age” who feel they no better on how I and other agents should run thier business.
I see times are trying to be changed by the drowning out voice of novices, who believe with all the “IT” hype they can muster, they know better than the knowledgeable and experienced estate agents. I have worked with some of the mosts experienced agents and staff all over the UK. Still working with some today and pooling our knowledge and expertise for decades and moved forward supporting each other and always evolving. Remember wisdom comes with age and experience.
As shown time and again web portals are only a 24/7 digital newpaper FOR AGENTS to advertise property. How they use that resource to good effect with consumers be it a property owner or end user is down to the agent. For those that hark on about on-line only agents as being the way forward, it does not provide what estate agency is about, never has and still does not today, not a single one of them, it is based on cheaper fee’s and quick profit or loss. Failing dotcom buisness consistently demonstrates this. They also ignore those consumers who do not use or do not have the internet and which web portal you are on is of no relevenace to them!
Keep control of your buisness, your destiny is in your hands and not those that seek to tell you they know better, when invariably they do not, for they are not estate agents in most cases. Consumers follow your lead and to have success use GOOD COMMUNICATION.
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Face Book <<< Facebook
no <<< know
thier <<< their
fee’s <<< fees
have the internet <<< connected to the internet
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I apologise Woodentop. My last post was wrong of me. Sorry
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Noted!…. harryhoodlum…. don’t get me started on scanning your posts!
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Good afternoon, ‘Harree’.
You open with “Quotes from a recent in depth review of the property portal market by Swiss bank UBS …”
Please, please enlighten me – why, in your opinion, is a Swiss bank in the slightest bothered about the UK property market in general to give a fuppeny tuck enough to comment; let alone narrow their ‘interest’ down to the property PORTAL market – and to then commission a ‘report’ into its’ state and condition.
It’s b0II0ck$, ‘Harree’ – and you know it. But of course you need to look at where the ‘news’ was broken to understand why.
Of course, it has to be said that this debacle isn’t quite as big b0II0ck$ as ‘the other pub’s’ ridiculous #Jackanory job at the weekend – which insults the intelligence of both industry professionals and any poor member of the public who read it expecting something interesting and factual from a ‘news’ website that once commanded respect within the industry it is supposed to serve.
And Harree – before you jump off the high board, you’d do well to remember one thing – that long before you, ‘EHenderson’, Shinerock and the others that jumped on the anti-AM bandwagon had so much as lifted one finger to your keyboards, I was banging a far more reasoned and professional drum (and swallowing up all the flak that came my way as a result) in putting forward a ‘case against’ than the lot of you put together – which you are now making a donkey’s @r$e of trying to sustain.
Good job. Give yourselves a round of applause.
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Another super OTM for and against thread.
It’s all very simple, everyone leave RM and Z and go with OTM,
Job done, all the public go to OTM and RM and Z flop overnight.
So, who has the minerals to set a date!? I’m up for it
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I’m up for it too.
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Its the news i have been waiting for, if you get a date count me in!
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where where is that cliff?
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just step back harryhoodlum……
it’s behind you!
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Wasn’t that date January 26th, 2015?
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Interesting, but that percentage still isn’t really enough to mount a significant challenge to Rightmove. I know about 99% of our clients still use Rightmove and Zoopla, and none of our clients have asked to be listed on OTM yet. It could be different for other online estate agents though I suppose.
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Well done to everyone at On the market. Congratulations on everything you have achieved in 6 months. A notable achievement given you launched into the teeth of an election year and with significant organised media bias against you.
I say again Well done all!
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Thank you for the dislike, it’s great to know that my simply congratulating a team for a job well done irked you. Your dislike means more to me than cheese.
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Robert?…. I think those Dislike Clickers don’t understand that we interpret their clicks as…
d i’s ….like
which means another 5 likes for you….
late, tired humour however you clearly aren’t trying the right cheese….
Tobermory, Tickler, Cornish Crunch…. all fine in their own right or when lightly grilled on toast!
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We have a fantastic proper Cheese shop, a bit like the great whisky shops up there but for cheese, I was there yesterday! That probably says just how much I love the dislikes.
I was once nearly tempted to hit the dislike button on one of my own posts but figured I might go blind; the vicar warned me about that sort of thing at Sunday school. I was too young to really understand what he was going on about but I’m cautious of pleasure!
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