Online estate agency Strike has launched in the West Midlands and parts of central England – with the agent planning to offer its full service nationwide from early 2022.
The hybrid agency, formerly Housesimple, aims to undercut traditional high street estate agents by offering vendors a free property sales service.
The company claims that its business model allows vendors to save what it says is an estimated £3,800 on average by selling their home for free.
Strike, headed up by Sam Mitchell, chief executive officer, aims to generate revenue from third-party services and referrals.
The free service, which launched in Yorkshire and the North West in June 2019, followed by Nottingham and the North East in 2020, now includes new locations, including Birmingham, Leicestershire, Coventry, Derby, Dudley, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Stoke-on-Trent, Shrewsbury, Telford, Worcestershire, Walsall and Wolverhampton.
The expansion of the online agent, which plans to offer its full service nationwide from early 2022, will also see the creation of around 80 new jobs.
Mitchell said: “Strike is here to redefine the way we move. Estate agency has remained largely unchanged for 200 years, with people feeling overcharged and underwhelmed, but we’ve been fighting to change that since we launched our sell for free model back in June 2019.
“The ability to sell a home for free, without paying any estate agency fees, was always going to be well received, but maintaining a quality service is what has been key to our model’s success and allowed us to continue to expand.
“The Midlands and Central England are the latest pieces to our jigsaw puzzle as we strive to offer our full service nationwide before long.”
Comments (31)
There will always be people who want something for nothing and those people rarely learn from their mistake as they are stupid, so Strike will get enough business for the top people including the guy mentioned who will no doubt be giving himself and his other “pals” endless amounts of shares that he/they will sell and then all quit. Haven’t we all read this book before?
But, hey Mr Strike, if you’re looking for some new “pals” I am available
what!
if you cant beat them, join them.
So many bitter agents on here who have been left behind due to their own arrogance.
Hybrid agents are very clearly here to stay and on the increase.
It really makes me laugh that agents have a go at conveyancers who don’t modernise, when they refuse to modernise themselves.
“It really makes me laugh that agents have a go at conveyancers who don’t modernise, when they refuse to modernise themselves”
Please… feel free to explain this comment.
(This could get interesting)
Hybrid agents are thinking ahead, new ways of working.
traditional agents aren’t, stuck in the past
Apart from not explaining your comment in the slightest, what little you have offered is complete and utter [Word removed as it breached posting guidelines]
Have another go – this time think about what you’re writing – not “ahead”.
And while you’re on, how’s about answering the other questions I posed to you at 11.03 (post #12 or thereabouts).
But don’t answer with [Word removed as it breached posting guidelines].
Well I’ll consider myself well and truly sat on the naughty step for “breaching posting guidelines” – but that was the most appropriate word in the dictionary.
Readers – please take your “PC pick” of the following:
* claptrap
* rubbish
*balderdash
* two veg without the meat
* male bovine botty-fruit
or, like me, know the only sensible word is plain and simple [Word removed by me to wazz off the ‘posting guidelines policethey’] ;o)
Dear ‘posting guidelines policethey’
Can you please explain how a mixture of words, numbers and symbols in the order “b 0 1 1 0 c k s” apparently requires removal for breaching the guidelines you police, while on the Chris Whitty article, the following is to be found
“they are hardly terrorists or murderers, just pissed up idiots who will definately think twice before doing that again!”
You have every right to have ‘standards’. Just don’t have double ones.
Glad you’ve had a laugh bud 🙂
Fact remains that there is no advantage to the seller dealing with one remote individual backed up by a call centre, bots, unintuative and clunky online systems or list of FAQ’s.
Sure there may be a niche someplace somewhere for someone there always is.
Agency is about internal and external control and responsibility, the only thing the hybrid ( something which is neither one thing or another ) model does is absolve responsibility and relinquish control.
Lol. I think by now we all know who you are.
Not the bit concerned about the little venture, one that sells a dream that you can make money. Nothing new, goes back to the late eighties and early nineties with self-employed sales organisations promising the troops they can earn meggar £K’s. Something that was developed by the yanks hard sell a few years before. The only winners, as proven over several decades are those getting their fingers in the pie first at little to no risk and burn out the would be sales people quicker than the number of hot dinners you have had.
Little room for traction, as proven in the UK market. As for cross selling …. lol, wait till the customer finds out what your up to. No such thing as a free meal and the UK consumer see’s it has a fiddle. Don’t forget your legal liability to disclose the fee’s you earn off it, to them. Then watch the reaction from the consumer. 12 months and the honeymoon period will have expired, as will the company effectiveness and probably go under. So am I worried … not a fat chance.
The noise around referral fees seems to have died down a bit recently, but if they sell for free and rely on 3rd party income, and ref fees are either limited or abolished further down the line surely there is zero future for the business?! When did it become ok for SO MANY property business to launch, gain funding, and trade, without any reasonable prospect of making any money!?! Ethically it is shady to say the least.
Is Truthspeaks a vainglorious limited vocabulary Parrot?
Do confirm how I’m vainglorious parrot for asking if the people making comments such as they have, have dealt with the firm before…
Where do you start with this?
1, Why is RM allowing them to list. Clearly not an estate agency. This is a platform to list properties on portals and sell referrals to third parties.
2, How can this firm get funding? How many millions have they lost?
3, Have investors not learnt from the car crash of online firms that have all failed to make a sustainable business?
Well we all know who truthspeaks is now!
Do you? Explain?
Sorry, no. Too busy having a bumper year.
Good luck with your venture.
It looks like Strike(House Simple), Purplebricks and Yopa are determined to keep fighting over that elusive10% market share.
At some point PB will use their cash and buyout the other two to claim the prize.
With combined losses to date of nearly £250 million, who will blink first?
I didn’t think anyone could be any worse than Purplebricks and then Strike came along! Another agent that is impossible to get hold of to check chains etc. How on earth is this business ever going to turn a profit?
Have you dealt with this company
If you read the comment back you’ll see that he has indeed dealt with the company.
If your attention to detail is this poor, it’s no wonder you’re working for an estate agency that won’t charge for it’s services.
The initial comment was made by sunbeam, but porkpie is has replied saying. Their comment is clear that they did have interaction with the team.
someone has just outed them selfs as having more than one profile
“someone has just outed them selfs as having more than one profile”
Really? I would suggest it is one poster simply pointing you in the direction of the answer you were so desperately wanting someone to respond to.
You have what is being seen as an agenda-based interest. In order to clear up any potential misapprehension, how’s about you clarify your own position? Let’s start with your own questiion – right back atcha:
“Have you dealt with this company”?
If so:
On what basis did you deal with them?
What were your findings?
Why the interest in what others have to say (negative comments only, it seems)?
PeeBee (one profile only… ever)
What on earth are you wibbling on about?
I was just pointing out you missed the glaringly obvious bit in his comment that he has tried to deal with Strike…
Let the wibbling continue, porkpie… at least when they are doing that they aren’t mugging off an unsuspecting vendor.
Another nightmare company being allowed to operate under rightmoves strict ‘ as long as they pay ‘ policy.
When did you last use this company
I’m I alone in thinking they should not be described as an estate agent?
The definition of an estate agent is that you receive a fee for transacting on a property transfer not that you hope to advertise a property to gain a referral to an axillary service.
Ultimately, my own experience of all these bottom of the barrel fee agents is really, really poor – generally I find vendors wanting more ££ in their pocket from a proactive agent see them for what they are.
Have you dealt with this firm often?
“The ability to sell a home for free, without paying any estate agency fees, was always going to be well received!”
Indeed the idea of a free lunch is likely to go down well in Quarry Bank as they set sail in the Midlands.
Let’s hope its bosting not busting.
You have to hand it to Sam Mitchell his CV is right out of the top drawer with wide ranging experience he is primed for success .
He cut his teeth at Foxtons whilst Jon Hunt was still on the premises Then moved to Yourmove as a Regional MD ,followed by a short stint at Sothebys where Robin Paterson arrived on the scene
Followed by Head Of lettings at Rightmove.
in addition Strike backed by Charles Dunstone who is not known for backing losers.
Dunstone’s success at The Carphone Warehouse & his investment in Talktalk which has paid off in spades franks that. Currently busy rolling out the Five Guys burger chain His experience at finding sites for Carprhone warehouse will stand him in good stead for that
The Midlands will be key .
Latest accounts show that annual creditors of £27m are due in 12 months and a thumping great loss Mix in the costs of expansion that is a lot of free lunches to produce ancillary revenues .
The best of luck and no doubt Charles Dunstone is patient but no doubt would like to see a decent return on his investment at some stage.
I guess he likes to keep things simple so let’s hope they don’t live up to their change of name and get struck off.
Interesting times ahead
I agree and I also think Mitchell is a reasonable MD, although it doesn’t take any skill or expertise to give your product away. Anyone could do that.
Strike will damage the market share of other online players and then eventually it will go the same way as all the others and investors will lose confidence in their zero profit model.
True -their accompanied viewings must be expensive !