Boomin is close to finalising a new round of funding that will value it at close to £150m, according to Sky News.
It is understood that the property portal, which launched last year, is close to agreeing a capital injection that will see up to £20m committed to the business.
Boomin, headed up by Michael Bruce, is expected to announce details of the fundraising, which has been overseen by Oakley Advisory, over the next few weeks.
If accurate, Boomin’s valuation would be far higher than OnTheMarket’s existing market capitalisation, which would be welcome news for signing agents who receive shares.
Existing investors, including Channel 4’s media-for-equity venture and Foxtons, are understood to be participating in the latest raise.
Boomin says it has amassed 8,000 agents on its platform thanks largely to its free membership model.
However, property firms are being asked to pay to advertise homes for sale or to let on the property platform from today, and it is not clear at this stage what the uptake from agents will look like, despite a fresh request from EYE this week.
In response, the statement from Bruce said: “We are so pleased with the support from agents who are signing up to Boomin as part of our ongoing programme of getting out there and engaging with them in the process.”
Boomin says it will reveal at least some information on paid-for agency membership over the next few days.
Boomin has told EYE that it will not be commenting on the Sky News report given that that the fundraise is ongoing.
Comments (27)
All this money, and back of house is STILL waiting for the reports hub to “be built”… Bye!
They’ve not replicated the best bit of Rightmove ? Amazing
Ahem
those of you that comment on the Skillset of the BBS . Have they actually ever run a business that has made money. Burchell Edwards I believe went into receivership and was an absolute box of frogs bought by the Connells group which took time and money to sort out
The other business was something to do with renovating secondhand property of which Harry Hill from countrywide fame had a stake and I believe that also wound down.
Purplebricks– no comment required.
I’m a great believer in track record -do people not do research these days
There are people within these walls who have similar previous track record in agency and disruption that are welcomed back into the acceptability because their disruption wasn’t as effective as Purplebricks and they didn’t benefit anything like Bruce Bros.
Envy and resentment does not detract from the fact they told everyone what they were going to do then went off and did it.
Because the business did not do what everyone conventionally expected it to do; make a profit from duty of care and skill agency but at £1000 a time it doesn’t mean the floating of the business or identifying homes to buy for investment wasn’t for them and the savvy investors successful.
I said from the start why disruption cannot compete with #local agency, why it would not make money, none of that mattered to the project or the money that could be made from the chance it might.
The fact is the brothers know how to make money for themselves.
I doubt that they care what anyone else thinks of them.
Alan Sugar made a fortune from Amstrad a hopeless pc after all.
That is what this is all about, if genuine story …. shares value with other peoples money, then cut and run leaving the fall out.
Does anyone really believe from their past behaviour they really care about agents and their investors? This exposes how the system of share valuing can be manipulated and abused?
I was one of the 8,000, but as of today there are 7,999 remaining ‘cos I am not paying!!
Very few poor quality tenant leads – 28 in the whole year
No Landlord leads
No Smart Vals requested
No commission received
Anyone else done any better?
I think I know what Peter Jones would have to say in the Den about the valuation!!
7998 as I emailed Boomin this morning ending the free trial for broadly the same reasons as you KC54 . We have received maybe 4 smart val requests (none converted) , very few tenant letting leads over the 12 months & only 1 of which took a rental property.
We only use 1 portal , On The Market , as we are lettings only and everything we have to let goes quickly with a combination of our website , social media, Facebook etc.
Why waste money paying for a 2nd portal which has proven itself over the last 12 months not to produce any results ?
It does seem a bit odd that amid theall the negative comments that Boomin attracts there is hardly ever a positive comment.
Aren’t there lots of agents out there who are finding Boomin bloomin’ marvellous and can’t wait to start paying for all the business that they are receiving from it?
Come on, do tell us. Don’t be shy.
It’s because it’s the Bruce brothers. If they found a cure for cancer the usual suspects on here would still find reason to slag them off.
Fast forward a year maybe two and the vast majority of agents will be on Boomin and benefiting from it….an the expense of your much loved rightmove.
Hi Danny,
I’m guessing I’m one of the people you are talking about there in your comment. So, I’ll respond by saying that it was the exact comment from people that supported the idea two years ago. I’m still not a member, and neither will I be.
You are of course correct that it is because of the Bruce brothers. I would rather base my decision upon the people running it than stupidly forgetting the past and blindly following those who have forgotten or are too forgiving.
If they found a cure for cancer then I think we are talking of a different thing there. There’s no doubt that I would be happy to support any person who found a cure for cancer and I believe almost everyone reading this has been touched in some way by cancer, so they would also support them in this life-saving treatment. But it isn’t cancer is it, Danny, and to compare it to such is just wrong on all levels.
So now the company is “Worth” £150 million the shares they are offering to agents are “Worth” a fortune. Aye OK then.
Does anybody believe these charlatans that once tried to run us all out of business with terrible campaigns of anti-agency rhetoric.
Which then crashed and burned.
Any agent foolish enough to trust Boomin, has not read the story of wolf in sheeps clothing.
I think MarkRowe has captured it with his 3 categories of Boomin’s 8,000.
And I am sorry to the agents involved who no doubt some I might know and respect, but really… I have to agree with MarkRowe.
I wasn’t looking for agreement, but I will thank you for the comment anyway and take it, Ric! 😉
I laughed when I read your comment as I do with most of yours, you bring truth through humour – that’s the best way to deliver it!
why thank you Mark, and as they say… “many a true word spoken in jest”
Fair play…
Literally fair play…
If the agents are happy enough (replace happy with whatever) to expect an income from Boomin and happy the only winners are those able to flip shares at the right time to make easy BIG money then literally fair play to the agents for helping them, and extra credit due to the Bruce brothers for managing to convince 8,000 agents that Boomin was in some way an attempt to build the bridges after they wanted us all closed.
Please Mr B, next time you have an idea, can I get in with you at your level not one of the member agents, even half you level would be nice I reckon (don’t hold my not wanting to join Boomin against me), as I think I would be more help spinning the yawn, than being the person your reps try and sell to.
Bravo!
I don’t get it -valuation Ona business that charges nothing and is borrowing money -weird
Surprised MAB is involved here
I don’t get it -the valuation is on a business that charges nothing and is borrowing money for everything -weird Surprised MAB is involved here-didn’t realise that -why
@Paul836 said it all really.
If agents are paying for Boomin as of today then more fool you. You did fine without Boomin, you’ll do fine without them. It will only become another monthly cost you do not need.
The Bruce’s have a carved out little marketplace that attracts the following;
– New and fairly new agents
– The agent that plays a numbers game by signing up to everything new
– The agent that is a little dim in that they look up to the Bruce’s because they made millions with PB and they think they could be part of ‘something new’ and make money with them.
Look, if this offends you because you fall into one of those categories then that’s the point of my post, you should feel slightly silly right now. The Bruce’s went from literarily saying that the ‘traditional model’ is dead, misleading advertising (do not delete PIE as this was proven), to now selling out whilst most lost out, to being people who now want to promote agents… go figure!?
I’ve said it before, this whole thing is likened to an abusive relationship. Hit, cover up, say sorry, be nice. Then repeat.
I do not think anyone on here could deny that I was the little boy at the back of the crowd pointing out the King was in the altogether on disruption. I called it in 2013 on EAT and got it right even down to the fact Ewemove was different and stood a chance. So any support or positivity, from me, for Boomin will come as a surprise to anyone who recalls my outspokenness about the 24 hour estate agency where everyone is a qualified local expert. ( so is my aunt *****)
It won’t have a story on here but Boomin has overtaken Onedome in the portal challenger stakes, ( the Onedome numbers are out and they would have attracted Ros Renshaw’s attention, there’s unlikely to be a press release t about them)
Messr’s Bruce do work hard, a professional and balanced tag team who talk the same language as investors. Because they have that skill and a track record of building a £1.5b business for previous investors, investors will listen to them and make their own minds up.
I’m not predicting or calling what is going to happen to Boomin; Bruce Bros have their work cut out but they’re not afraid of that. Their past has been forgotten by some, it will never be forgotten or forgiven by others but Boomin has attracted interest from agents outside those 3 categories Mark, intelligent early adopters whose market share reflects their interest in innovation
XXXXX = diminutive of Frances
Announcement was made by Des Lynam, and in the background, there was a fight in the Grandstand studio!
How lucky that this valuation came out today, on the day agents start paying. How lucky.
The valuation is prob based on all of their current agents paying from today.
Honest question…. How do these two brothers do it? They lost a fortune with purplebricks and walked away with millions and looks like they will do it again….. it’s a bit like being a poor premiership manager. Mess it up and walk away with a fortune!
Next questions…… these people that keep backing this sort of rubbish, how are they still in jobs?
Final question…. Well it’s not a question.. Russell Quirk, all on the same boat. But Big Ben will have plenty to say I am sure.
Mr. Bruce explained that in 2014 “investors fear missing out more than they fear a loss”
April 1st