A touting letter has spelled out that just under one-third of home movers visit both Rightmove and Zoopla.
The letter was pushed through the door of a vendor whose property is for sale through an agent that lists on Rightmove and OnTheMarket.
It is from Reeds Rains, part of LSL.
The letter tells the vendor that one in three home movers “will not see your property online if your agent doesn’t advertise it on both Rightmove and Zoopla”.
The letter’s maths are in contradiction of claims made by estate agency trainer Richard Rawlings in a letter to OTM boss Ian Springett.
In it, Rawlings claimed that 80% of home movers will only ever visit one portal.
However, the Reeds Rains letter suggests a completely different pattern of portal use.
Comments (10)
smile please – following your mention of Mealham and INEA.
I’m sure there will be an article tomorrow that this will be very relevant to – but it’s getting posted tonight here first.
So the bloke’s resurfaced – both down the other pub where he’s collected his thirty pieces of silver; and all over Tw@tter tonight stating he’s reported AM&OTM to every acronym going, short of RSPCA and MENSA.
Now here’s the thing. He’s got bats in his belfry over what he sees as a restrictive practice – even though the Agents who signed up as Members HAD A FREE CHOICE whether or not to join.
Now let’s look at HIS OWN offering – which he now claims isn’t a portal – and a post he submitted right here on EYE, on 1 August 2014:
“The new INEA portal goes live mid August and agents budget agents will be turned away. We don’t want them and to be honest the consumer would be far better off without them.”
So… a portal which isn’t a portal – which also freely admits it RESTRICTS MEMBERSHIP.
Currently, Mr Mealham claims that by agreeing to the ‘OOP Rule’, Agents are potentially not acting in their clients’ best interests, YET in March 2014 he stated
“I am a big advocate of outlawing bad agency practice. there is more to selling a home than simply listing it on portals… Main portals have changed the way property is marketed and in many ways ruined consumer service for a stick it on RM or Z and that will do attitude.”
Sorry – IS IT or ISN’T IT in the client’s best interests, Mr Mealham? Time to make your mind up…
On 21 January 2013, Mealham stated on EAT
“Take or delay listings appearing on main portals. Even by 7-10 days and public would have to search first listers.”
Again, sorry – what part of ‘ACTING IN THE CLIENTS’ BEST INTERESTS’ is THAT suggestion?
Back here on EYE, 2 September 2014 to be exact, to an article which the first line stated ‘In a highly significant move, the Glasgow Solicitors Property Centre is joining Agents’ Mutual, and has given notice to its current portal partner, Zoopla’,.the chap posted the following:
“Good move… Then well done Scottish agents for leaving Zoopla. With less content sites like RM and Z will suffer.”
Also
“Both RM and Z will still be viable routes for a FEW years – BUT with less content (ie houses) the public won’t favour them so much… Proper agents are dong the right thing in taking valuable SEO content away from the big portals… At INEA we do a lot of UK and overseas property market study. What your not seeing is that if propertes are NOT on RM or Z then they can’t be SEO optimized and will be found elsewhere… The way the UK market CAN RUN isnt just down to where properties are advertised.”
There’s a 5h!t-pile more of this – but presumably everyone else is as fed up reading his bipolaresque views which change more frequently than his undercrackers.
PLEASE, Mr Mealham – MAKE YOUR BL00DY MIND UP whether listing on ‘the duopoly’ portals is best, worst, good, bad, safest or most dangerous for our clients.
Or just keep your freakin’ nose out of what we do for them – and for us – to fulfil their dreams of moving home.
Google the full report. Interesting reading by the leading research institute, Nielsen that backs up RR’s letter.
I did. And unless there is another report….
Source: Nielsen NetView, December 2012
It’s nearly 3 years out of date. That’s a lifetime in internet years.
What next? Asserta Homes report increase in traffic according to Nielsen research?
If this touting letter had come through my front door, I’m afraid it would have gone straight into the bin, along with Reeds Rains’ reputation.
Congratulations, your spell-check software made sure ‘professional’ was spelt correctly.
Unfortunately, grammar checking is not so easy: “… if you’re agent doesn’t…”. I’m sorry, what do you mean by “…if you are agent doesn’t…”?
I would not entrust my house sale to such an obvious buffoon. I’m off to check out their adverts now. No doubt their properties come with ‘dinning rooms’ and are ‘defiantly worth viewing’.
Anybody else seen the hilarious news Trevors INEA has been classed as “Another portal” by OTM so members cannot be on both.
Made me smile, looks like reporting them has blown up in your face Trevor!
smile please – I would strongly suggest that the portal in question was included in the ‘OOP Rule’ from the very outset. I’ve certainly believed that all along.
Why else do you think Mr Mealham would have been hissy-fitting for so long about it.
They are simply enforcing it now.
I’m certain that there will be something…somewhere…in the archives here on EYE or down the other pub that confirms my belief…
…I’ll have a rummage! ;o)
Nonsense. The are many consumers who do not use or even heard of Z, even more don’t use RR own web site. RR ever since they joined LSL have always been close to crossing the line with their marketing practices. Only needs someone to complain to the ASA and they will have a major problem.
According to independent website auditor Nielsen, over 80% of traffic is unduplicated.
The audiences of Rightmove and Zoopla are very different, with little crossover between the major property portals.”
Google the full report. Interesting reading by the leading research institute, Nielsen that backs up RR’s letter.
I think this website should be renamed OnTheIndustry. Of course it would mean that its members would not be allowed to visit any other industry news websites, but that’s ok right??
Err most of of don’t anyway, this is the only one worth reading due to the its editorial integrity.
You can read one story on other sites at midnight, post comment and then find the story mysteriously redacted or edited with no explanation. That leaves comments embarrassed & out of context with no apology given. Such a lack of integrity and respect for the readership is unacceptable.
Harry, why do you only comment on one type of story?
Do you only read the portal stories on here?
Have you nothing to say on any other industry subject that this publication writes?
Bit of an own goal, your latest comment, clearly showing that you don’t bother even looking at articles that aren’t about portals……which,in fact, comprise the vast majority of articles in this publication.