OnTheMarket has clarified that its ‘one other portal’ rule only applies within the UK.
Yesterday on EYE, we carried comments from Savills that it has not seen the number of leads diminish since it left Zoopla, but has seen the quality improve.
However, readers were quick to point out that Savills, along with other OTM agents, still advertises international properties on Zoopla.
We asked OTM for further information, and a spokesperson told us: “Savills is allowed to do this.
“Our international offering isn’t live yet and it will be in the coming weeks.
“But it has never been the case that the one other portal rule would extend to international because the whole point of it is to disrupt the duopolistic UK market, so it’s not the same case for overseas.
“There are lots of small portals which cover the international market.
“Agents have to be able to market their properties in the country where the stock is located.”
Comments (44)
It is time for a new UK portal. A portal where:
– everything is market driven
– agents have a direct interest in promoting the portal
– agents pay only the fees they are happy with
– a portal where agents are working together and they are not direct competitors
– without any limitation on where else an agent can promote their properties
– a portal, that will work for the agents
– a “sharing” portal, a word that is used more and more in 2016!
This portal is coming soon!
So how many agents are in competition with overseas market that is disadvantaged by the rule? None they are all equal. Does it matter to a UK only agent? No, as the duopoly exists for everyone. Can’t see what the hype is about, actually I can and so can most others.
My take on this – they’re happy to use the portals where it leverages their own business. Surely as part of a mutual, paying subscription fees to Zoopla the very portal you are trying to destroy is madness. It is allowing S & KF to increase their profit position whilst agents only dealing in UK stock are being disadvantaged. I appreciate that the portals have regional variance – rightmove works best in X, zoopla in Y and OTM in Z. There are plenty of testimonials saying that they have left (insert portal name) and it has made no difference. BUT to allow the leaders of OTM to profiteer ( = earn revenue from international arms and increase UK market share) and line the pockets of the rival portal they are trying to destabilise makes it a very bitter pill to swallow. Anyone thinking it doesn’t matter it’s overseas and it doesn’t affect us needs to reexamine the situation.
Try explaining that again if you wouldn’t mind so that everyone can understand.
So DavdB, you are suggesting as members of OTM we should rise up and stop Knight Frank and Savills selling property overseas? Err ok that’s a reasonable ask….I don’t think!
They are entitled to sell property abroad, as are all estate agents. The only discussion here is whether, in the absence of OTM being available overseas, they should be advertising through Zoopla (or any other portal) effectively meaning they are on three not two as specified by the membership rules.
Naturally, those posters that spew venom at anything OTM will be making a big deal of it, as they are here. But the bottom line is much to their disappointment, if I am anything to go by, the members are not going to be engaging in a heated debate over it, but perhaps, as PeeBee has, feel they are entitled to volunteer an opinion on it.
By the way, no one ever set out to destroy Zoopla, you’ve been reading these pages for too long, the idea was to have a portal, supported, owned and run by estate agents. No other agenda was ever there to my knowledge.
There is no shortage of buyers in the current market so why pay a grand a month to Rightmove, if its valuations you are after a superb marketing campaign can be launched for less money and OTM can be supported after all is this not what independents said they wanted.
WELL… sorry – but I’m sort of ‘breaking rank’ on this one.
My PERSONAL view – not my company’s – is that this is fundamentally wrong.
If you’re off RM or Z – then you’re OFF. That was the commitment we all agreed to make.
I can’t see any grey areas in that. To my recollection, there were never any highlighted nor discussed during the joining process.
I can’t see why there should be any loopholes either.
Next you’ll be told that this allows them to still display the Z logo on their website…
I hope you recognise your comment as anti-competitive and luddite.
I don’t give a flying f@rt what you or anyone else for that matter want to recognise my comment as.
I don’t lie; I don’t make things up as I go along – and I don’t say what people want me to say.
My company abides 100% by the Rules of Association of AM.
Call us Luddites – but we believe an Agreement is exactly that; and that professionalism rules.
Unfortunately – and we see this almost every day – we seem to be in the minority with our views.
What if, just what if the agrement and rules were deemed illegal.
Presumably then you would not still
“believe an Agreement is exactly that”
and
“bides 100% by the Rules of Association of AM.”
This is a non-question, as IF “the agrement and rules were deemed illegal” then there would legally be no agreement to abide by or believe in.
“Springer old chap , how do we handle this , it’s really embarrassing , someone might ask questions about the amount of money we’ve piled into the overseas thing and ask questions , will they not ask why we’ve sunk a load a load of money into developing something entirely unrelated to the Uk market that we are trying to disrupt and demand a vote ”
“hahahaha…. A vote !! Jesus old chap calm down , we haven’t voted on anything yet”
They have had one vote, premium listings. But other than that, quite a funny post!
They will give votes on minor issues to appease, but anything important will be run by the real puppet masters – and we know who these gentlemen are.
Take back control of UK agency and don’t hand these two complete control over UK agency.
I’m not say a word
OTM really don’t get the importance of PR, do they? This sort of thing is hugely damaging to their effort to bring new members on board, It gives the knockers a field day.
‘Our international offering isn’t live yet and it will be in the coming weeks’ should have been followed by the words… at which time the one other portal rule will kick in and Savills and others will move their overseas property listings to OTM.
I feel for the few 1,000 independent agents who liked the concept and signed up to Agents Mutual. Your businesses are suffering in a tough market – the AM board know that, but they are all out to feather their own nest and don’t give a 2nd thought to how many businesses they ruin to get their own portal. A long standing industry friend of mine in Berkshire tried to explain their business was suffering and they face going out of business so needed to cease their OTM 5 year contract, and were told by OTM they would take them to court for the full value of their contract. Disgusting.
Incidentally they have stopped paying them and heard nothing further.
‘..business was suffering and they face going out of business..’
All because they supported OTM? What complete and utter tosh.
Tell me PP, how can you comment on someone else’s business? How do you know if that statement is true or not? I can tell you it is. I never said “because the supported OTM”. But their phone stopped ringing and their market share dropped. Off you go – haven’t you got a valuation to be at…?
So if a business is struggling, you think that OTM should treat them differently to their car lease company, their telecom provider, the company they lease their copiers from do you? Get in the real world BD a contract is a contract and however harsh it is for your friend, whilst we may have every sympathy with his plight to suggest OTM were any different to any other creditors has no justification.
Members of the mutual, you should revolt…who are the main overseas properties from…Savills and Knight Frank…me thinks Mr Jarman and Mr Flint have you all on strings…very pleased I never got involved in this old boys club!
Why would we be even bothered about websites abroad? How does it possibly give them advantage in their UK markets over other OTM members. Congrats GilesH for the first nonsense comment of the day!
Mugs, the lot of you.
It would be funny if Zoopla kicked them off.