OnTheMarket has recruited two sister firms with 28 branches between them.
One is Townends, a 21-branch estate and letting agency firm covering London, Surrey, Middlesex and north Hampshire, and the other is London business Stirling Ackroyd, with seven branches.
Both businesses are owned by Nick Dunning Associates.
Matt Hewitt, commercial director at Nick Dunning Associates, which is run by a team of ex-Countrywide seniors, said: “In an increasingly digital world it is important to be represented on all the major portals and OnTheMarket has shown itself to be gaining momentum and becoming a credible challenger to the big two.”
OTM announced on August 23 that 10,500 agent offices were in contract with the portal, believed to be approximately 57% of UK residential estate and letting agency branches.
Comments (28)
The reality is that OTM need Rightmove, without RM there is no “Boogieman”.
I continue to pay my Day 1 V1 Gold Duped Membership and watch the trickle of Free Joiners…. and that’ll be fine if they all stay when it comes time to pay monthly, as I have done from Day 1, honouring my original contract.
An earlier poster mentioned “cynicism”? …..clearly you never lived & breathed OTM from Day 1.
Moving forward, the last thing my business needs is 3 Portals to pay for! Zoopla are in overdrive to sign up Members. OTM continue the Free Giveaway for the reasons we know and Rightmove sit silently banking on NO Revolution from The Estate Agency Industry.
Sorry to say that OTM are not going to save the day in my view, it’s become a vehicle to enrich the top percent if they can achieve an acceptable level of success. Sadly, every conversation I have had with Ian Springett left me with the feeling that he was simply Captaining this ship in the hope of self-enrichment…. that’s not a slur on Ian, simply my view of his motivation, NOT Our Industry, merely his personal enrichment.
Zoopla long ago settled for 2nd best and have cleverly diversified their business and seek to maximise the data/users they have to enrich their business.
Rightmove? …..WE built them! …..and unless they take a different view of their future relationship with their subscribers (You & Me) they will have deliberately or inadvertently constructed a Vitriolic Chasm which will never be healed between Estate Agents & Rightmove.
The glaring problem amidst all of this Portal Chaos is US! Estate Agents/Letting Agents/Property Sales & Lettings Business…. we align to character, we say one thing, however actually do another, because we can’t Free ourselves of the perception of “Competitive Advantage”…..I have the 1 Marshmallow Option, so you take the 2 Marshmallow Option, and then that other one takes the 3 Marshmallow Option…. and so it spins around and around and so Rightmove have simply kicked back and lapped it up. From Day 1 with Rightmove I took the basic package, despite my fellow agents clambering for the spangly RM Products…. how many agents never got suckered into taking additional products/services?
The Day is coming where I may have to actually try and do something about a Rightmove, because Zoopla gave up a long time ago and OTM aren’t really interested. I failed with keeping OTM V1 because I didn’t have the ability to play smart in the Big Boys Enrichment Playground and so we ended up with OTM V2? …….however I see no change because Estate Agency is merely a plaything for the top percent.
So, at this stage I’ll simply say this to Miles Shipside & Rightmove…. not even the Rightmove DeathStar can think this gravy train is going to keep on running ……it’s time to actively engage with your Subscribers ……you don’t fear Zoopla or OnTheMarket however you should consider the “What if Estate Agents actually decide to……..”.
Time to emerge from your bunker Rightmove/Miles & Co and engage in a meaningful way with your Subscribers.
because we can’t Free ourselves of the perception of “Competitive Advantage”
But what about if some of us throughout the UK could free ourselves from this…..and work together collectively to both gain more business and raise the perception of ‘independent estate agents’ in the eyes of the public?
It’s a pity that very few agents will read what you have written, because of the time it was posted!
GPL, I completely understand your frustration with OTM and followed your campaign with interest. Things should have been done differently and while I understood the OOP rule in terms of managing those of us who can’t help but sign up for everything as a way of demonstrating they do more, I think it should have been relaxed before the move to IPO where so much good will went out of the window. I never though and still don’t, think that OTM was ever going to slay our addiction to RM on its own but I did think it would play a part and still do, RM and its board should be concerned, because the damage of the last few years combined with the uncertainty oh how the next few months will play out may force quite a few agents to contemplate the unthinkable. It won’t take many in some areas to see that others have ditched it and survived for the others to give it a go. RM haven’t diversified and have little or no good will to fall back on and I think the failure of PB et al to really gain a foothold in the market will put them off any thought of trying to offer their services direct to sellers as is often predicted. When they do start to see more than a trickle of lost subscriptions it will be very interesting to see how they respond.
SO… here’s an interesting scenario of 28 branches in 28 towns where the current PAYING MEMBERS will have awoken to find all of their listings leapfrogged by the new agencies’ freebies.
Makes you all warm and squelchy inside… I don’t think.
Here’s another example, fresh today, on my patch.
onthemarket.com/agents/search/?agent-name=Pattinson&agent-search-type=branches
27 branches bumped to the front of 27 queues.
Well, I’ve reached the point where I’ve had enough of RM and handed my notice in. Mirroring AgentV’s comment in the Tax article, its been a tough year and while I’m feeling more hopeful that Brexit will be orderly after the last few weeks I want to break our dependency on/fear of leaving RM. OTM may have proved frustrating to those of us who’ve supported from the start but it was never going to be straightforward. I do think though, that along with changes in how people search and the ability to use social media more, it is providing us with options. With a few options it just needs enough of us to be brave to give it a go in leaving RM and I’m sure others will follow. You’d like to think that at some point RM will recognise how quickly a trickle could become a flood and move to reconnect with its consumer base, which, despite all the advertising to the public, is us. It may be that that those at the top of RM don’t see it or are too fearful of investors to speak loud about it but you must imagine that the reps on the frontline fully understand how much ill will is out here. If the directors of RM don’t respond to a trickle and change tack a flood may become unmanageable
We stopped print advertising way before anyone else in our areas, have never seen any value in RM’s (or anyone else’s) bells and whistles, we’ve even tackled the shop front fear, now its time for the last fear of not having it. I’ll be going back with Zoopla as an established portal to offer vendors who are concerned and I’ll counter concerns over not having RM by pointing out all the extra places Zoopla get their feed. I know that ultimately, serious buyers will find our properties and that I can win instruction on the service that I provide. It may be a little bumpy along the way but it’ll be worth it and I’ll be able to choose where and when I use the RM spend in other forms of marketing.
just a thought while typing-Its often suggested that we organise a strike from RM. Surely a simpler way of showing strength of feeling may be just to inquire about what notice you can give, maybe even submit it and if you aren’t fully committed withdraw it before termination.
On a final note, before I go back to being a parasite and enjoying everybody’s posts and not contributing, I think we need to look forward with OTM and not back. It hasn’t been perfect, particularly in the information vacuum prior to the IPO and the board’s share options made us all a little bit suspicious of their motivation but its in all of our interests for there to be a strong and different 3rd portal. Cynicism is easy but doesn’t really contribute anything to the discussion. The start of anything new will see cynics abound and sometimes they are proved right but frequently wrong. Optimism has to be the default mindset for an estate agent and I don’t think its possible to be otherwise and survive any length of time in this industry, particularly in the last 10 years. So if you didn’t back it from the start and haven’t more recently why not just wish it, and those of us who’ve backed it well and just accept it’s not for you. Carping on about it being another RM is nuts, its never going to have the same run as that did, it was a phenomenon if it’s time and still living off that legacy. Just my thoughts.
Nice post…. onthemarket has a value of about £100 a month for us…. and £99 of that is sympathy to the cause. hope they can make it work off those figures after February…
At lease the public new who ZOOPLA were
might be worth buying some shares in rightmove while at it….
Which area of the country are you in Robert72? Be good to connect.
Its all well and good these companies “signing” but how many will stay when the freebie period ends? And if agents do stay when this trial time finishes, then said agents are paying for 3 portals rather than 2, defeating the object completely.
The only mass exodus there will be will be from OTM when they start charging. Very few if any will leave RM.
All the ‘brave’ little souls on here saying they left RM and its not changed their business are tinpot companies with incredibly little market share from what i have seen.
I don’t know, I do think attitudes are changing, albeit very slowly. We need to stop telling our vendors/landlords that RM is the holy grail.
well said, it will take time, but IMHO, surely the easiest and cheapest way to advertise is via social media
Why do you expect that Springett won’t do what Rightmove did to agents in 5 years once he has all the listings and power?
Because they are naive or stupid, take your pick.
Can I go with both?
Mass exodus from stupidly greedy Rightmove on the cards?
Let’s hope so.
Supporting OTM is the only way to do this.
Yes it’s a great example of the hare and the tortoise… trouble is even the tortoise will die of old age waiting for this race to finish.
Mass exodus? Are the agents that are joining OnTheMarket also dropping Rightmove? It does not appear so.
“In an increasingly digital world it is important to be represented on all the major portals.”
We’ll see what happens once OTM’s ‘free for a year’ offer ends and agents are faced with the choice of paying to appear on three separate portals.
But they are dropping Hoopla! We did
This is “News” from OTM?
It’s like listening to “10 Green Bottles standing on the wall…….”.
Let me know when something notable happens
Zzzzzzzzzzz.
It’s game over….
This is the first multi branch announcement since the Facebook deal was announced last week and just after the start of the multi million pound marketing and TV campaign.
I suspect the announcements will come thick and fast now.
It looks like agents are finally coming to their senses. It’s about time Rightmove got a ****** nose after the way theyve taken their customers for granted for so long.
Agents are sick of being shafted with year on year price hikes.
The agents hold the key to where they advertise their stock. A rightmove without stock is just a domain name.
That £76 million RM profit should be in the agents and their clients pocket.
Sorry…did I go to sleep and wake up with all these agents dumping rightmove for #onthemarket? Oh no, we are all still on rightmove as well… what are you lot taking? 3 years now and u are all still holding mummy s/ rightmoves hand to cross the road.
Bless You
I have to agree with your post, with one small amend.
“3 years now and WE are all still holding mummy s/ rightmoves hand to cross the road.”
You’ve got as tight a grip as any – I’m sure the monthly payment shown on your P&L means you don’t forget that.
Forced into it by weak agents and market forces peeBee.. and the fact it helps me retain £10,000 of stock every month… I have admitted being a traitor but iam not going to change anything on my own so i have to lump it. Onthemarket on the other hand who are earning millions are doing nothing to hurt rightmove…
They arent even having a go at online agents , which is a massive opportunity to show real agents who wont offer unethical PayAnyWay contracts whose side they are on in this relentless attack on our no sale no fee industry.
All I see is that they have added another cost.
No revolution here people move along.