Just 3% of firms have been identified for inclusion into this year’s Best Estate Agent Guide, suggesting that 97% of agents are just not good enough.
Publishers of the guide, The Property Academy, says that only this 3% handful has achieved the standard necessary to gain entry.
The guide, now in its third year, is supported by Rightmove.
The Property Academy says over 1m listings, 25,000 branches and 15,000 agencies have been analysed.
The top 20% of branches and best 3% of agencies are to be included in the Guide, with the latter announced at the link below.
Academy founder Peter Knight said: “The bar is set very high, far higher than any other awards or assessment.
“The winners can be proud that they have passed the most rigorous test that includes every agency, every branch and all business models.”
He said that the process starts with asking thousands of landlords and sellers what matters to them when renting or selling, and then assessing how well each and every listing, branch and agency on Rightmove performed against their criteria.
He said that it includes a “Herculean mystery shopping exercise with qualifying branches being contacted up to four times to gain an indication of typical service levels”.
The winners have the opportunity to collect their award at the EA Masters event on October 10 from TV presenters Gabby Logan and Jonathan Davies.
The event also includes a conference that this year is themed “Fast Forward” reflecting Property Academy’s view that it’s time to accelerate new initiatives and to innovate faster to succeed in today’s market.
Knight said: “The BEAG assessment confirms that the top 3% of agencies are far better than the average in terms of property marketing, results and customer service.
“These agencies have the opportunity to profitably grow much faster by highlighting just how much better they deliver for landlords and sellers, and citing credible research to support these claims.”
While ‘shortlisted’ entrants are usually encouraged to buy conference seats and tables by awards organisers keen to drum up sales, Knight said that the BEAG winners have been announced before tickets to the event have been released for sale.
This year’s Best Estate Agent Guide firms do not have to pay to be in the guide and have paid nothing for entry, but will have to purchase licences to make the most of their inclusion.
Knight said: “The BEAG has no entry fees and the top 20% of branches will be listed for free on the consumer-facing website.
“Those agencies that see the advantage of promoting how much better they are than the average can purchase a licence to do so and also have the opportunity to receive their award in person at the estate agency event of the year.
“We find that the best agencies come each year to learn new ideas from truly world-class speakers and to see the latest products and services from over 60 leading industry suppliers.
“The best seek to get better and the improved standards in the BEAG assessment confirm that the top 3% of agencies are widening the gap between themselves and the majority.”
Today’s announcement lists the top 3% of agencies.
The full list of branches that have made it into the BEAG will be announced next week.
Comments (25)
Agreed on Rightmove.
Worst service/communication from any service provider that I interact with.
Gold Standard Cr@p!
Thankfully I don’t dance to the BEAG/Rightmove tune
I’m solely interested in what my clients think of my company’s actual service as they are paying me/my company for our service and their feedback is all that matters
Independent Awards with “No strings”? that’s not BEAG. For the record, in case one thinks “sour grapes” – a Silver Award each year, and frankly it means nothing at my coal face
Who are BEAG & Rightmove to rate any Agent?
Rightmove’s customer service is absolutely sh£te! – where do I post their “Award” from me – The Rightmove large sack of sh£te Award, which they have successfully won from me over many, many years
Where do we rate/feedback a publicly visible review for Rightmove?
with you all the way ….#sackrightmove…did the mystery shoppers not pick up the sense that agents don’t like Rightmove…sounds like BEAG need new mystery shoppers
Help me please!
So, is this…
An award based purely on Rightmove data?
How the Property Academy assesses either a single interaction or +1 if an EA has both functions (but only if you make the cut)?
If one of your branches is successful the whole company gets listed as outstanding?
And all this without 1 single review or conversation with a buyer/seller/landlord or tenant along the way.
I’m sure it will be a great evening!
So our letter has arrived. We are ‘in the 3%’. But it’s £250 a head…
Has everyone got the ‘winners’ letter this morning?
I think 100% of estate awards are rubbish
Couldn’t agree more. They make you pay to enter. Fine but it means they are only as good as the ones that entered but sadly agents have the habit of using the awards as if all agents were entered. I have seen cases of one agent winning gold award when no-one else but their other branches were entered and the public were left believing they were the best of all local agencies.
Well that’s categotically not the way these work. Agents don’t pay to enter and every single agent is reviewed.
by all means I think creative criticism or questioning over the techniques and measurements but you can win the overall agent of the year without paying a penny.
When will estate agents get away from awarding each other chunks of plastic – and realise that the only ‘award’ consumers recognise these days is a great score on Google?
What you mean that can be left by a gmail account created that day? Hardly a benchmark of quality or success is it?
Hi There,
I’m a little surprised at the comments so far. My belief is that anything that recognises great (or even better than average) work from estate agents can only be a good thing. We’ve entered these and other awards over the years and lost far more than we’ve ever won but the benefits are, in my opinion, significant. To answer “AgencyInsider”… No I couldn’t honestly say we’ve definitely won “meaningful business” just because of an award. However, I would think it very likely that at least some prospective landlords or sellers take this into consideration when deciding who they might invite to advise them.
There are also benefits in terms of the self-perception of colleagues within the firm. Many, though of course not all, are proud to see their efforts recognised in this way. I can also certainly say that, in my direct experience, awards like this certainly do aid with the recruitment process. It’s often mentioned during interviews.
Of course, all awards have a different “flavour” and criteria. These particular awards are free to enter and, as I understand it, are largely based on extensive mystery shopping. How can that possibly be a bad thing?
The event itself, if previous years are anything to go by, will no doubt be an AMAZING experience – with lots of brilliant ideas from numerous experts and industry guru’s.
I for one can’t wait and I thank Peter Knight and his team for being so ambitious for our industry!
IMO- ”Mystery Shopping” is one of the most infuriating exercises that can be performed…it amounts to unsolicited contact that wastes the time of businesses/ working people trying to support themselves, their families and simply trying to achieve in the work place…
As far as I can tell, none of those 25,000 branches have invited or asked for BEAG to contact them (doubtless some may welcome it- as a part of a corporate ”back-slapping” exercise), and it seems somewhat arrogant to assume that such approaches are welcome…
Moreover, to then have the audacity to claim that 97% simply aren’t up to the ‘high standards’ set by BEAG, is pretty distasteful…All for some ‘slot’ on a meaningless list so you can be ‘lucky’ enough to purchase a chair (or table) at, what is essentially, a glorified p*ss-up…
(Disclaimer: Not a case of ‘sour grapes’…my firm has won 8 nationally recognised industry awards in the last four years- and I can safely say (other than the passing feeling of achievement by my teams- which is of course a welcome [but shortlived] bit of positivity!), the exercise was pretty futile, and has gained no tangible business purely on the merits of winning such awards.)
Unsurprisingly I’m in complete ageeement with Simon here.
Well, I for one was absolutely stunned when every single one of the award winners was actually at the 2018 EA Masters on a paid-for table. Stunned. What a coincidence that they could all make it.
You get asked to attend if you’ve ‘won’ something..
Or “you’ve won something if you ask to attend”
We use the status fairly well I think.
We use it on confirmation emails about valuations and on the written valuation.
Has we won directly because of it who knows but sounds good and goes down well with customers.
£250 a ticket and apparently 97% of us are rubbish. No thanks.
Genuine question. Has anyone ever actually won any meaningful business that they can attribute to having an award? Any award.
Yes, Agency Insider, my firm has had great results in this two years running. Whether you like the method or not, it’s certainly been of great benefit to us!
We use it in all our communications. Great advertising tool.
I’d be surprised if 3% of agents are interested in anything supported by Rightmove…
Partially in agreement…I suspect that under the current climate, teaming-up with Rightmove isn’t going to generate a huge amount of goodwill amongst agents…
Akin to organising a Primary School sports day and having Gary Glitter as its principle partner….
Perhaps we should shun every company who has a sponsorship relationship with Rightmove ….
But only if you pay ????
This new way of deciding 3% doesn’t work. Call centres scoring points and rightmove stats are just stats. Bring back to the ea awards.