A ‘funeral’ is due to be held tomorrow to mark the “death” of high street estate agents.
The event, likely to draw criticisms of being of doubtful taste, is being organised by online agent easyProperty.
The publicity stunt is due to be held in London, starting outside a Foxtons’ office and will consist of a three-mile funeral procession led by easyProperty boss Rob Ellice and followed by some 40 people dressed up as pin-striped estate agents, complete with New Orleans-style jazz band. Its route will take the parade through areas with several estate agents’ office.
Media have been invited along to provide coverage of the event.
* This story appeared on another website but has since been taken down.
Comments (75)
Guys, you all forgetting one thing. Majority of people HATE estate agents (and job recruiters, car dealers, etc). I never met anyone who would say ‘ohh estate agents, they are such a great, honest and very helpful bunch. They are adding so much value when selling or buuing a property.’ 🙂 Nobody said that ever!
Now finally there is a service out there that does the same job as traditional high street estate agent but with less bullshitting and is so much cheaper. You guys think how much value you are adding but you are just fooling yourselves.
Believe me or not but most of people will happily bury traditional estate agents. Fact.
you don’t own a property do you?
I agree with Robert, you either do not own a property or you work for an online lister.
Do tell me what “Bullshitting” agents do?
I don’t think many people will ‘warm’ to Robert Ellice the HYPOCRITE who preaches on about high street estate agents yet still owns Clarke Hillyer, a high street estate agent.. he also asks why the public would want to spend their money with high street agents who spend it on fleets of cars etc… while he continues to cruise around town in his Ferrari… You really interested in providing a quality service (for the public AND your investors)… or just lining your pocket so you can continue the lifestyle your daddy created for you?
Oh, dear – failed the entrance exam to ‘traditional estate agency’ again, did we?
No doubt your spelling and grammar played a big part. Still – better luck next time.
Best work on your serious lack of attitudinal skills while you’re on – I’d hate it to be a case of ‘Three strikes – you’re out’ and your hopes of ever becoming a respected pillar of the community dashed for once and all.
How sad would that be?
Does anyone have the details of where this will be happening? I’d love to prank this stunt….
I can just see it now, someone with a load of flour bombs launching from roof top down onto the motely gathering below as they pass.
I seem to recall any demo in London requires a licence from the council and Met?
I’ve already planted some Claymores.
What’s next? Oh yes. I can see it. I mean they all do tend to have a high street presence don’t they. Easyundertakers.com. And as RealAgent suggests above, maybe they should start with themselves as client number one.
Sorry I’m a little late to the party, but I really really hope he does it. I would suggest he takes an extra coffin with him however, because frankly, it would be professional suicide.
A bit like Gerald Ratner had his moment, sounds like this could be the ‘Ellice stunt’
Or certainly words that rhyme with that!
Well that’s not childish and immature is it?
Any credibility is going to be lost, unless you’re a berk of a vendor/landlord yourself.
I wonder if Stelios has any idea this is happening?
I would think there is something in the legal agreement over use of the ‘easy’ name to the effect that it should not be dragged through the mud by tasteless demos etc. C’mon Stelios, get your lawyers on to this, pronto!
VERY, VERY TASTELESS
I have always wondered how Rob’s stance squares with his other business, http://www.clarkehillyer.co.uk/AboutUs.aspx – but hey. I don’t think a funeral procession is in anyway tasteful, but maybe his investors may want to have a wake. I think all businesses should succeed on merit and not manufacture schadenfreude at the expense of thousands of hard working, committed and professional people.
Anyone else enjoying the irony that Easy are using the high street to signal the death of it?
It just goes to show that if you want exposure to your business and your brand, being on the high street can be beneficial.
Aside from the people they walk past in London, who see all sorts of publicity stunts every day, no one else will hear about this around the country.
I can’t imagine it will make the BBC news
More importantly it will be old news next week …. long forgotten by the public.
Feel someone has been seduced by their creative / PR agency to run this.
Nice to see you actually do recognise ******** when you see it, Mr Jury… join the club!
Probably the agency that helped Michelle Mone
I agree with all the comments on here completely, but which ever way you look at it, its a genius bit of marketing.
The coverage they will get is massive
Did I read somewhere (at around midnight… before it was taken down…) that the alleged ‘procession’ was going to pass something like 170 Agents’ offices?
That’s thirty-odd more than one per property that this bunch currently have on their books – and they’re still giving away their services FREE!
You couldn’t make it up… Oh – someone has! ;o)
Those “Agents” who wish ill on others should remember the old phrase that “what goes round, comes round”.
Online Agency is making an awful lot of claims.
Claims made are there to be examined – and the examination process is throwing up some VERY interesting information…
…and I can’t wait for it all to hit the fan!
Doesnt deserve comment
I’m amazed he has received so many comments – what a stupid twassock!
agreed haven’t you guys got anything better to do not worth the effort
So… you comment that it wasn’t worth commenting?
Honestly – sometimes I despair.
Wonder if they will have orange drones hovering above!
If online agencies, this one in particular, can’t figure out how to talk to vendors about their values & beliefs without the use of cheap publicity, then the beneficiary will prove to be the high street agencies.
Estate agency is a human interaction and the trend is now for consumers to look for quality rather than price. I feel the bubble will soon burst for these faceless online agencies that have nothing to add to anyone’s experience of selling their home.
I’d very much like to see the ‘bubble burst’, but the plain truth is these ‘agents’ appeal to all those who ‘hate’ estate agents.
It’s important to note the customer of online agents isn’t a vendor, but the investor salivating at the prospect of ‘killing off high street agents’.
And I’m afraid to say these ‘customers’ are in a mile long queue to throw their cash on this particularly passionate bonfire.
When NAEA steps up to the plate and bats for agents with journalists, then there might be hope. But in the meantime, Russell Quirk et al have a monopoly on the time of young journos being conditioned to loath agents.
All the prior BIG TALK has come to nothing. It stinks of desperation and this will no doubt be yet another nail in easyflop’s coffin.
What is most infuriating is if a high street agent stooped so low the press and media would have a field day on the poor taste (rightfully so).
But as the majority of the press and media are so poorly educated and on crusade themselves to stick it to property professionals you will probably only see support of sleezyproperty!
Don’t forget, smile please – MR ELLICE STILL IS A HIGH STREET AGENT!!
Yes be interesting to see if he closes his other firm!
Well… clearly that’s the plan – kill ’em all off – it’s all going online, innit! ;o)
What other firm? it isn’t a NAEA, ARLA or RICS is it? Bringing the industry or trade bodies into disrepute (this clearly does) is against all 3 codes of conduct.
According to their website Clarke Hillier are RICS. Easy property might not professional firm in the recognised and dignified sense but the connection with RICS is close enough to say Mr Ellice is dragging their professional standing down into the gutter in a most abhorrent and tasteless way.
Apparently he’s “ARLA qualified” (credit: rummage4) – and the firm employs RICS qualified chartered surveyors – so it looks a case of 2 out of 3 ain’t bad! ;o)
Since when did we start crediting search engines?
Or just another shameless plug
(credit: Gump)
I think you’re aware that I’m extremely quick to jump on the multitude of ‘wrongs’ and inaccuracies we see on here.
I also give credit where credit is due, Gump.
Believe me – I’d much rather do that any day.
Rummage4 isn’t search engine Gump, so it’s hardly a plug. Calling Rummage 4 a search engine is like calling an iphone a mobile; focusing on a single feature rather than all that it does.
Exposing agents that are portal juggling or Agents’s data phishing are far more useful functions of Rummage4.
As for when did you start crediting search engines; Google has had 198 mentions on Property Industry Eye, Rummage4 has had 36.
I was more than happy to leave it at Peebees reply, but thank you for yet again explaining what your posh search engine does in what is yet another plug.
37 mentions, try and leave it there.
(credit; bored.com)
You can’t come on here calling my system a search engine and not expect me to say it isn’t. It isn’t a posh search engine.
Isn’t it strange how you are more concerned about Peebee mentioning my system that uncovers all sorts of wrong doing, collusion and shenanigans within the industry than you are about the wrong doing, collusion and shenanigans it uncovers.
Both of your mentions on it are really tiresome, and correct, I don’t much care what it uncovers, which is apparently not much or you two wouldn’t be plugging it at every opportunity.
Every opportunity? I post here most days and don’t plug the system at every opportunity. Others, including Ros Renshaw have actually mentioned it more than I have.
The difference is I have made sure my name is associated with my product and vice versa, I don’t need to mention the system.
I can live with you not liking the exposure, the product or me. The respect of people who understand, use and benefit from the system is enough. Those people have an understanding of what it has uncovered and the control it affords agents in their local areas.
Its just the exposure bit, nothing personal
REALLY, Gump? You have a problem with the “exposure” created by giving credit to a search tool (apologies if that term is too loose Robert – I’m simply stating a point) in a post, yet you make no reference to the column MILES of “exposure” taken up by the Quirks, Ellices and associated ‘disruptors/slayers/enter buzz-word here’ of our already maligned industry?
You couldn’t make it up.
You’re good Gump I am not taking it personally. I actually appreciate where you are coming from but I am not mentioning the product at every opportunity. It is people like Peebee who are genuinely delighted with what is does that are promoting it for me. I have no control over the positivity other than make the product as good as it can be.
It ought to be a sign of something good and positive that Peebee of all people is singing the praises of the system; he is the hardest, most merciless but honest critic on here. If I can please him I can please anyone.
If I was flogging something that wasn’t in agents’ best interests I would not be able to attract the support I do.
In your posts your have repeatedly called for agents to have the fortitude to turn off the portals, you ought to be supportive of a system that gives agents control of their industry.
Then I shall expect to see (credit: Google) (credit: Bing) appear in your posts then because I certainly haven’t noticed any thus far.
The column miles of exposure stories are what we come to EYE to read and have an interest in, the plentiful comments demonstrate this.
I don’t come here to see desperate plugs of something the majority really are not interested in
….without ever knowing that more than a few stories have been generated by stuff the system has exposed. That is why Rosalind Renshaw considers the system, “very, very clever”
As for desperate plugs, now you are being insulting, there is nothing desperate about what I am doing which is demonstrated by me giving approximately 1/3rd of my turnover to Agents Giving.
If you have a problem with Peebee’s enthusiasm and posting style slug it out with him don’t involve me in your nastiness.
Jeez, Gump (credit: Winston Groom 1986) – I didn’t think any reasonable person would or could get so wound up (credit: Ancient Greeks, 1st Century) about such a trivial thing.
Except, to Robert, in case you missed the hints, it’s not trivial.
In future, wherever you see (credit: *****) in one of my posts flutter past just in case it’s for something that offends your eyes.
Or just ignore my posts completely. Saves you the bother of having to avoid the occasional word.
Either way works for me.
This reply was to Peebee, Robert, not you. Natsiness is a little harsh tbh, but you did involve yourself in it so……
I couldn’t possibly ignore your posts Peebee, they amuse me no end!
Some of them are so long I have to take an early lunch to read them
Fair do’s Gump as Peebee said it isn’t nothing to me. In order to compete and beat some very powerful and long established competition (and I am doing that) I have to work longer, harder and smarter than any other service supplier.
I could take the easy (spits unpleasant taste from mouth) option of withdrawing from posting and debating but being fully exposed to Agency is something none of my contemporaries are prepared or qualified to do.
I put a considerable effort into providing stories and evidence to support stories on here to make PIE a place that attracts Agent readers. Other than the occasional mention from Ros I don’t receive or expect any acknowledgement for that but in return Ros does allow the odd mention from Peebee and others who benefit from RM4.That said I will seize any opportunity for guerilla marketing such as the one you kindly provided.
As a “High Street” agent, I can offer a professional and competitive service without the need for expensive overheads like Mardi Gras Jazz bands and personnel posing as Estate Agents.
Perhaps they have decided that is the absence of a USP they will try an RIP!
Tasteless, offensive and unprofessional. Exactly what we would expect.
Wins comment of the week fir me and it’s only Monday before 8am!
Someone said to me that cheap online agents can only provide a cheap service … I think that now extends to their professional standards.
Bottom feeders always find their level.
Seems Mr Ellice can’t keep hold of the directors who gave this any credibility, both Harry Hill and Guy Zitter are now showing as resigned directors. Perhaps Ros you should see if either of them along with Chris Welch have any comment to make on why there are some many high profile director resignations.
Maybe they are in the coffin.
LOVE IT! Gets my vote for ‘Comment of the week’! ;o)
Funnily enough, I’m currently in the process of sharpening some coffin nails, Woodentop…
I’ll keep looking over my shoulder.
I sincerely doubt there’s a need.
And those that will receive them will see them coming straight at them…
Will these coffins be self-build? I ask, because that might be a problem…
Seems Mr Zitter is still a director but not of E Prop Ltd. I have to say it is a bit of a come down from a respected position, something you could mention in polite company to this ( If in fact it takes place) Graham Norwood has done his usual trick of posting stories, pulling them down retracting or redacting them.
Everyone involved in this, whether true or false, can mark this as the bottom of the barrel and it has been thoroughly scraped.
I suspect that these type of PR stunts will become the norm as the ever growing number of online agents try to come up with yet more ways to make their ‘listing’ service stand out from all the other ‘listing’ service providers.
Shameful Ellice!
A step too far.
Although based on this shameful procession Mr Ellice may well stoop to the beheading of an Estate Agent next.
Is there nothing that this idiot won’t try for self/business promotion
It’s just desperation… Purplebricks, and even Emoov, are outmarketing easyproperty.
I have to say, the only ‘profitable’ online agent so far seems to be Openrent. And they did things on the cheap, rather than paying for pricey adverts.
What a crass idea. I train agents throughout the UK and they are not deserving of the outdated criticism and stigma that frankly are a throwback to the 1980’s. I also know a number who are dealing with serious personal challenges, including my wife who had to retire from being an estate agent due to her terminal illness. I will be doing my best to keep her unaware of this tasteless publicity stunt.
As per usual, easyproperty is late to the party.
Online agency – doing a great job of making cheap look incompetent.
Crazy valuations – Purplebricks blew them out of the water, and with a credible investor
Publicity stunts – Transferwise already marched through London’s streets declaring the death of ‘fees’ charged by banks for currency transfers.
Note: Transferwise maintained some dignity by mourning the death of unfair fees, and not the bankers…