Property pundit and buying agent Henry Pryor has soft-launched a new prototype resource for off-market properties.
He says that NotOnTheMarket is the reverse of a property portal.
Toying with the idea of using Twitter as an off-market market place, he has set up a protected Twitter account at https://twitter.com/Not_OnTheMarket
Users have to ask to follow it and to be approved before they can see details of properties for sale and to rent that are not going to go public, and also read about retained client searches which they might be able to match with properties. Users cannot retweet from it, meaning that its content is confidential.
Pryor said: “It is very early days. If it gets going, then users would have to pay £1 a day. People can post for free, or email details to me.”
He went on: “More and more people would prefer that their intended transaction was not done in the full glare of the open market or under the microscope of Google, Rightmove or Zoopla.
“The internet will index your efforts for eternity and in a tougher market it’s easy to make a mistake with pricing a property, for instance, that will be recorded and might potentially be used in future negotiations.
“Retained client searches can meet off-market instructions quickly, discreetly and efficiently.
“It may be too early, but a private Twitter account seemed an interesting place to bring buyers and sellers together with some anonymity and enable them to contact each other directly if they have something in common.
“It’s not replacing something that exists at the moment, it’s adding a channel that many agents and their clients already use.”
Comments (19)
“Pay me £1 a day, i’ll advertise your property on my locked twitter account that only people I allow can view it, no you wont be OnTheMarket or Rightmove or Zoopla, but with my buyers alone we can sell your house in Abbeycwmhir for over what these other agents are saying”
This is the same Mr Pryor who was yesterday bleating
‘On the market for 9 months, 2 price reductions yet the seller STILL doesn’t want to take my bid. It’s the only one!!’
on Tw@tter, isn’t it?
Oh ‘eck – we’d better hope that this latest venture succeeds… or get ready to start ducking for cover when stuff gets chucked out of the Pryor Perambulator at terminal velocity!
Ah ok, so now I get it and I take back my sarcastic genius comment and replace it with one of adoration. Its clear that Pryor now wants to build a portal full of properties where no one else is offered them and he is the only potential buyer!
The man is a god.
Hmmm… smile please is on to something I reckon…
A quid a day per wassock – £365 pa.
He only needs 2740 wassocks – and one day, Rodney (and you just know he has several mates called ‘Rodney’ or similar) he will make that elusive million…
‘Pryor said: “It is very early days. If it gets going, then users would have to pay £1 a day.’
AHEM!, Mr Pryor…
£1 PLUS VAT according to your blog.
Tut, tut.
I don’t get it.
Oh of course that’s the point. No one does !
Henry – don’t expect your number of followers to increase by very much more than it is now…
I love experimentation, innovation and unorthodoxy in business, it is essential to finding the next big thing.
Unfortunately, this isn’t it.
that logo though….
It’s all to easy to look at innovation and see a problem to every solution. I think that Henry may well have updated a concept that many agencies have been built on. Knowing what’s happening in an area and generating instructions where previously they were just “curious”. As the article says this feeds into the experience and local presence of High Street Agency and should be embraced. I’m guessing its “mark 1” Henry but great outside the box thinking.
You are right VTUK and I apologise for having looked at this idea like an estate agent, who would have to explain to my vendor, why only speculators were offering on their property and at such a low level.
Personally I am just putting the finishing touches to my plan to build an entire housing estate out of recycled agent leaflets. Can’t see any problem with my out of the box thinking either unless it sometimes rains….doh!
Hi @realagent, I agree with the majority you post and I understand that’s your point of view.
However, I think the point @VTUK was making was that ‘out of the box’ thinking can sometimes be a good thing, it’s also pointed out that this is at an early stage. I don’t think Henry’s platform is perfect, but it uses an age old, traditional method with new technology as the platform. He isn’t asking you to post your sellers properties on the page.
I have personally conducted a number of ‘one-off’ viewings whereby I know the buyer is desperate for a certain property and will pay very good money for it, this works to the sellers advantage. Have you ever done anything similar?
Out of the box thinking is good but this idea is far from that.
Many agents have a drawer in the the filing cabinet for “Low Key ” marketing, this has been around for decades. In essence this is all Pryor is offering.
Mark I totally have and my offices do those sorts of deals regularly, but there is one fundamental difference, these are local deals to local buyers, who, as you correctly say, are known to want something specific area wise and will pay for it.
Where Henry’s idea misses by a country mile is that he has taken that principle and tried to apply it to a national forum, none of whom will be known for wanting a house in Acacia Avenue, Local Town Market.
I’m all up for new ideas in fact I love how technology can aid our businesses, but this is an ill conceived one and smacks of someone “trying to make a few quid” at our expense hence my perhaps over sarcastic response.
totally agree @realagent, I believe technology to be an aid not a complete solution and it does need to be on a local level.
Henry Pryor strikes me as the ‘Del Boy’ of the property world.
Does nothing really of note, fingers in a few pies (Anything to make a quid).
Never really puts a shift in or built anything. Just passes judgement which is always pretty bland.
Still he has nice hair!
“Henry Pryor strikes me as the ‘Del Boy’ of the property world”
Love the analogy, smile please – I now can’t get the thought of HP running down the street with his suitcase busting open and spewing ‘secret’ properties all over the pavement outta my head – thanks for that! ;o)
“Ear Peebee, got a lovely little number out on the Old Kings Road, beautiful manor, nice 1980’s artex ceilings throughout, canary yellow kitchen and battleship gray living room. Nobody else knows about it, the owner wants it sold on the down low, yours for a mere 4.5 mill. I mean its a steal bruv!”
“By the way doing a lovely little line in surveys as well, monkey Arris can pop along Tuesday if you like?”
Now, now, smile please – some decorum is required here I respectfully suggest.
A week or so ago we were thoroughly, publically, admonished by a fellow who was frightfully disturbed by our portrayal of London inhabitants as being typical stereotypes as per those gracing our television screens several times weekly on EastEnders.
I am therefore absolutely certain that the last thing Rosalind, Nicholas and the EYE team would want is another episode.
Let’s ‘ope, then, that they don’t get some angry geezer giving it large ‘cos’ we wuz mocking the Cockerknees – yeah?
Luvverly jubbly.
;o)
Yep brilliant idea….let’s restrict the marketing of a property to just a handful of speculators who will of course pay the best price for a property. Genius, I’m surprised someone didn’t think of it sooner!