A new property service promising to be a “complete game-changer for the home buyer” is due to launch in the New Year.
HomeDashboard, which styles itself “a next generation home-buying service”, is founded by Jonathan Harris, 26, and George Rawlings, 23, who is the son of industry trainer Richard Rawlings.
The pair have started inviting estate agents to join their accredited agents programme.
Agents who encourage their applicants to register can earn money if a deal goes through – albeit that the deal may have gone through with another agent.
HomeDashboard will be an app that will allow property hunters to drag and drop properties found from any source into one place, including properties not on the market.
Harris and Rawlings say: “With HomeDashboard, every home is a prospective purchase, in the same way that every spare room is a prospective room to rent with Airbnb, and everyone with a car a prospective Uber taxi driver.
“This is a complete game-changer for the home buyer.”
With properties assembled on one platform, the dashboard will then allow users to manage their move in one place, including booking viewings and making offers.
It also promises to introduce a negotiator for every buyer on a no-saving, no-fee model; plus a “team of experts proactively managing your move and keeping you right up to date”.
Harris already has a track record in the industry, having launched Agents Prospects, a lead generation tool for estate agents.
He says he started the venture with £500 and has earned over £2m to date.
He said that the new business was born out of frustration.
He said: “Both George and I have each bought a property in the past 12 months and we were amazed at the lack of support we received from various estate agents.
“We were ready to buy but felt utterly uncherished!
“It was all down to us – even though we had never bought a property before. This is not doing great things for an agent’s reputation, either on social media or (especially) when we come to move next time.
“So not only did we spot a business opportunity, but as children of the digital age we recognised that the process could be so much slicker.
“It’s due to this first-hand experience as buyers ourselves that we spotted a real missed opportunity for estate agents when it comes to working with buyers.
“Using our agent accreditation program, rather than alienating buyers, estate agents can actually help buyers more than ever before – even if they haven’t got a property for them to buy at this time.
“The agent simply refers the buyer to HomeDashboard and lets us help the buyers they can’t.
“In doing so the agent can earn a commission from any purchase as a result.
“So a largely untapped revenue stream for agents and a better service for buyers.”
There is an infographic on Facebook here
Comments (22)
“We haven’t given you much to go on, but register your interest here, no obligation, no charge, and if you fit our Accredited Agency criteria we’ll send you full details, and we can then activate this profitable new opportunity for you, with minimal involvement on your part.”
Seems that the “Accredited Agency criteria” referred to is that you can punch your email address, name, Agency name and phone number into the respective boxes and press ‘Send’
Too complicated, I would suggest. No-one will meet THOSE standards…
Interesting that the persons involved aren’t making any effort to ‘sell’ us on the idea.
I would have thought that having been raised on a diet predominantly of ‘customer engagement’, Mr Rawlings would have jumped at the chance of showing he’s been listening all those formative years.
However, apparently, he has “bigger fish to fry”.
Bigger fish than THE ENTIRE ESTATE AGENCY COMMUNITY?
Good luck wit that one…
Ah, my weekly game changer emai.
Let’s see who’s daft enough to think they are the next one to be sitting in a huge swivel chair stroking their ***** (now, now, the giggling isn’t big and it isn’t clever . . rather like disruptor 464/2015).
Ros, can’t you keep hold of these and revisit them in the future for a regular ‘Whatever happened to . . ‘ feature?
Now, now, children – didn’t your parents teach you that stamping your feet and holding your breath – the online equivalent being ‘pressing the Dislike button’ – won’t get you anywhere?
Try a more adult method. It’s called debate.
Suggest you look it up if you want anything other than flak and complete dismissal as chancers.
They’ve even used the standard ‘disruptors’ website template!
You couldn’t make it up…
Looks like Little Rawlings has changed to the same water supply as Daddy Rawlings …..
Could someone please enlighten me? Is a ‘game-changer’ more powerful than a ‘disruptor’?
They are BOTH, AgencyInsider.
DOUBLE WHAMMY!
Well i for one will not even look at a new concept unless it is ‘Disrupting, game changer’ 😉
…or with a ‘Rawlings’ attached!
All very well you guys taking the rise out of them. But if you add a “game-changer” crowd funding value with “disruptor” crowd funding value you end up with a company that could be instantly worth £40million……..not bad for a £500 start – up.
True, but as a wise man once told me
“Turnover for show, profit for dough!”
I must say I’m a bit worried…….as it is stated as a “complete game changer” & I simply don’t understand their business from this press release.
“Our mission is to disrupt the homebuying process…”
Oh, dear – how original.
This must surely be a great way to enhance the existing available services of estate agency and help to improve the property market for everyone’s benefit.
It could be a pre-cursor to further improving the way that agents currently operate, as set out in my paper entitled The Hendry Solution. I warmly welcome it.
Must be a cr@p idea if you’re looking forward to it…
I bet I could get to 99 ‘Likes’ before you could get to 99 ‘Dislikes’…
I bet your gutted you didn’t think of this and instead left to piggy back someone else’s press release for a bit of self publication. In fact why haven’t you become buying agent and put some of the ”hendry solution” into practice?
If anybody is reading this please read “The Hendry Solution” it is absolutely hilarious!
Well worth the 2 mins it takes to google and read it.
google can find it?
Personally i use Rummage4 much easier to find the more elusive pages ;0)
2 mins? You must be a fast reader!! I felt exasperated after a couple of minutes then realised I still had a way to go. Clearly Mr Hendry has put much thought into his concept but, I agree, it is flawed and would never work.