A new property search app has launched whose listings are all powered by Zoopla.
Patch claims to be the first property app to be fully native to the iPhone, for which it has been specially developed.
This is claimed to give it a better look and feel, and to make it more intuitive and faster.
It also allows messaging within the app, allowing users to send a property directly or to “chat” via instant messaging with agents. For example, a wife would be able to send her husband property details without having to resort to email. Someone who had seen a property of potential interest could directly message the agent to ask for more details or to arrange a viewing.
Charlotte-Ann Swerling, chief operating officer of Sketch Innovation, the company behind the Patch app, said it has some high-profile backers, including Rupert Hambro and Mark Swire of Swire Property.
The launch of Patch follows that of OnTheMarket which Swerling said was a very different proposition.
She said of OTM: “It is of course focused on better economics for underlying estate agents but offers nothing new to the consumer.
“Indeed, arguably it offers a much worse consumer experience as it has a fraction of the listings of Zoopla or Rightmove, at least for the time being.
“By contrast, we are making no innovations on the estate agent side. So much so that we are not even liaising directly with estate agents or signing them up directly. Our innovations are on the consumer side.
“All our listings are powered by Zoopla so we have launched our app with exactly the same listings as Zoopla, and so the second largest inventory in the market, second only to Rightmove.
“For this reason we are not concerned about OnTheMarket’s only-one-other-portal policy as, in their terms, we do not count as a portal distinct from Zoopla.
“That said, we are not owned by Zoopla, though their help for us can be taken as an indication of the way in which they are promoting consumer innovation in the UK property sector – something we do not see any of the other major players doing.”
She said that Patch has no plans to become a private listings site.
Swerling added: “We are already seeing good traction with consumers despite the fact that we have not started a major marketing push.”
The Sketch London website is here
The Patch Property website is here
Comments (70)
Web sites are nothing more than an electronic 24/7 newspaper advertising to customers. So why would a hard working professional high street estate agent want to support a company that openly encourages web only anti estate agent portals to damage not only their professionalism but openly are anti-estate agent, openly want to put you out of business, undercuts fees with a poor customer service and is a THREAT to your existence. And they are bleeding you dry financially. Try telling your wife and kids why you have creditors knocking on your door and you can’t even afford a Christmas present because you rolled over and eventually went bankrupt. Has the light come on yet?
Okay Paul,
Without dodging the question and with out copy and pasting my comments answer me this.
“If OTM is so fantastic why is every agent in the UK not on it?” (obviously excluding corporates because of their massive reduction in fees on the main portals)
There are obviously 1000’s of agents with concerns, we cannot all be reps for Z AND RM?!
Maybe because you keep harking on about it in a negative way?
Woodentop i do not hark on about it in a negative way. I raise questions and knock down senseless posters who make up lies or promise dreams that cannot be guaranteed.
I know you are a strong supporter as well so answer me why OTM has not had a greater take up?
But is has! You just need to remember that many RM & Z members (for a better word) are not High Street estate agents and the figures are manipulated by RM. Always makes me laugh when I go through my areas performance ratings. Multiple branch agencies are often at the top but when one looks at the bottom, so are those same agents satellite offices. The back office systems you quote have absolutely nothing of value to your customers either. Those that have not jumped are either blind or are unsettled by all the negative hype which in the majority of cases is all nonsense. The fee’s argument is squally in favour of OTM. BUT BUT BUT that is not the main issue, this is ………….
“I did only start typing a few weeks ago, but I have been consistent in my concerns – I see a marketing plan that is ego led and very expensive, before OTM is ready for it – far better to pick a particular region and win in there – I see an exclusivity clause that has stopped most of us joining what should be a no brainer, I see fees far too high for the service provided, and I see agents relying on hype and bullying rather than being brave enough to stand up and ask tough questions.”…So if we are to understand correctly to appease your concerns OnTheMarket must 1) change teh marketing plan inc tv ads and newspaper adviertising, 2)only advertise in a certain region first instead of nationally, 3) Drop the exclusivity rule, 4) make the fees less….In other words what you would like to do is try and persuade everyone that OnTheMarket is doomed to fail and we might as well all give up now. My god you’ll have to try better then that very clear message that you want to get across or risk sounding like an 5 year old who isn’t allowed any more milk at primary school.
Spoken like a true rep Paul 😉
Keep copy and pasting those comments without any really comments of your own Paul!
To be honest my arguments being won by the comments being made by some of the other posters on here, it would be foolish not to re post them! In any case this website thrives on cutting and pasting, it’s what it’s very foundations has been built on dont ya know.
Of course Paul (No idea what you are on about as usual, but think you might be a little unhinged so will agree!)
Anyway answer my question below!
You call that a serious question?
Yes Paul stop dodging ALL questions. You seem to think anybody who does not commit is a rep so why have others not committed?
Its a fair question as you belittle anybody who has not signed up!
Maybe you are afraid to answer the question as you will see the faults yourself.
Oh I’ll give you one reason and it’s a corker….” I’ve not signed up because I don’t think OTM was aggressive enough”…in fact the poster in question thinks that the only way OTM was ever going to succeed was if agents dropped both portals…yep I’ll stand by my earlier comments Smile Please that your not sincere in fact I think your on this site for a wind up! I don’t think that the most ardent supporter would go along with both portals being dropped at launch. Come on be serious your just a senior neg at Countrywide aren’t you ?!
nev
No 17 year old uses poppycock 😉
As for the exclusivity rule, understand where you are coming from but in my opinion i think it was a good idea just not aggressive enough. I would have liked them to enforce the rule but say you cant advertise with RM. It was spoken about in my region but did not get favorable comments. If it had been agreed i would have happily signed up.
I too think the fees are high compared to what else is on offer, considering that most the agents have now taken up the option of advertising with OTM you do question how they will attract new members as they cannot give a 6 months free membership or reduced rate as the members that have previously joined will be upset (rightfully so).
Like you i wish it well and hope it takes off and we can all list on it. However i think it has a long hard slog!
Quote “I too think the fees are high compared to what else is on offer”. I have to say I am somewhat confused as I am charged just over £1,000 inclusive of vat by RM while OTM fee is a quarter of that AND RM are about to put the fee up more!!!!!!! You have lost me on your arguments as RM do not offer me anything more than OTM, that I need for my customers. The KISS principle is what agents need.
Spot on regarding RM. it is a lot cheaper, and like i have previously said i would have happily dropped RM if others would have done likewise. (However RM do have greater brand awareness and a backoffice system second to none).
It is more aimed at Z – Who have a back office system, better brand awareness and are cheaper (for me at least) than OTM.
Lost me on the KISS principle, not come across this can you expand?
OI! guys – it seems I’ve been excluded from of all the recent mud-slinging, name-calling and general *********** (credit: Jonnie).
I just want you all to know I feel proper left out… ;o(
No need to name call you PeeBee, we all know your a rep for Rightmove 😉
Nah, matey – they couldn’t afford me!
There simply ain’t enough money printed to tempt me into THAT job…
Peebee, You have in the last 6 months or so in my humble opinion changed your nit picking to constructive comments and they are never fabricated, just your thoughts and opinions.
I dont always agree (but who does agree with everybody all the time) with you but look forward to your input.
And thank god you have dropped the Mon ami 😉
Sorry – but I ain’t dropped anything!
Credit where credit is due Peebee, Rainman reckons Mark Watkins? was the first top post that followed by Fun Boy Agent
@smile please
“Why do you know how many properties are on in Andover and Grimsby?…Because the world wide web said so
“And you say you are not an OTM rep ………”….BRILLIANT
“Yes Paul getting hot under the collar because of people like you trying to manipulate people and stats.”…I’m not sure why you feel the need to feel so hot under the collar especially someone who’s as successful as you say you are surely you’ve dealt with far worse than someone like me questioning your posts on an internet forum?!
“You are as bad as an online agent.”….I’m sure Russell would take that as a compliment.
“As for the name calling and accusations i think you will find every time we have crossed swords you have drawn first, i just won’t be bullied.”…I can’t recall any name calling Smile Please, it appears that you seem to get all hot under the collar and lose your rag then come out with a tirade of comments like “I have a brain” and “b*l*ox”. The floor is yours……
See my above post.
Ind Agent said…
“AndoverRM inc stc – 500 Zoopla inc stc – 246 OTM inc stc – 99
I don’t know or care about Andover but the stats above are clearly wrong.”
Well i’ve just typed in to Zoopla again properties for sale Andover, Hampshire and the figure I got was one property being marketed by Belvoir on for £145,000. Not sure why would you be including sold sstc properties?
Interesting comments. Please tell what is the actual RM & Z traffic? There are many areas around the country that do not have RM or Z dominance and some none, that is fact. Also please can you tell me what the traffic was for the first 3 years of RM and 5 years for Z. Nothing worth talking about is the answer, YES I was on both these sites from inception. OTM is in its infancy and to quote stats in the way you do is rather misleading as “like for like”. RM & Z did not get to where they are from anything they did, it was the agents marketing that did that. Just stop someone in the street who hasn’t sold a property or purchased a property and ask about RM& Z the answer will be “who” and if you do ask someone who has been selling or buying, where they hear the name …. from the local estate agent.
GPL – Patch here. Good catch, the wording you refer to in the privacy policy does not accurately reflect our policy and we have taken it offline for a few hours to correct. We only share data with Zoopla and their underlying estate agents, when a consumer specifically asked to contact an agent. We share this information purely for the purpose of facilitating property search. There are no other nebulous 3rd parties and no other agenda. We simply connect property hunters to estate agents. There are no Robots, call centres etc. All enquiries go directly to the underlying estate agents.
How about your data source, Zoopla, they are not taking any data their user agents aren’t aware of are they? If you have pinned your colours to this particular mast you might find a sharp drop off in content once agents read and understand the implications of all the 3rd party data permissions they are somewhat cavalierly signing away. The data belongs to agents, it is down to each individual agent to be aware of and authorise any sharing or analysis of their data.
Hello Robert,
Patch here again! Just to clear up some confusion: we receive no data on underlying estate agents other than publicly available property listing data. To reiterate, we are receiving no other information on estate agents.
Separately, confused by the snippet of code you posted. This is from a website, certainly not our app code, and looks simply to be website landing page styling.
That wasn’t code it was Word formatting. I am the remedial kid here and rely on Word to check spelling and grammar. Pasting from Word worked until last week then Nick’s techie added a different wp component that can’t cope with Word pastes.
This is revolutionary ……. No doubt disrupt the portal market ……… (tongue in cheek, online style!)
Have a read at the Patch App Privacy Policy… they’ll be passing out that gathered personal information to their partners who may contact you…. so, not just providing a simple app for the consumer to view!…. they should amend their cheery wee blurb promoting their app to clarify we are gathering data for 3rd parties which will identify you for the purposes of direct contact.
GPL – Patch here. Good catch, the wording you refer to in the privacy policy does not accurately reflect our policy and we have taken it offline for a few hours to correct. We only share data with Zoopla and their underlying estate agents, when a consumer specifically asked to contact an agent. We share this information purely for the purpose of facilitating property search. There are no other nebulous 3rd parties and no other agenda. We simply connect property hunters to estate agents. There are no Robots, call centres etc. All enquiries go directly to the underlying estate agents.
Yalland83…Can I ask where you plan to get your revenue from as i’m sure this will be some concern for you at some point?
Funny that…. all these folk that disregard OnTheMarket….. why bother mentioning them if they are so insignificant? There’ll be more and more wonderful Apps coming out Patch so enjoy your brief time in the spotlight. All these bells n’ whistles coming fast & furious?….. must be the arrival of OnTheMarket…. funny what a new portal can do when UK Estate Agents support it! Haven’t seen an Apps, Robots, Software, Analysts etc negotiating property sales…. that’s why the consumer employs an estate agent and none of the aforementioned. I’ve always fancied being a Surgeon, a Rocket Scientist, a Nuclear Thingymabob…. however I’ll just stick to my profession, estate agent! I do look forward to OTM taking the best of all these Apps and incorporating them into a simple/evolving App which gives the consumer simple, straightforward access to property! Oh, did Patch say they were including a Free iphone?
Thanks for the links Ros- the Sketch one just sits there with a fancy egg timer, the Patch one is uber thin and doesn’t really do or say very much. I tried to look at “customise your search” the button grows but that is it!
Sorry, don’t blame the consumer if your single page web sites fail to load or have no content. Dislikes indeed!
How do I down load it, I want to view 5% of the local market around here…… doh!
Wow, an iphone only app using only one portal, should be a hit with iphone users wanting Zoopla property only, I take it Rightmove were not interested.
Our website http://www.jacksandjones.co.uk has a mobile app did not take long to sort
All well and good but who searches via Z these days?? Unfortunately everyone round here either uses Wrongmove or OTM.
Honestly? I can’t see that the public are already using OTM more than Z, i’ve seen 1 advert, if i’d missed that I would not even know they existed, Z are on my Radio stations all the time, TV and bus stops.
I think they made a bad choice though choosing Z as their partner, RM must have said no.
Newsboy: Unfortunately everyone round here either uses Wrongmove or OTM. – Really? EVERYONE!! Some of the pro OTM comments on here are in cloud cuckoo land.
Agreed. At the moment, Rightmove and Zoopla are the only portals the public are aware of. OTM is only really known among estate agents, it’s going to take a lot more than one advert to change that.
As much as i like the ideal of OTM it really has kind of limped into action as opposed to bursting onto the scene.
Granted, still early days but I would have liked to see a more aggressive roll out.
Looking at some of the pro OTM comments does look like they are trying to kid themselves or others.
“Looking at some of the pro OTM comments does look like they are trying to kid themselves or others.”..And you wonder why people question your sincerity.
Paul H … Newsboy: Unfortunately everyone round here either uses Wrongmove or OTM … and you Paul H are questioning the sincerity of smile please? I think you need to climb down off your OTM tower, and fast.
Harree, I have no idea where Newsboy is based or if his comments are correct but what I will say is what if he is based in an area like Andover for example where there is only 1 property on Zoopla and 98 OnTheMarket, or maybe Grimsby where there are 679 OTM & 288 on Z. Perhaps his comments were tongue in cheek but how do you know that he may be telling the truth?!
Why do you know how many properties are on in Andover and Grimsby? not exactly close to one another! …….. And you say you are not an OTM rep ………
Andover
RM inc stc – 500
Zoopla inc stc – 246
OTM inc stc – 99
I don’t know or care about Andover but the stats above are clearly wrong.
Paul, i don’t care what others think (Only you and one other who bleeds OTM have questioned my standing) but when you have people posting that EVERYONE is already using OTM then i question it.
I like the site, but the market campaign so far is swimming against the tide. RM an Z both have more targeted prime time marketing slots. in my area every single bus stop has Z plastered posters and even the local papers website is powered by Z for listings.
The only time is see you name crop up Paul is on OTM stories, maybe its your sincerity that needs questioning? You are the first to call out anti or fence sitter posters for working for portals, maybe you are a rep for OTM?
Stop your snipping, get hold of your bosses and AM / OTM and give them some constructive feedback.
“The only time is see you name crop up Paul is on OTM stories, maybe its your sincerity that needs questioning?”…I post on other stories, but you’d have to have a screw loose to not realise how important this issue is for the industry right now. What I do question however is your very subtle way of trying to act impartial and on thw fence only then to find a way to put your boot in, seems a bit sly to me.
Paul, i think you are getting a tad paranoid!
I am not putting the boot in i am highlighting issues. Unlike you i have a brain and can think for myself and not just accept what somebody is telling me.
This portal will not save our industry, Christ get over it.
The only thing which will save our industry is agents selling themselves better and highlighting the difference between us and online competitors and also not dropping their fees at a moments notice! Fight for the business and fight for the fee!
RM will continue to increase fees, until a viable option comes along accept it.
OTM had their chance but seem to be blowing it. I would hazard a guess 95% of members still list on RM, their advertising campaign is woeful compared to others. They have no back office system. They have no USP. They have at best 30% of the property market. They have probably reached close to maximum agent sign up numbers as all that want to sign up now have and nothing is left to entice the rest of us – Thats me putting the boot in and its all correct!
No doubt as usual you will pull out one or two phrases and try and twist them.
By all means promote OTM and speak highly of it but the same way online agents come on here and talk bo****s and try and con others how good their proposition is and and how well they do expect the same as the claims and promises a number of pro OTM posters spit out is the same.
Oh dear well you know someone’s getting all hot under the collar when they have to resort to name calling and accusing people of not having a brain. But it’s no surprise coming from someone with such a high opinion of themselves. I wouldn’t let it wind you up old boy life’s far too short.
Yes Paul getting hot under the collar because of people like you trying to manipulate people and stats.
You are as bad as an online agent.
As for the name calling and accusations i think you will find every time we have crossed swords you have drawn first, i just wont be bullied.
Good luck and all that, I’m sure when the developers and the money people all have a meeting it feels okay but it won’t fly, answering a question no ones asking and basing it on what’s soon to be the third property website won’t help……..nice to see a plucky start up slag off…….plucky start up OTM -Jonnie
Good luck to them and all that….but I’m struggling to see what differentiates this App from other portal Apps, other then having the ability to instantly message an agent, which unless your purple bricks will only put you through to an unqualified out of office call centre, /robot. Or am I missing something here?