Rightmove has strongly denied that it is to ban online agents from using its site.
The denial came after an email emerged on Friday with an agent saying: “Rightmove have changed their policy internally and will now only allow companies offering full service estate agency services to market properties on their website from December.”
However, a spokesperson for Rightmove said this was incorrect, and related only to Rightmove Overseas – and only to a tiny number of agents.
The spokesperson said: “Rightmove Overseas and Rightmove UK are separate business units with separate terms and conditions and vetting procedures appropriate for the markets in which they operate.
“Rightmove Overseas has recently been reviewing all existing advertisers, and there are a couple of agents whose business models do not comply with Rightmove Overseas’ terms and conditions.
“Rightmove UK continues to adopt a strict vetting process with all agents to ensure that they offer an agency service in keeping with UK industry legislation and Rightmove’s terms and conditions.”
The spokesperson added that the agents no longer allowed on Rightmove “were selling Rightmove Overseas’ services and not offering vendors an estate agency service”.
Comments (30)
A consumer using the RM portal has the ability to upload and market their overseas property direct through the RM site by hovering over the “Overseas” tab, selecting “Sell Overseas Property” from the drop down menu, then clicking on “Private Seller”. Maybe this is why RM are not allowing on-line only agents to market overseas properties, as it competes with a similar service they already offer.
Bingo!
Winner, winner.
Define an online agent.
Every agent operating in the UK is an online agent. Some have expensive high street premises that are probably increasingly quiet, and some don’t.
“Some have expensive high street premises that are probably increasingly quiet…”
Point being?
FACT is – you seem to like ‘fact’ – at least they’ve got them… and so far at least 95% of the house-selling public value that differential.
Face fact.
You’re so aggressive, PeeBee!
The point is that business is now driven by the internet, meaning that the internet model is without doubt the future, meaning footfall is in irrevocable decline.
What’s the point in having an expensive high street office if no-one goes there? If Estate Agency were created today, there would be almost zero high street branches.
There’s a nice opinion, based around every indicator on trends available.
Peebee can be aggressive or maybe i would like to think passionate 😉
As for the comment on expensive high street offices, this is a myth.
High street offices unless central prime London are actually very reasonable, and are comparable to a serviced office.
Yes most enquiries inbound are through the telephone (no not email) and the benefit of a high street office to the agent is
1. A professional place the public can visit if they want.
2. you pick up local instructions.
3. You can display properties to local buyers
4. A sense of belonging to a community
5. you have manageable teams all knowing what is happening within the office.
6. you are usually grouped with other agents so footfall does come in.
7. you tend to have an office based finance expert who can deal face to face with customers as and when needed.
8. Gives the firm a personality not a faceless call center
9. promotes your brand identity.
10. The locals stop to say hello and you are a natural choice for them to sell their property when the time is right.
These are the reasons for a high street office, and i am not even comparing the service or expertise you would find.
Aggressive? I’m a biiig pwayful puddytat.
Your second paragraph is unsubstantiable. Estate Agency is not a ‘normal’ “business”, meaning that any “indicator on trends available” is irrelevant.
The point of having a High Street office is TO OFFER A SERVICE THAT THE MAJORITY OF CLIENTS WANT.
If… and WHEN… that changes – to the extent that you blindly believe is the case today – in the eyes and minds of those on the High Street – then we will adapt accordingly.
Highly Interesting – and amusing – that you close with “There’s an nice opinion” – when previously you’ve been all shouty about your every statement being “fact”…
…make your mind up time, I suggest.
For your benefit, PeeBee, I differentiated between widely held opinion and a substantiated one and fact. Something you struggle with.
I agree with much Smile says – but the online offering of all of those things suits the public now (they are time poor), and they are available on line. Hey, I like many mourn the death of the high street – but there it is. Indisputable. I’ve worked in digital media a looong time – it’s just progress, as harsh as it is for many business models who utterly rely on footfall.
Travel agency and insurance brokers suffered a similar fate a generation ago – it’s just the way of things, and the way every generation is now adopting trust of the online market place.
Service doesn’t have to be face to face anymore. Ask Amazon and the rise of the on-line only banks.
Estate agency is changing (and it is amongst the very last to change) And in the next 5 years I would suggest it would be unrecognisable as the industry of the past.
So… let’s agree a date then – you, me… and whoever else giving a shizzle by then… to re-meet here on EYE on 28/9/2020 and argue who’s right and who’s wrong.
Sounds like a plan. See you then.
Travel agency and insurance broking are retail businesses not service industries; both sell multiples of a product for a comparative small numbers of customers, far less variety than a single average branch agency.
Your post does not explain why the internet affected travel agency and insurance broking (not quite a generation ago) yet estate agency has been stubbornly unaffected by the same pressures.
Benchmarking one industry with another works in some instances but trying to reach and convince a different (unknown and unpredictable) 2 million vendors each year is an onerous task and is why firms like Zoopla have to employ traditional print, poster and other physical advertising to supplement their failure to advertise using digital alone.
We are now approaching 20 years of digital agency, the market share is not increasing and companies house reports show COAR agencies to be not the sort of firm a rational investor would buy into. Traditional agents without offices are proving successful but in niche, specialised and local markets.
Sorry I have to disagree purely from vast experience. The internet is the buzz word for those tech savvy but they forget not all customers are, want to be or can afford to be on the internet.
Digital Expert – spot on
You need to take the blinkers off. Come and work with me for a day or so and see why you both are so wrong. Better not, you wouldn’t be able to keep up with the pace on the dog and bone.
Aren’t all agents online these days???
Yep but many forget not all customers are, which shots down most arguments about on-line only agents being effective as the High Street agent.
“Rightmove UK continues to adopt a strict vetting process with all agents to ensure that they offer an agency service in keeping with UK industry legislation and Rightmove’s terms and conditions.”
LOL.
A friend in a neighbouring area has recently opened an office, I was helping him through setting up, although an experienced agent it is his first office.
I can tell you the critira for RM on his experience,
1. Do you have a website,
2. Are you part of a redress scheme
3. Do you have an email address
4. Do you have a landline
And by landline, they mean a number that doesn’t begin 07…
Which means it could very well end up going directly to landlords/vendors, thus breaking the terms of Rightmove membership.
Q. Would estate agents pay a premium to Rightmove if it decided that only agents with high street offices could use its portal.
Think we already do pay a premium!
Q Explain to me why you need to have a high street office to be allowed to advertise on Rightmove or anywhere else?
Have you noticed how many people come through the door every week compared to 10 years ago
#wakeupandsmellthecoffee
Chrispy i think you are missing the point.
Its not about having a high street office and having people come thorough the doors.
Its about online agents saying they offer a like for like service with the only difference is not having a high street office. You yourself have fallen into the trap.
The truth is there is a gulf in service, experience and knowledge between a high street agent and an online agent.
All an online agent does is list your property.
as your hashtag aptly says #wakeupandsmellthecoffee
‘All an online agent does is list your property.’ SP, You keep doing this! Making bold but incorrect statements about all online agents.
Agree, some online agents ‘just list’ but others do far more.
As long as the choice to the consumer is clear and the price reflects the service provided then, to use a stolen cliche ‘Buyer Beware.’
That said, my agency chooses not to occupy a high street office simply because its ‘grounds’ us to a small geographical location by the which the only escape is another office 5 miles up the road. That to me is a broken model especially if your strategy is focused on low cost growth and keeping your fees low.
I think ‘far more’ is indicative of how little online agents do. Vague and unquantifiable.
Welcome, realpundit!
I’ve got the barf-bag at the ready… ;o)
Interesting…..
What is?
And mores to the point – how did you get away with a single word post?
the words ‘Vague and un-quantifiable’. I’ve heard them used a number of times in relation high street pricing.
Anyway, I guess the six dots ‘……’ count as narrative of sorts ?
Che,
You say you do FAR MORE – well what?
You have already said you do not want a static office due to wanting to cover a wider spectrum (although you can cover many many miles from one office) so guessing you do not accompany 100% of viewings?
From reading your recent posts i assume you are an agent working from home, you work by yourself or just have family helping you. So i would also guess you are hard pushed to thoroughly chase sales or proactivley arrange viewings? How do you manage to canvass? such a wide area you cover how do you find the time?
I course you will tell me i am wrong, so let us know your website (be good for your seo!) and we can have a look?
Only reason i am challenging you is because you make no sense.
I am not knocking what you do, you maybe be a hybrid office / agent but i am yet to see one that actually has made a success of this. The best i can think of is EWE move which works for the head franchise but i would question if it really works for the franchisees.
‘We’ are an estate agent, working out of a non high street office in town, been trading for 8 years, employ people who all paid up members of the NAEA with exams under their belts. We do ‘everything’ but charge less and allow vendors and buyers online access. I think we are becoming known as a hybrid?! What ever, names are to tombstones baby
No not EWE. Don’t like the franchise idea, great if you make pizza where you can micro control the quality.
Just a guy with a different view, half of which some is formed from my days as a high street agent.