Viewber, the outsourced viewing and inspection service, marks its second anniversary by completing its 35,000th viewing.
This is a 460% increase from 6,500 just a year ago, said co-founder Ed Mead.
Over 300 agents and 1,100 users now use the service, booking one of around 5,000 registered ‘Viewbers’ at the click of a button, he said.
Agents report significant returns on investment while boosting the service they provide to clients and applicants with complete out of hours and weekend coverage.
Launched in September 2016, Viewber was based on Mead’s four decades of estate agency experience and the increasing need for on-demand viewings and inspections within the industry.
Since Mead first created the firm with digital expert Marcus de Ferranti, the company has raised almost £3m in funding and now operates UK-wide, guaranteeing to do any viewing anywhere with 24 hours’ notice.
Peter Rollings, ex-Foxtons MD and Marsh & Parsons CEO, was an early investor and sits on the board, along with experienced and successful tech entrepreneur chairman Richard Cunningham.
Mead says: “Viewber has given agents the opportunity, for the first time, to guarantee a service to their clients, meaning buyers and tenants can view properties when they want, at a convenient time for them.
“This means out of hours and all weekend, including Sundays, as well as when the agents themselves are busy.
“Most sellers and landlords naturally expect agents to conduct viewings whenever they’re asked, but we all know, especially if busy, that often just isn’t possible. Viewber’s guarantee to do any viewing in the UK with 24 hours’ notice allows agents to make that promise – a significant consumer-focused step forward.
‘’For many agents the ability to cut fixed costs, whilst generating more income and increasing their reach, could mean the difference between thriving and going under.’’
To mark its second anniversary Viewber commissioned a poll of 250 recent buyers and renters aged 25-75 who had recently attended a viewing.
It found that 97% wanted to see a property at evenings and weekends, and 82% expect to be able to arrange a viewing at a time to suit them.
Other findings were:
- 81% of buyers and tenants would be willing to be shown around a property by an independent vetted person.
- 77% of people have attended a viewing where they felt the agent wanted to sell the property ahead of providing good information about the property.
- 62% of respondents believed they missed an opportunity to buy or let a property because they weren’t able to view at a suitable time.
- 62% of prospective tenants and buyers said they would feel more comfortable being shown around a property by someone who wasn’t looking for a sales commission.
Comments (27)
How can you justify higher fees for a top class service if you are then getting random people to carry out your viewings?!
Incredible the number of agents who can’t see the wood for the trees and hark back to “the good old days!” Some small-time agents bluster about “professionalism” but serious business-minded agents (who are no less professional) should be addressing scalability and Viewber seriously sorts that. As a buyer, I’d rather be shown around by a retired local police officer or schoolteacher than some pushy young agent trying his/her best to alienate me! But that doesn’t mean that the agent, rather than the viewber, shouldn’t be involved in spotting/facilitating other opportunites – it’s just that the overflow viewings are outsourced. Come on guys! If you can’t lead the times yourselves, then at least move with them! Have a great day!
Richard,
For an agency trainer its a very myopic view.
Are you honestly saying a local to sell applicant should be shown a property by a retired police officer?
Surely as a trainer, you are telling negs to prime and ask viewers for a valuation request at the viewing?
I use to hold you in pretty high esteem, but some of your comments over the last 18 months have made me question your ability and advice?
Are you still a trainer or are you just looking to push third party services these days and nick a bit of the pie?
These days Ed, maybe always, it’s about sellers not buyers, the sale is made at instruction not mos, you know this, viewber is part of that if it applies to your territory, London ( worked there no longer there ) I see the benefit of not lumbering an experienced staff member with transit and at the higher end potentially an hour on site, maybe half a day when you could get a local resident enjoying themselves playing the role, but I also see the argument made by smile, viewers are active and need prospecting properly, an unexpected reveal htsnom? House To Sell Not On Market , gotta call yourself something and PIE for some reason added the 79, I wish, have a good evening 🙂
Good responses. Not here to dumb down, just to get to those viewings that might get missed and give the opportunity to add bottom line. Certainly on lettings, open houses at a time to suit those wanting to view IS a game changer in my view, as is the ability to open up Sundays to give negs and managers a proper working week and not burn them out, aiding staff retention. Don’t underestimate the distracting effect of a failed request to see a property at a weekend (I know from my days at D&G) followed by a load of new properties in the inbox on a Monday morning. These days do you REALLY need to meet someone to know if they have to sell something or whether they need a mortgage, surely that’s all known before the appointment. Even if you’re a sceptic, just try it. Loads of independents simply use Viewber as freelance weekend staff and are seeing real benefits.
I’ll second that, including the appreciation of the comment, not easy regardless of experience to take semi public stick, we have our own viewber, engineer by day EA on Saturdays, been with us 15 years.
I’m just fed up of the parasites, not including you in this as such but apparently we are over priced, unscrupulous, uneducated, unregulated, yada yada yada yet in a world of fee pressure down and cost pressure up we keep getting told by people who don’t do the job day to day that’s it’s a game changer, an advantage if you will, when the scales fall from your eyes it’s a solution looking for a problem for most, not all, of us.
Not a dig.
Guys, you wouldn’t expect me to read this and not comment. Appreciate all your thoughts. Couple of things to clear up, Viewbers are just people going about their daily lives happy to take a viewing or two when it suits them. They are not unemployed and don’t sit around waiting for a viewing. They also know their locality well and tend to show the same property over and over again so get to know it well. There are some very well known and upmarket names using us, who may give testimonials at some point, but many simply don’t want their local competitors using the service as it’s their ‘advantage’ at the moment. Their staff appreciate weekends off (thank you Notlikethetrolls) whilst being able to earn money from viewings they arrange, most give their negs one or two Viewber viewings a week to use and monitor it with a parent child software overview. I still struggle to see how having an overflow service using older experienced local people at the touch of a button could be seen as anything other than useful – it’s why I left D&G after almost forty years to set it up!!
Good for you to come on and interact Ed.
I think the issue i have (and possibly others) is the dumbing down of our profession. This is the same with online agents.
Nobody minds competition or new ideas, but the thought of a retired geography teacher showing a property my staff have grafted to get on and maybe not show it in the best light, or perhaps do not ask about if the viewer needs a mortgage or valuation (the best times to ask is on a viewing) is all a little worrying.
Are we reducing selling your property to an £800 listing service, sending out an inexperienced person to a house to conduct a viewing and then look to use a cheap panel solicitor?
The argument of taking properties on in further afield areas is equally as worrying. Why would i take a property on 20 miles from one of my offices even if i had a viewing facility? – Surely the vendor would be better off using a local agent?
Its just very sad this is what a profession is being reduced to.
As with everything it has its place in the market but for me its worrying 30,000 of these have been done in a year, however its super news for you and that’s why you set it up.
So let’s see- these are people who on average do 5 viewings A YEAR. Not 1-2 a week..
The quality of service would be low, as they are inexperienced, in any way you look at it, while the cost to get a viewing (via portals and other sources) is quite high.
My ex-colleague used you guys in the summer, and promised to never do this again.
HE said that you either send these temps to properties with low probability (and burn the £20-30 viewber chatges), or send them to ‘easy deals’ and upset your staff.
Ed, why don’t you also share the issue with keys you had a few times? This is exactly the reason the industry needs tougher regulation and agent licenses, so customers don’t risk themselves buying into a brand and then having some unemployed chap entering their house.
sorry Ef, I don’t buy it
Brilliant – you lot stick your heads in the sand whilst your competitors make money, couldn’t make it up. It’s like listening to people talking in the 19th century. I can now go home and actually enjoy my weekends as my boss, and I’m in London, uses this lot at weekends. I make appointments and still get my commission, never made so much money from weekends.
I hardly think home ownership in the 19th century would leave much need for viewber, I’m sure you and your boss will go far
How do your vendors feel about an unemployed individual having access to their potential million pound house and with no expertise or knowledge showing a potential purchaser around?
Even if i had 100k studio flat i would want the agent i employed to show purchaser round. This is the exact reason we do not hire Saturday staff.
So 28,500 Viewber vewings in the last 12 months…..on average 548 per week…..so 78 viewngs per day as they’re 24/7……and they have 5000 Viewbers, 300 agents and 1,100 users….cosmic!
81% of buyers and tenants would be willing to be shown around a property by an independent vetted person.
No Kidding
77% of people have attended a viewing where they felt the agent wanted to sell the property ahead of providing good information about the property.
You can’t ‘ sell ‘ something to somebody who doesn’t want to buy it when it comes to property
62% of respondents believed they missed an opportunity to buy or let a property because they weren’t able to view at a suitable time.
Which means it went to somebody else, job done
62% of prospective tenants and buyers said they would feel more comfortable being shown around a property by someone who wasn’t looking for a sales commission.
Utter garbage
Don’t see what all the fuss is.
A very clever combo of tech and old fashioned service to meet the growing demands of an increasingly demanding public.
24/7 viewings and the ability to grow your agency outside of your traditional patch without having to open offices to facilitate viewings.
I love it
You are in the service market to service estate agents, probably why you see the benefit 😉
Am I the only person that thinks that this is going a bit far. I mean, I get it, if I wanted to sell my house I would be as accommodating as I could for any buyers to conduct a viewing, but similarly I’d want to know that my evenings and Sundays were going to be left clear so I could put my son to bed and have a family day.
That said, I suppose if I was selling then my motivation would be to sell and therefore maybe I’d be more willing to facilitate ‘out of hours’ viewings, although I hand on heart feel that we are moving to a dangerous place were the expectation is that people should have what they want when they want it or it’s a bad service.
For example, if I want a McBurger from a particular fast food chain as I’m hungry and when I go into the store there’s a queue, I expect to wait for my greasy calorific treat. Surely the same logic should apply to agency; if the agent has no capacity to conduct the viewing then you have to wait, you can’t just go to the front of the queue and demand a McViewing (Hmm, mixed up my analogy now…).
If someone wants to view a property and is genuine then they’ll make the time to fit around whatever availability the agent has.
Long, long ago shops and offices were generally open between 9am and 5.30pm; closed on a Sunday and many also closed on a Wednesday afternoon – a requirement of the law in some areas. Remarkably people managed to survive and businesses functioned.
Yes, I know times change and the internet generation want their instant gratifications and that the concept of having to wait a while for something is alien to the majority.
But are we really the better for having now reached the stage where everything has to be available at all times? Some think it is essential for their human happiness. I beg to disagree. Arguably we actually diminish ourselves by having a 24/7 economy and by cultivating the expectation that ‘service’ means always being available.
I remember my first agency job, we always use to close for lunch. 1-2
I agree entirely AgencyInsider
What about the viewings that go really well, last maybe an hour or so and then result in going straight to another property (as you know your stock and feel you have a better fit property for them) or even going straight to the viewer’s house to carry out a valuation for them..?
In the current market, GENUINE buyers will bend over backward to view a property due to the lack of properties around. If you can’t fit or accommodate a viewing in between 9-6 and on a Saturday then should you even be in Agency?
Buyers want someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing and has no motivation to sell, seller’s I suspect do. Who pays our fee?
I still cannot get my head around which decent agent would use this service.
Still almost 30,000 in a year shows how little I know.
Without wishing to be pedantic, a viewing requiring 24hrs notice is hardly ” on demand “
But the key question…what % of these viewings ended up in a sale or rental?
and what % wanted to be shown round by someone who knows little about the property!
It seems to me that agents who pay for such a service might as well get the vendor to show prospects round and it costs the agent nothing.