Rightmove

[googler]

Originally Posted by Martha Farkas

You are an EA who has targeted the people that don't have a computer? Good luck with that! There can't be many people who don't use a computer to start their search and then go to where they want to look!

I didn't say I was an EA, and didn't say I was targeting anyone. I'm suggesting that the figures are, whether by accident or design, being talked up by those with a vested interest, and that there may well be significant pockets of the country or the population where the scenario described by the online EAs may well not apply. I'm also suggesting the figures may have no sound basis, and may be totally fabricated to grab headlines, such as Ms Beeny's 99% claim.

But let's assume someone does make up a shortlist, they're moving 250 miles away. Taking their shortlist, they go look at the area, look at a few houses over a long weekend, or similar break. If they want to find out what's new since they looked on the internet, or what's upcoming, what would you have them do? Go hunting for an internet cafe, library, or similar internet access point, or - and here's the radical strategy - walk into the local agents' offices and ask?

Originally Posted by Martha Farkas

Does anyone start by walking up the High Street hoping that there might be an estate agent there? You Scottish are a different market though so please note that I am talking about the English market

I don't know for certain if they start that way or not. I doubt anyone does know for certain. I do know that in two towns close to me, there's 5 agencies in one, and 9 or 10 in the other. They don't need to 'hope' there's an EA there, as it's virtually guaranteed. I walk/drive along the high streets, and people are stopping outside them all the time, and inspecting what's on offer. It might be different in your town, but that's how it is here. I don't know how many of them are window shoppers, don't know how many take the next step of going in, and are serious buyers, but they stop. They look. They talk about what's in the windows.

Originally Posted by Martha Farkas

Just to clarify my point as you asked me to. I think that the internet EA who does away with an expensive office and lowers his / her prices and carries on with valuations, viewings, negotiating and closing in person will do very well. Matching a buyer with a seller will now be done more or less exclusively online, I think

And how would you suggest this operation be run, if not from an 'expensive office'. From a cheap office, or from no office at all? How do you carry out 'closing in person' without an office in which to meet buyers and sellers? Move out of town? Relocate to a faceless commercial park in the wilderness? The first agent to do that up here will be the first to lose business, I suggest....

[Martha Farkas]

Originally Posted by googler

what would you have them do? Go hunting for an internet cafe, library, or similar internet access point, or - and here's the radical strategy - walk into the local agents' offices and ask?

Well, I would think they would use their own computer and / or the one they have at work! Internet cafes are a little bit early 90s now. May I ask how old you are please?

With respect to how a full service internet EA would work, the important meetings are when the potential buyer comes to the property. After that, it is quite usual for offers, negotiations etc to be done over the telephone or via e-mail. Why do you need an expensive High Street location for that? Remember, I am talking about England. Your neck of the woods is a bit different and less further develped as far as industry internet applications are concerned.

By the way, just so we're dealing with each other on equal terms. I am an Estate Agent. Are you?

[googler]

Originally Posted by Martha Farkas

Well, I would think they would use their own computer and / or the one they have at work! Internet cafes are a little bit early 90s now. May I ask how old you are please?

You didn't read the example I cited, did you - buyers moving 250 miles away from home and work..... and miles away from their usual computers and internet access points?

My age is my own business, and it's immaterial whether it's internet cafes, libraries or whatever - the point was that it might be easier to just go into the EA's offices who have the properties for sale than look, when miles away from home, for any type of internet access to then browse the EA's websites or portals..... I'm not suggesting this single scenario is the be-all and end-all of the matter, just one situation where an EA's high-street office might prove useful to the buying public.

Originally Posted by Martha Farkas

With respect to how a full service internet EA would work, the important meetings are when the potential buyer comes to the property. After that, it is quite usual for offers, negotiations etc to be done over the telephone or via e-mail. Why do you need an expensive High Street location for that? Remember, I am talking about England. Your neck of the woods is a bit different and less further develped as far as industry internet applications are concerned

Why can't anyone around here have a reasoned discussion without descending into petty sniping and insults?

You might handle offers verbally, or by e-mail in England, but in Scotland, offers routinely go by fax or by letter. An offer isn't an offer unless it's in writing. Therefore you need a fax machine and/or a business address.

Where would the EA work from, if not an office? From home? What would you put on the business letterhead if there were 15 or 20 agents working there? All of their home addresses? 15-20 fax numbers? You can suggest that business letterhead is last year's thing, but I don't think anyone will take that seriously......

Where is the business based, in other words, if it's more than a sole trader operation? Where's the business address?

Originally Posted by Martha Farkas

By the way, just so we're dealing with each other on equal terms. I am an Estate Agent. Are you?

Good for you.

I'm googler. Contributor to these forums, same as you. That's as equal as we need to be.

[brian]

Removed the flame war and trolls - let's keep on topic, thanks.

[drhouse]

Originally Posted by brian

Removed the flame war and trolls - let's keep on topic, thanks.

Censorship seems to be your thing Brian but why remove Aidanbecky posts. He was talking about a site he was setting up and, regardless of whether it was good or not, his contribution was of interest and could have led to an interesting debate.

[brian]

Originally Posted by drhouse

Censorship seems to be your thing Brian but why remove Aidanbecky posts. He was talking about a site he was setting up and, regardless of whether it was good or not, his contribution was of interest and could have led to an interesting debate.

We had another troll (or the same one again) who joined simply to launch personal attacks on existing members from the start, plus a spammer who managed to get away with posting ads to his site in multiple threads while I was busy elsewhere.

This is a moderated forum for discussing property topics, and it will be held to basic standards of civility and clear of spam advertising, and I will make no apology for that.

I presume you wouldn't allow drunks to enter your offices just to abuse your clients or staff, nor allow vandals to graffiti and fly post over your shop window? Same standards apply here.

[drhouse]

Originally Posted by brian

We had another troll (or the same one again) who joined simply to launch personal attacks on existing members from the start, plus a spammer who managed to get away with posting ads to his site in multiple threads while I was busy elsewhere.

This is a moderated forum for discussing property topics, and it will be held to basic standards of civility and clear of spam advertising, and I will make no apology for that.

I presume you wouldn't allow drunks to enter your offices just to abuse your clients or staff, nor allow vandals to graffiti and fly post over your shop window? Same standards apply here.

I didn't have a problem with you banning anyone who made personal attacks my question was about the other poster. Perhaps they did not go about promoting their own website correctly but the title of this thread is 'Rightmove' it is a discussion about a property website. It could equally be about Property Finder, Primelocation, Zoopla and many others which have been mentioned on this site previously. Just because it is a new site doesn't make it any less worth discussion.

[brian]

Indeed, but the guy had about 12 posts, six of which were direct promotions.

I don't mind discussion on the topic - but we do get a lot of people joining up in order to start a thread advertising their new "free property listing website".

[drhouse]

Originally Posted by SCUNTHORPE

Agents either love or hate Rightmove. I can't understand why they hate them when it is so effective. Indeed, it has single-handedly transformed the buyer / seller matching process and rendered a High Street office totally pointless.

EAT report the following : "One in three estate agents are looking to move out of the high street in the next ten years, with one in five believing it is possible or likely that they will work from home. The finding emerged in a survey of 300 agents carried out by movewthus.
Almost all (94%) say they will be doing more and more online."


Kind of proves it really, doesn't it? EAs need to step up their game.

The reason I don't like Rightmove is they charge a high amount in fees because they think they have a stranglehold on the market. I want to see competition in the listing websites so they don't have it all their own way. The Pay per lead sites are proving quite good and hopefully they will will get a better foorhold.

As to moving out of the High Street, I would love to do that. Currently there is nothing I do in the office that I can't do from home. All our systems are online, I can divert the telephone calls, etc. Footfall is much less than it used to be. So why don't I ? Well I wouldn't survive without sellers listing their properties with me and sellers perception is that they need a High St presence to sell their home. I welcome the OFT report as it has addressed the issue that online is the future.

[FreeLocateMe.co.uk]

We pay getting on for £500 a month to use Rightmove but this does cover sales and rentals. I actually advertise on every property portal so I have experience of them all, I'd say Rightmove is really good but other site produce an equal amount of leads.

Does anyone know about the new Google map feature that may be rivalling Rightmove, etc, and how it will work?