PORTALSnews
them time, effort and money (it’s all free). ThePropertyScout.com finds the most suitable properties based on information provided by the viewer and then emails the details directly to them. Searches can be as specific as you like, even down to a certain street. This site, for now, is definitely
‘niche’ Ben Bloomfield said “We are launching in four postcodes to begin with - SW3, SW5, SW7, SW10. We will be going national in the early part of 2010.” PropertyEarth.net is another niche portal that provides access for consumers to ‘chain free’ properties. Aimed primarily at property investors, it lists lender repossessions, part exchanges taken on by house builders, unsold stock from developers & building companies and properties being sold following a grant of probate. Dominic Toller, MD, says that
changes at the top end of the portal market won’t impact on the niche players; “It is interesting how quickly the portal market continues to change. The entrance of Google into the UK property portal market will threaten the hold of Rightmove and other large portals, but shouldn’t affect the more specialised providers. Smaller portals serving dedicated, niche markets will certainly still have a place under the introduction of this new technology.”
INNOVATION
Zoopla.co.uk, in partnership with Real Estate Disposition, LLC (REDC), the American property auction firm, has launched a live online property auction platform for buying residential property. Bidders have access to vacant and tenanted houses and flats, including repossessions, part- exchanges, new-builds and investments, offered by developers, lenders in possession and estate agents acting for clients. Sellers and agents agree a
‘It is interesting how quickly the portal market continues to change. The entrance of Google into the UK property
portal market will threaten the hold of Rightmove and the large portals, but shouldn’t affect the smaller, more specialised providers.’
Dominic Toller, MD PropertyEarth.net
iPHONE APPS FOR ALL
Rightmove, Zipporah, Nestoria and Globrix already have iPhone apps. Now, FindaProperty.com has released its new free app with some excellent features. The usual property listing is there but in addition, all the properties in the user’s criteria can be displayed on a map, which is automatically provided by the user’s location. Clicking on the property you fancy quickly gives full details, a photo display and directions to the agent or the selected property. Findaproperty say that a
heavyweight marketing campaign will support the launch with advertising in the press and online. Chris Boorman, FindaProperty.
com Product Manager comments, “We resisted the temptation of being the first to market, with the objective of being the very best within it. The FindaProperty.com search app is best in class and will undoubtedly improve the user experience of our home searchers, to the benefit our member agents.”
reserve price before the property is entered into the online auction and successful bids will be binding on the buyer. Zoopla’s first online auction of approximately 150 homes took place over four days ending on 14 February. The plan is for further regular live online auctions running from Thursday afternoons to Sunday evenings. The platform, offered by Zoopla,
aims to provide agents with the ability to offer vendors a unique, additional route to market, which should result in maximising the sale price achieved and reducing the time on market, along with providing agents the opportunity to boost their commissions by approximately £500 per average transaction. Private sellers will not be able to participate. REDC’s first traditional auction programme in four UK venues last
‘The launch of Chainfree.com is a lifeline for estate agents, allowing them easy access to a range of serious, motivated
buyers looking to make a fast purchase to add to their investment portfolio. We have already had as many as 33,000 pages visited
in one day.’ Mark Pilling, MD Spicerhaart Corporate
34 MARCH 2010 PROPERTYdrum
year met with mixed response and no further events are being published so far this year, as they see the online innovation as the way ahead. Alex Chesterman, CEO of Zoopla.co.uk, said: “We see our offering as one of the most exciting developments for estate agents in the UK for years. We are delighted to be partnering with REDC, their expertise in online property auctions combined with the Zoopla.co.uk audience creates a unique and transformational opportunity for our agent members to maximise the price achieved, reduce the time on market and significantly increase their fee potential.” Greg Spiro, Executive Vice
President International Division of REDC, added: “We are very excited to partner with Zoopla.co.uk, the UK’s most innovative and fastest growing property website, to make live online property auctions a reality in the UK. We currently successfully sell approximately 1,000 homes, worth over £50 million each month via our online auctions in the US and we are looking to create the largest online property marketplace in the UK for buyers and sellers to transact openly and transparently.”
New homes, on the hoof!
iPhone addicts may also search
for specific agents, see floorplans in addition to property images and syncrhonise the iPhone search with their ‘myFindaProperty account’ on their home or office computer. The smartest feature is the iPhone accelerometer which lets the user change the orientation and swipe through properties and images which is really useful. Boorman continues, “The
application provides a seamless link between our portal and app, which means that users will continue to interact with agents and properties. By allowing users to search specifically for agents, we’re providing a very direct path for estate agents to communicate effectively with a growing market of tech-savvy home searchers.”
Which portals work for you? Share your knowledge – Comment online at www.propertydrum.com/articles/portalsmar
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