Agent protests over tripling of Digital portal charges
Friday 13th August 2010 - EstateAgentToday
An agent in Sutton, Surrey, is protesting over huge hikes in his rates to FindaProperty. Dozens of other agents are affected.
He has been told that his subscription to The Digital Property Group will triple between next month and March.
The agent, who has asked not to be named, says it means the cost of advertising on Digital's sites, which include FindaProperty and Primelocation, will double - and
will cost him considerably more than Rightmove.
The agent says he received two aggressive phone calls from sales staff at TDPG, which is owned by the Daily Mail, informing him that his subscription would go up in
three staggered hikes.
He says the sales staff told him that the price increases would affect almost 800 agents within the M25 - although Digital told EAT the real number is in fact closer to 70.
He added: "I think they are very arrogant in their approach when the market is still depressed, and when you ask any agency about their revenue levels, they are still way down
on what they were at the peak."
He also said he was unhappy with the makeover of the FindaProperty site back in May and the fact it now takes on third party advertising.
"In my opinion, the site looks awful. Advertising from third parties is all over the pages my properties are displayed on, as opposed to Rightmove which has none.
In my opinion, this has degraded the website and TDPG are being very greedy. They have compromised the website."
He said his firm is receiving many less inquiries than a year ago, and believes he should get a price decrease. "There are many agents like me who will not put up
with ridiculous increases," he added, saying that he had never wanted to be on Primelocation in the first place and that it was "a complete waste of time".
TDPG puts it pricing for all its websites in one package, even where agents have no interest in listing on, for example, FindaProperty, or Primelocation.
It is believed that the agent in question, along with others in price negotiations, is currently on an old rate, below rate card.
In an official statement, Digital said: "The Digital Property Group rate card was created to provide a fair and transparent reflection of the value we deliver; it
takes into account the agent's location, our market share as well as the number of properties listed and their average cost. By advertising on each of The Digital Property
Group portals, agents benefit from inquiries across all levels of home buyer and renter as well as profit from the positive brand association with our portals - especially
important when attracting new instructions.
"Our subscribers gain from significant investment into our portals through TV, radio, print, online and outdoor advertising across the country, not to mention the
positive addition of Globrix.com into our portfolio. They also benefit from innovations such as our iPad app and the FindaProperty.com redesign which has yielded a
significant number of enquiries and a record 3.8 million unique visitors in July.
"We cannot comment on specific cases but we would be very happy to speak to this customer on an individual basis and discuss our value to their business."
EPCs to last ten years
Wednesday 26th May 2010
Energy Performance Certificates may not be required each time a home is sold in future.
That is because the shelf life of an EPC has now been extended to ten years.
So, if a property sold today with an EPC comes back on the market within the next decade, a compliant EPC will already be in place.
The suspension order of HIPs and the amendment of the EPC regulations has an explanatory memorandum which says at Clause 4.7:
"The provision in regulation 11 of the EPB Regulations 2007 for an EPC to be valid for a period of three years in cases where a duty under section 155(1) or 159(2)
of the Housing Act 2004 applies is revoked. This means that the validity period of EPCs for sales of residential property is, under regulation 11 as amended, now ten years.
This is consistent with the validity period for EPCs for all other types of transactions covered by the EPB Regulations 2007."
Confirmation of the news has led to despair among Domestic Energy Assessors, who are predicting a decimation of their numbers and workloads.
It is also widely predicted that estate agents will go back to doing their own floorplans – work that had increasingly been done by DEAs.
NEWS FLASH – HIPs suspended
Thursday 20th May 2010
Home Information Packs have been suspended with immediate effect pending primary legislation for a permanent abolition.
CLG Secretary of State Eric Pickles said: "HIPs are history. This action will encourage sellers back into the market and help the market as a whole and the economy recover."
Housing minister Grant Shapps said: "This is a great example of how this new Government is getting straight down to work by cutting pointless red tape."
They made the announcement this morning at a press conference held at Bullman Booth estate agents in Battersea, London, owned by Philip Bullman.
Many jobs – up to 10,000 has been estimated – will now be at immediate risk and specialist HIP providers will fold, unless they are able to diversify.
However, there is no doubt that most estate agents will greet the suspension with relief.
For AHIPP, there was a surprising acceptance, although it made it clear there are still battles ahead.
Director general Mike Ockenden said: "We want to work with the Government and we want the consultation we have been promised. We are not suggesting that HIPs should be retained. AHIPP has accepted that they will be scrapped.
"However, we have been proposing for months that a legal pack – or exchange ready HIP – be instructed at the start of the sales process. We think it would be crazy to throw the baby out with the bathwater and remove at a stroke all the good things that have come about with HIPs, and the lessons we have learnt.
"If we do this, then the opportunity for reform will have been lost for a generation."
Nick Salmon, tireless campaigner and founder of SPLINTA, was absolutely delighted.
He said: "The ending of HIPs is a victory for the consumer, the estate agency industry and the SPLINTA campaign. We applaud the swift and decisive action of the coalition government and the contribution of the housing minister, Grant Shapps, who has always been clear about HIPs in his words and deeds.
"The chequered history of this flawed piece of legislation stands as a shameful monument to the ineptitude and arrogance of a succession of Labour housing ministers who failed to heed the warnings of those who actually know how the property market works."
Sutton Kersh team up with the Mankey Monkeys to raise over £7,000 for Alder Hey
Monday 10th May 2010
Sutton Kersh helped the cheeky Mankey Monkey tribe send Liverpool bananas on Thursday 28th April at a charity auction event, which raised over
£7,000 for the Alder Hey Imagine Appeal. Money is still pouring in with collectors snapping up Monkeys that weren't in the live auction on the
night, and the Monkey team are close to hitting their target of raising £10,000 for the local charity.
Over 150 people turned out to bid on 50 of the primates at Sefton Park's Palm House. T4's Matt Littler and Darren Jeffries entertained guests as
they enjoyed delicious canapés and champagne supplied by event sponsors Carringtons Caterers and Costco.
Auctioneer Andrew Binstock from Sutton Kersh conducted the auction proceedings. Bidding hit jungle-fever pitch as everyone was determined to take
home their favourite, and all 50 Mankey Monkeys were sold to very happy monkey owners. After the final hammer went down, the crowd went ape, buying
most of the remaining 51 monkeys that weren't in the auction. The scene outside the Palm House of monkeys being loaded into cars and taxis was a
hilarious sight to behold.
Click for complete article
Rightmove strikes deal with Google
Friday 29th January 2010
Rightmove has done a deal with Google maps, ahead of Google's own launch into the UK property online market.
The deal, announced yesterday with immediate effect, takes the property internet to a new level, with the two huge players now literally on the same page.
The deal also ends speculation as to whether Rightmove would co-operate with Google on a 'if you can't beat them, join them' basis. As a result of the deal, Rightmove becomes
one of the largest users of Google maps in Europe.
From yesterday, Rightmove properties are now placed on a Google map on each 'detailed view' page.
However, the application will be expanded over the next month so home-hunters will be able to see initial search results plotted out within their search area – just as they
will be able to do on the Google property mapping service.
Google's own offering, expected to launch in the UK in the first quarter of this year, is likely to be a search engine based on its maps. Property searchers would then be
diverted to the agent's own website in order to see property details. The facility would be free for agents.
The Rightmove deal appears to try to head off this potential threat, relying on its own brand for property searchers, who would not only see the mapping but also the details of
several properties – all on one site, as Rightmove does not divert to agents' own websites.
Rightmove has been running a new TV ad campaign and attracted over 1m visits in a single day for the first time this Monday.
A Rightmove spokesman told Estate Agent Today: "Google are about to launch their own UK real estate offering, which will be based on maps. Rightmove can now offer
something quite similar.
"However, we have two very different business models: Google is a search engine, and users will click through on each property to the agent's own website. On Rightmove,
users can see everything they want, all in the same place – not just the location, but the complete property details.
"We also liked the Google maps because they are the best maps around. They're clear and easy to view."
Sanjay Patel, of Google Enterprise, said: "With this technology on their site, Rightmove will be able to provide property searchers with a faster, more accurate and more
comprehensive mapping system to help them find that perfect home even more efficiently."
Sutton Kersh Go Penguins With Emperor Penguin Theo!
At the end of November, Liverpool is to become the temporary home to a colony of penguins. More than 100 six-foot birds will decorate the city in the build up to Christmas as
part of a public art trail that is set to rival the Go Superlambananas event that proved to be a huge success in 2008.
Click for complete article
Tories will put pledge to scrap HIPs in manifesto
The Conservatives' promise to scrap HIPs immediately they get into power is to be in the party's general election manifesto.
The news was revealed by shadow housing minister Grant Shapps in a meeting with the chief executive of the NAEA, Peter Bolton King, and president Gary Smith.
Click for complete article
UK interest rates lowered to 0.5%
The Bank of England has cut interest rates to 0.5% - a fresh all-time low - and says it will now boost the money supply to help revive the economy.
Interest rates have now been reduced six times since October, and the latest half a percentage point cut from January's 1% had been expected.
Click for complete article
Interest rates hit all-time low
The Bank of England has cut interest rates to 1.5%, the lowest level in its 315-year history, as it continues efforts to aid an economic recovery.
The half percentage point reduction brings interest rates below 2% for the first time since the Bank of England was founded in 1694.
Click for complete article
Central banks cut interest rates
Six central banks, including the Bank of England, have cut interest rates by half a percentage point in an effort to steady the faltering global economy.
No decision on UK rates had been expected until Thursday - and the move puts the interest rate at 4.5% from 5%.
Click for complete article
Sutton Kersh; the all rounders
Sutton Kersh have reinforced their reputation as a good all-rounder by winning a charity rounders tournament that brought together many of the city's top property agents, developers, solicitors and finance companies in aid of Zoe's Place Baby Hospice
The tournament took place on Wednesday 23rd July at Liverpool Cricket Club, a venue that was recently the victim of a suspected arson attack. In true 'the show must go on' style a marquee was erected and the tournament went ahead with no sign of any disruption.
Click for complete article
Auction house launches real time online bidding!
Sutton Kersh Auctions is to become the first auction house in the UK to trial real-time online bidding. The new online bidding concept will in essence open up their auction room to property investors from all across the world. It will enable someone sat at a computer in Singapore to bid for and purchase a property from the London auction room as easily as someone sat in front of the auctioneer.
Click for complete article
Bank details £50bn lending boost
The Bank of England has announced details of a £50bn plan to help prevent the credit crisis causing more damage to the UK banking system and economy.
Banks will be able to swap potentially risky mortgage debts for secure government bonds to enable them to operate during the credit squeeze.
Click for complete article
Bank lowers interest rates to 5%
UK interest rates have been cut to 5% from 5.25% by the Bank of England in an attempt to spur the economy in the face of the global credit crunch.
It is the central bank's third cut in interest rates since early December.
Click for complete article.
SUTTON KERSH SIGNS UP TO UNIQUE ONLINE SERVICE
A leading North West property agency has made life easier for people moving house by partnering with a unique online service that takes away the hassle of changing address.
Sutton Kersh has teamed up with Chester based iammoving.com to provide its customers with a free service to notify all key organisations of their home move and address change. This is done via their website www.iammoving.com/suttonkersh
Click for complete article.
Sutton Kersh secure Mann Island agency
The Dylan Harvey Group has appointed Sutton Kersh as their preferred Liverpool selling agent for the residential units of the prestigious Mann Island development.
The development set a new record earlier this year for Liverpool's largest ever property sale at £70 million.
Click for complete article.
SOUTH LIVERPOOL WOMAN CELEBRATES 50 YEARS AT SAME COMPANY
Irene Walton, aged 66, from South Liverpool has celebrated her 50th year working with a Liverpool based property agency.
The occasion was marked with her friends and colleagues from Thomson and Moulton and Sutton Kersh on Wednesday (January 23) with a presentation at a special ceremony.
Click for complete article.
Bank cuts interest rates to 5.25%
The Bank of England's rate-setting committee has cut interest rates to 5.25% from 5.5% in an attempt to stimulate growth in the UK economy.
Analysts had widely predicted the move, which followed recent cuts in the US where the Federal Reserve had slashed its borrowing costs to 3% from 4.25%.
Click for complete article.
Sutton Kersh and Thomson and Moulton become one
Following several months of discussions, Sutton Kersh have announced the addition of Thomson and Moulton in to the Sutton Kersh Group.
The amalgamation is the latest stage of the ongoing expansion of Sutton Kersh.
Click for complete article.
£100 TO ZOE'S PLACE ON THE COMPLETION OF EVERY HOUSE SALE
Sutton Kersh, one of the cities leading property agents, have recently shown their support to local charity Zoe's Place and donated £3, 000.
The money was raised through a scheme launched from the property agents West Derby branch whereby £100 is donated to the baby hospice on the completion of every house sale.
Click for complete article.
SUTTON KERSH LAUNCH OPEN HOUSE MORTGAGE SURGERY
Property agents Sutton Kersh have launched their very own Open House Mortgage Surgery.
Every Thursday, between 1-7pm, a qualified mortgage advisor will be on hand at the company's new city centre office, located on Exchange Street East, to offer financial advice without appointment.
Click for complete article.
Hungary
Hungary is an emerging hotspot in the overseas property market. Located between Austria and Romania it is a country that has something to offer for everyone.
Home to more than nine million people, Hungary boasts thermal spas, beautiful bird life, colourful culture and incredibly low property prices.
Click for complete article.
Sutton Kersh Lettings reports rapid growth
Sutton Kersh is celebrating after a noticeable increase in their lettings market.
This comes on the back of a strong six months for the Cotton Street based business where they have experienced high levels of demand, resulting in expansion in to their new office space on Exchange Street East in the City Centre.
Click for complete article.
Sun, sea and Sutton Kersh
Sutton Kersh have joined forces with the developer Crown Acquisitons Worldwide to offer exclusive plots of land on Cayman Brac for under £20, 000.
The local estate agents were exclusively selected to sell the freehold 10, 000 sq/m plots, located on the smallest of the three Cayman Islands and now have just twenty five plots left at a value of £19, 999 each.
Click for complete article.
Catherine Mews wins Best Housing Scheme at Your Move awards
Property Developers Omega took the title of Best Housing Scheme at the Your Move Awards last Thursday for their stylish city centre development, Catherine Mews.
Located near the Georgian quarter, Catherine Mews offers a unique living experience for prospective buyers and provides a refreshing alternative to the abundance of trendy apartments available in the City Centre in offering City Centre Houses.
Click for complete article.
Sutton Kersh open plush, new City Centre Office
Sutton Kersh has recently moved round the corner from their Tithebarn Street City Centre location to offices on Exchange Street East.
The new, larger double fronted office, situated in a prime position to reach the highly lucrative professional market, hosts plasma flat screen televisions used for displaying the estate agents latest property offerings
Click for complete article.
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