{"id":348,"date":"2015-11-28T11:01:05","date_gmt":"2015-11-28T11:01:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/hidden-agendas-in-the-battle-of-the-portals\/"},"modified":"2018-02-19T08:13:16","modified_gmt":"2018-02-19T08:13:16","slug":"hidden-agendas-in-the-battle-of-the-portals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/hidden-agendas-in-the-battle-of-the-portals\/","title":{"rendered":"Hidden Agendas in The Battle of The Portals"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<!-- SEO Ultimate Plus (https:\/\/seoultimateplus.com) - Code Inserter module -->\n<script async>(function(s,u,m,o,j,v){j=u.createElement(m);v=u.getElementsByTagName(m)[0];j.async=1;j.src=o;j.dataset.sumoSiteId='b68b392479b5981b8acf46565e9fe32a0734fc21a1f7c1e60121eaa6ca1a1c64';v.parentNode.insertBefore(j,v)})(window,document,'script','\/\/load.sumo.com\/');<\/script>\n<!-- \/SEO Ultimate Plus -->\n\n<div>\n<div id=\"_com_8\" class=\"msocomtxt\">Anyone who has been paying attention to the \u2018Homes\u2019 and \u2018<a class=\"wl-entity-page-link\"  href=\"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/property\/\" data-id=\"http:\/\/data.wordlift.io\/wl0502\/entity\/property;http:\/\/rdf.freebase.com\/ns\/m.05wrt;http:\/\/dbpedia.org\/resource\/Property\" >Property<\/a>\u2019 section of any major media outlet of late, cannot help but notice the onslaught of coverage focusing on the launch of the agent-owned portal, On The Market, and its impact on the property market.<\/div>\n<div id=\"_com_8\" class=\"msocomtxt\">\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">As the PR battle within the property industry rages, an article published in the Telegraph this week has generated massive backlash after claiming that Agents Mutual are employing \u201cdirty tricks\u201d to encourage agents to hold back listings until the new portal launches in January 2015. The story ran under the title \u201c<a class=\"wl-entity-page-link\"  href=\"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/estate-agent\/\" data-id=\"http:\/\/data.wordlift.io\/wl0502\/entity\/estate_agent;http:\/\/rdf.freebase.com\/ns\/m.02dzpr;http:\/\/dbpedia.org\/resource\/Estate_agent\" >Estate Agent<\/a> Wars Could Make it Harder to Sell Your Home\u201d and quoted an email which was supposedly \u201can extract from the Agents\u2019 Mutual email to its branch members\u201d as evidence.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">The Telegraph was however forced to make several amendments to the article when representatives for Agents\u2019 Mutual pointed out that the quoted email was, in fact, from a software provider that many agencies use, and not from Agents\u2019 Mutual themselves. A story published in Property Industry Eye, then de-bunked the Telegraph article in detail, including the full quote from Agents\u2019 Mutual CEO Ian Springett that was omitted in the original article by Telegraph reporter, Anna White.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">Part of this \u2018de-bunking\u2019 was <a title=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/www.propertyindustryeye.com\/\" target=\"\">Property Industry Eye<\/a> pointing out that Zoopla powers a number of property search facilities for major newspapers \u2013 including the Telegraph. They also point out that Zoopla is due to announce its maiden financial results to the City, and that these results will be previewed in a national newspaper\u2026 The Telegraph of course.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">Although Property Industry Eye seem keen to point out The Telegraph&#8217;s connections and\/or allegiances with Zoopla, they themselves appear to be a key platform for the Agents&#8217; Mutual PR offensive.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Nick Salmon, EYE&#8217;s Managing Director agrees but says:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<blockquote style=\"margin: 0 0 0 40px; border: none; padding: 0px;\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"msocomtxt\">\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">&#8220;Agents&#8217; Mutual gets our coverage because they are the story of the moment and are miles ahead of others in making the running in the PR stakes.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div>\n<div class=\"msocomtxt\">\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">In comparison, RightMove and Zoopla have remained shockingly quiet throughout the media fire-storm, giving little, if any, defence against the AM threat. This strong and silent approach may soon change however, with the publication of Property Industry Eye&#8217;s &#8216;Portal Pricing <a class=\"wl-entity-page-link\" title=\"Surveying\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/surveying\/\" data-id=\"http:\/\/data.wordlift.io\/wl0502\/entity\/surveying;http:\/\/rdf.freebase.com\/ns\/m.0gjm7;http:\/\/dbpedia.org\/resource\/Surveying\" >Survey<\/a>&#8216; results.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">Many in the industry have a sneaking suspicion that agents are being charged vastly different amounts depending on their size, power and relationship with RightMove and Zoopla. Therefore the results of the survey may raise some inconvenient truths for the UK\u2019s leading portals, and push even more agents towards the \u201cprovided-at-cost\u201d Agents\u2019 Mutual.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">Now, the above may well seem a tad confusing \u2013 and you are right to think so. The property portal battle is not what it seems, and there are a variety of hidden agendas and vested interests at play, shaping public perception. While each side seems keen to point out their rivals motives, the same transparency doesn\u2019t seem to be applied to their own stance on the issue. As media outlets begin aligning themselves with one side or the other, lines in the sand are also being drawn within the property industry.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><b>Agents Divided \u2013 Online vs High Street<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">High street <a class=\"wl-entity-page-link\" title=\"Estate (land)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/estate-land\/\" data-id=\"http:\/\/data.wordlift.io\/wl0502\/entity\/estate_land;http:\/\/yago-knowledge.org\/resource\/Estate_(land);http:\/\/rdf.freebase.com\/ns\/m.038t8_;http:\/\/dbpedia.org\/resource\/Estate_(land)\" >estate<\/a> agents have an obvious interest in joining Agents\u2019 Mutual. Fed up with RightMove and Zoopla\u2019s digital dominance and spiralling fees, the Agents\u2019 Mutual proposition of an exclusive high-street only portal with listing at cost and an added \u2018stuff you\u2019 to RM and Zoopla will be hard to turn down for most agents.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">The relationship between high street agents and their online counterparts has been frosty at best. High street agents have long resented <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/purplebricks\">Online Estate Agents<\/a>\u00a0(OEAs) and with more and more online agencies cropping up every day, it seems the tension has reached boiling point. They see online agencies not only as a threat in <a class=\"wl-entity-page-link\" title=\"Contractual term\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/contractual-term\/\" data-id=\"http:\/\/data.wordlift.io\/wl0502\/entity\/contractual_term;http:\/\/yago-knowledge.org\/resource\/Contractual_term;http:\/\/rdf.freebase.com\/ns\/m.02rfhkx;http:\/\/dbpedia.org\/resource\/Contractual_term\" >terms<\/a> of market share (which is still relatively low in reality, quoted at around 5%) but more so in that they detract from the <a class=\"wl-entity-page-link\" title=\"Estate (law)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/estate-law\/\" data-id=\"http:\/\/data.wordlift.io\/wl0502\/entity\/estate_law;http:\/\/rdf.freebase.com\/ns\/m.038t85;http:\/\/dbpedia.org\/resource\/Estate_(law)\" >estate<\/a> agency business itself, and encourage people to question the status quo. By signing up with Agents\u2019 Mutual, bricks and mortar agencies will be able to distance themselves from their digital competitors.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">If Agents\u2019 Mutual\u2019s \u2018On The <a class=\"wl-entity-page-link\" title=\"Market (economics)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/market-economics\/\" data-id=\"http:\/\/data.wordlift.io\/wl0502\/entity\/market_economics;http:\/\/dbpedia.org\/resource\/Market_(economics)\" >Market<\/a>\u2019 portal does take off and gain significant traction in the industry, then online agents will be at a distinct disadvantage in terms of the coverage and exposure they can provide for their clients. It therefore stands to reason, that OEAs have a vested interest in attacking or criticising Agents\u2019 Mutual &#8211; as demonstrated by online agent eMoov\u2019s recent complaint to The Competition and Markets Authority against AM \u2013 with CEO Russell Quirk saying \u201cI run a business that\u2019s trying to disrupt estate agency for the benefit of the consumer\u201d. In eMoov\u2019s eyes, Agents\u2019 Mutual are a \u2018cartel\u2019 of exclusive, outdated, old-school agents, looking to protect their dominance and high fees.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">As the launch date for On The Market draws nearer, the PR battle may well intensify \u2013 Zoopla today delivered their first results to the Stock Exchange and appeared to shrug-off the Agents\u2019 Mutual threat. Whether the impact of On The Market will deliver a crippling blow to the current market leaders is yet to be seen, but remember; all is not what it seems in the battle of the portals.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">Franki Chaffin-Edwards<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--[endif]--><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Anyone who has been paying attention to the \u2018Homes\u2019 and \u2018Property\u2019 section of any major media outlet of late, cannot help but notice the onslaught of coverage focusing on the launch of the agent-owned portal, On The Market, and its<span class=\"ellipsis\">&hellip;<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"read-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/hidden-agendas-in-the-battle-of-the-portals\/\">Read more &#8250;<\/a><\/div>\n<p><!-- end of .read-more --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":41,"featured_media":3695,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wl_entities_gutenberg":"","_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","spay_email":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"wl_entity_type":[602],"modified_by":null,"_wl_alt_label":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/hidden-agenda-image.jpeg","wl:entity_url":"http:\/\/data.wordlift.io\/wl0502\/post\/hidden_agendas_in_the_battle_of_the_portals","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/348"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/41"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=348"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/348\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14831,"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/348\/revisions\/14831"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3695"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=348"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=348"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=348"},{"taxonomy":"wl_entity_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wl_entity_type?post=348"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}