“We are the market,” say independent agents in the Midlands
Following the Say No To Rightmove campaign last year, a group of independent estate agents in the Midlands decided it was time for action. Similar to the thousands of property professionals signing up to the campaign, their wish isn’t to overthrow the large property portals like Rightmove and Zoopla, but they did want to create an effective local alternative.
“The collective strength of voice from our industry was fantastic last year but we wanted to go one step further and create a platform for local businesses to showcase the areas we live in and our clients’ properties. We don’t have to say no to Rightmove, but we do want to develop an option where some agents might say bye to Rightmove and the like, if the platform proves an effective alternative,” explained Mike Cleary, Director at Sheldon Bosley Knight.
Due to launch in February, wearethemarket.co.uk already has the support of over 50 independent offices in Coventry & Warwickshire accessing around 75% of the stock. The team are concentrating initially on this region but expect this to widen as both consumers and agents appreciate the benefits of the platform.
“There is no doubt that, in time, the current geographical patch, which we restricted so that a launch date could be set, will grow. Our low membership fee for agents is already at a level where our operation costs are covered, leaving us with a healthy advertising budget for launch and ongoing activity. We also intend to plough revenue back into continual improvements to the portal, enabling us to deliver an excellent, locally focused, nationwide property platform in the future.”
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Editor’s notes:
To speak with Mike Cleary, please contact Jacob Turner at Rev PR, jacob@revpr.co.uk or call 07730 727475
Image available: Mike Cleary