The estate agency industry is still under the spotlight for possible illegal price fixing cartels according to the Competition and Markets Authority. In recent years the CMA has taken action against three examples of anti-competitive practice in the property sector and the latest warning, issued yesterday, was contained in a… Read More »New warning to estate agents over illegal price-fixing
An estate agency founded in 1995 has undergone a management buyout from two existing director. Westcoast Properties is a north Somerset firm, now owned by existing director Nicholas Webber and associate finance director Lindsay Pickles. Previous owners Martin and Kay Crees are to remain a part of the business, with… Read More »Agency undergoes management buyout after 25 years
The new portal OpenBrix, which is powered by Blockchain, has revealed its fee structure ahead of its formal launch on September 1. It’s going to charge £75 per branch per month, plus £1 per property upload fee. If agents then want to join a multi-listing system it will operate, they… Read More »New portal reveals charges to agents plus extra for multi-listing service
Government leaks to mainstream and building trade media suggest the controversial Help To Buy scheme will be extended beyond its end-of-2020 deadline.
HM Land Registry is now accepting witnessed electronic signatures on documents for the transfer of ownership of property, the creation of leases, and on securing mortgages.
Agents have almost unanimously been reporting a big surge in business since the reopening of the housing market, but new figures from HM Revenue & Customs suggest there is still some way to go before normal volumes are seen.
There’s more confirmation this morning that the housing market is enjoying a short-term bounce – and that’s before the effect of yesterday’s stamp duty initiatives. The latest market snapshot from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, out today, shows a net balance of 61 per cent of its monthly survey… Read More »RICS figures confirm short-term bounce but supply is very low
Agents have spoken out angrily against any uncertainty in the market caused by government leaks about future stamp duty changes. In recent days many national newspapers have reported that Chancellor Rishi Sunak will tomorrow reveal the principles of a stamp duty change – either a six month holiday, or selected… Read More »Stamp Duty dithering could kill the market, warn angry agents
A new estate agency Code of Practice is to be written by a group set up by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and The Property Ombudsman. It will be led by a Labour peer and should produce the code by the end of this year. The steering group – which… Read More »Code of Practice for Estate Agents set to change industry forever
Homesearch, the long-awaited new free-to-list portal, launches today with a string of testimonials from supportive estate agents. The new portal announced at the end of last week that it had secured over 10,000 agents signing up, although it has made it clear that not all of their listings will be… Read More »Homesearch portal launches with two-week feedback period for agents
