Spicerhaart founder Paul Smith has criticised what he describes as growing reliance on property portals within parts of the estate agency industry, as the group introduces a new sales process called “Showcase”.
The approach, developed over the past year, is intended to change the traditional “list and wait” model by introducing a short pre-market period before a property is publicly launched.
Under the system, properties are prepared and marketed to pre-qualified buyers over a period of around seven to 14 days. Pricing feedback is gathered during this stage, with the aim of aligning expectations before wider exposure and a coordinated launch.
Smith said: “We’ve looked hard at how homes are sold and asked a simple question: are we really getting the best outcome for the customer? Showcase is about slowing the process down at the start so we can achieve a quicker sale and, in many cases, a higher price.”
Unlike conventional listings, properties are only launched to portals days before a planned viewing event, designed to create urgency and maximise competition between motivated buyers.
He added: “Too much of our industry has become ‘lazy estate agency’ – put it on a portal and hope for the best. This is about taking back control, qualifying buyers properly and presenting homes in their very best light.”
The model also places strong emphasis on database-driven marketing, direct mail and accompanied viewings, helping agents identify proceedable buyers and reduce fall-through risk.
Antony Lark, joint group CEO of Spicerhaart, said the initiative is as much about differentiation as it is performance: “In markets where sellers can choose from dozens of agents, standing out has never been more important. Showcase gives our teams a clear, compelling story to win instructions and, more importantly, a better way to deliver results.”
Early pilots have shown significantly higher engagement levels and strong seller interest, with the estate agency group expecting the approach to drive growth in sole agency instructions.
For the wider industry, Lark argues that Showcase raises important questions about the future of portal-led agency models, particularly at a time when agents are under pressure to better justify their fees and demonstrate tangible value.
He added: “Every seller wants the same thing – the best price. If we can deliver that more consistently, then we’re not just improving our business, we’re raising the standard of estate agency.”
