LSL, the parent company of brands including Your Move and Reeds Rains, is closing 12 branches.
It is also consolidating eight others – four of each brand.
Separately, Spicerhaart has closed four branches, citing viability problems with decreased volumes of business.
The numbers in both cases are smaller than have been rumoured.
Staff at all the Your Move and Reeds Rains branches affected have been told, and while there will be some redundancies, the majority are to be deployed elsewhere in the organisation.
There have been no redundancies at Spicerhaart, with staff simply transferring to other offices.
An LSL spokesperson was at pains to confirm that the changes are nowhere near the scale of closures embarked on by Countrywide and appear to have been carried out for different reasons.
The spokesperson said the underlying cause of the changes was a review of the branch network.
In a statement, the company said: “As part of a business review, sister estate agents Your Move and Reeds Rains have chosen to consolidate a small number of branches, eight in total, and also close a small number (12) with business transferring instead to larger neighbouring branches.
“The aim being to strengthen business operations at local level and further enhance customer services.
“With less than 3% of the branch network affected it is not expected to have any impact on day to day business operations, with the small number of staff impacted already offered the opportunity, where possible, of redeployment or alternative employment within the individual brands or wider LSL Group.”
Separately, Spicerhaart has closed four branches.
In its statement it told EYE: “Spicerhaart have relocated four branches and teams into existing branches. Those branches that have closed were either at lease ends or not viable with decreased volumes.
“No one has been made redundant.”
It’s not a hard situation to turn around. Corps and independents need to look at what customers want and how they can better offer it than other agents.
With only 4 in 10 properties sold being found on main portals, agents might be better to collaborate than head on compete.
What Im loving at the mo is the race to the bottom guys who’ll soon be offering to ‘Save you £££’s hundreds‘ on the eMove, easyP and Purple and Tepilo and HouseSimple and YOPA type listers.
Gaining the 1.5% and 2% fees is childs play. Why are so many agents listening to what race to the bottom’ers are doing over what customers really want.
I hear one agent offering to list homes FS from £99 – Histerical, Whats next £79-£49, maybe 99p
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“Gaining the 1.5% and 2% fees is childs play. Why are so many agents listening to what race to the bottom’ers are doing over what customers really want.”
Sorry, but that general comment isn’t strictly true – Fees are geographical, locally where I work getting a 1% fee is a job at the moment, as pretty much 95% of the agents are willing to do less than the fee mentioned. When the market gets touch and there’s little properties coming to market and there aren’t enough houses to go round fee is the first thing that gets hit.
Everyone also want something for nothing, which again goes against your comment that getting 1.5-2% fees is childs play.
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@Local Agent,
I disagree. recently I did a micro trial with a Countrywide brand. I easily achieved a 1.5% fee over 3 other local agents who dropped their pants at 1%. I could have achieved higher but a 50% upsell was enough as I liked the client.
What I pitched was different to the 3 other agents same old same.
We also achieved £35k more than lowest valuation and achieved 20 weeks sole selling rights over the others 8-12 weeks.
Simply CHILD’s PLAY. I’m afraid too many agents are worried about the race to the bottom, than being creative and listening to what sellers really want.
The property has now exchanged and completes next week. Acting for the client as their buyer rep agent, I also managed to save the client £17k on their next purchase. The client is around £50k better off.
Budget agency or even 1% would have failed to have won the listing.
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If so successful…why did Coutrywide keep it as a micro trial. If it is enduring and successful in more than 1 case, surely they will engage your powers for all brands? Or were you too busy helping Your Move win their only 2% instruction. Viewings sell houses…not portals
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We’ve all heard these stories before. I’ve even told them myself. Face it please, the industry is getting harder, it’s changing! Fees are slipping. Having said all that I’ve still a love for it and nothing beats it. Just be more realistic in your posts.
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I have also helped a Your Move gain a 2% listing in an area where agents fight over 0.75% to 1% scraps. CHILD’s PLAY
My winning over other agents is simply offering the client what others are not.
With WHICH’s recent survey, the portals may see 90% of peoples start in finding a home, but from 2,000 buyers WHICH very recently said only 4 in 10 buy the homes found on line.
Agents should be working locally together. Not head on competing. Try it. It’s an easy way to up fees, and if you sell direct, you take the whole raised amount. If a sub agent sells, you simply pay the upsell.
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The aim being to strengthen business operations at local level and further enhance customer services.
haha…..yeah shutting a branch will really help…
p.s. trevor stop ruining comments by self promoting all the time.
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LAYDEEZ AND GENTLEMENS… It’s time to play Take Your Pick.
Choose from these comments taken from above:
‘…recently I did a micro trial with a Countrywide brand…’
‘I have also helped a Your Move gain a 2% listing…’
‘Agents should be working locally together.’
OR these from Mr Mealham’s LinkedIn page:
“MLS is the biggest threat to UK corporate agents and maybe even the main portals.”
“The last thing corporate agents or portals want is agents working together.”
But – YOU CAN’T HAVE BOTH.
Even if Mr Mealham thinks HE can…
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It’s strange, but as I read the hyperbole above a distinctly rural odour seemed to waft into my nose.
Can’t think why.
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