Challenger portal OneDome has experienced another record month in terms of traffic and leads generated to estate agents.
The portal, which last month signed up one of the larger UK agencies, the Leaders Romans Group, has seen particularly strong interest from first-time buyers in recent weeks, perhaps thanks in part to the introduction of the government’s 95% mortgage guarantee scheme.
The two property listing websites managed by the group – OneDome.com and Nethouseprices.com – saw visits grow to 2.9 million in March, up from 2.7 million in February.
Babek Ismayil, founder and CEO of OneDome, commented: “We are seeing a record volume of traffic, with high numbers of buyers and tenants searching on our websites. The month of April has also started very strongly and we are pleased to offer our agents a record volume of leads. We expect this trend to continue in the coming months,” says Babek Ismayil, Founder and CEO of OneDome.
“Due to being able to save more during lockdown, the extension of the stamp duty holiday and the new mortgage guarantee scheme, market conditions are very favourable for first-time buyers. We therefore expect them to continue driving demand for vendors’ properties.”
“However, positive financial conditions and the current easing of lockdown restrictions will provide a boost for all demographics, which is likely to be reflected in property market activity throughout the remainder of 2021.”
Aside from the Leaders Romans Group, OneDome also signed up Barratt Developments Plc, which now lists all its properties on the platform, earlier this year.
Last year, OneDome revealed a range of high-profile agencies listing on its websites, including Andrews Property Group, Arun Estates, Coopers Residential, Hunters, Martyn Gerrard, Michael Jones, Robinson Michael & Jackson, Winkworth, plus others.
Every portal, agent and related supplier to the sector, has seen record levels of activity. This isn’t unique by any stretch of the imagination.
When I see the name I can’t but help thinking of Doom rather than Dome. Although I wish them luck, the name and brand is awful and their chance of achieving anything is less than a 20-1 flutter at the bookies.
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20:1 is brilliant odds, I’d take that, someone was giving me odds of 100:1.
The problem the industry has is one of not wanting change to happen, The corporate agents will not get behind anything that takes away their financial advantage over their independent competition. Economies of scale, paying what must be the £ Sqrt of B all is what provides corporate agency with it’s trading advantage over those they are competing with. A negotiator, senior neg or manager of a branch isn’t better at agency than their competition they are just more cost effective businesses with centralised administration and negotiated deals on most expenditure. While corporate agency has a £advantage of sticking with the duopoly the fear of losing instruction is what keeps the rest of the industry in place.
A lot of agencies aren’t estate agents, they are passive intermediaries who do little more than plonk property on the portals at a price they looked up on the same sites the vendor used, those agencies are portal reliant. Without the portals they cannot offer a service and couldn’t offer advice on value without the random numbers they generate.
If Onedome can earn a living from associated income a lot of agencies don’t bother with or consider and can generate leads and awareness for an agency for free, that is a good thing, it works for the agent and Onedome.
With the type of business Onedome is, their branding doesn’t matter; the service they offer isn’t brand dependent. the listings on Facebook that wouldn’t be there without Onedone don’t rely on Onedome being a recognised brand any more than the CRM systems that feed the listing to them.
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I can tell you haven’t been to the bookies for a long time Robert. A horse that is pegged at 20:1 odds isn’t a good bet.
It’s safer on your pocket if you avoid horses with virtually no chance of winning.
As I said, I wish them luck. They’ll need it.
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Onedome isn’t everyone’s choice or idea or a property search system but it has found a place and a target audience and this story is a reassurance it is getting good traction for the agents that list with them.
I can’t see anything ‘beating’ Rightmove I can see things challenging and changing them.
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* Insert multiple laughing emoji’s *
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My office front door has opened Feb, March & April so far, with a record number of visitors/walk ins asking if we have stock not on the internet or about to come on, so they can “beat the rush”.
No surprise any portal advertising property is getting searched… as buyers are trying to find out where the houses are.
What is clear with the record number of people coming to my office door, is that buyers know who actually fills the shelves, and happy to do the leg work to find their dream home.
Yet even with an audience prepared to walk in and hunt through multiple portals, an Estate Agent tweeted about a “lovely property” and they shared it using the Rightmove Twitter Share… and yes, they do have their own website… which I found hard to believe they had a website as why would you send people to other agents stock too. Maybe they answer the phone “Good morning Rightmove”. pft.
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Is it me or is the name One Dome as bit, well, weird
Noun- Dome -a thing shaped like a dome
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