Yopa amends controversial league table of estate agents after complaints

| Rosalind Renshaw

A comparison table of different estate agents in a number of towns and cities has been amended after complaints to the advertising watchdog.

Online agent Yopa compiled the table, which appeared to show that it was far busier than any of the local agents and had lower sales times (see below).

The table used Yopa’s national listing numbers – over 3,000 – at the top of the table, which showed high street agents’ far smaller local inventories.

The story was featured in EYE:

https://www.propertyindustryeye.com/online-agent-yopa-launches-new-agent-guide-and-the-high-street-comes-off-worse/

The article caused controversy among our readers, with two saying they were reporting it to the Advertising Standards Authority.

A third remarked that he felt an informal resolution coming on.

This morning the ASA said the matter had been informally resolved.

An ASA spokesperson said: “The Yopa website featured a comparison table of different estate agents which included their number of properties and average listing age.

“Two complainants, who noted that the comparison was based on Yopa’s national figures against their competitors’ local figures, challenged whether the comparison was misleading.

“We raised these concerns with the advertiser. Yopa confirmed that the ad had been removed and that they would not compare their national data with competitors’ local data.”

The table continues to be published by Yopa – backed by the Daily Mail, Savills and LSL –  but without its national listing information.

You might, however, like to check your local town.

When we looked up Basingstoke in Hampshire, we got Torquay in Devon. And when we looked up Torquay, we got Carlisle. Carlisle took us to Luton, and when we visited the Luton page we found ourselves in Croydon.

We could not find any mention of Yopa itself on the pages we visited, other than an invitation to click for a valuation.

https://www.yopa.co.uk/estate-agents-in/

Below, a screenshot of how the original Yopa comparison table looked:

 

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22 Comments

  1. AgencyInsider
    November 22, 2017 at 07:16 #1

    Ah, I love the smell of an informal resolution in the morning.

    Report
  2. Chris Wood
    November 22, 2017 at 07:33 #2

    If you’re going to disrupt a market, that’s great; but do ethically and legally please.

    Report
  3. John couch
    November 22, 2017 at 07:40 #3

    It seems to me all these “Online” have to keep cheating with fictional facts to cheer themselves up!

    Report
  4. Ric
    November 22, 2017 at 08:06 #4

    Just checked our area list returning some 20 Estate Agents.

    An impressive 20 on the list are located around 200 miles away! haha.

    Please continue with this, it will explain the distinct lack of “Yopa” boards in our area.

     

     

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    1. PeeBee
      November 22, 2017 at 09:04 #5

      “An impressive 20 on the list are located around 200 miles away! haha.”

      Still closer than YOPA, then…

      Report
  5. AgentVX17
    November 22, 2017 at 08:31 #6

    I can see this one but for Online estate agents only.

    http://ukonlineestateagent.co.uk/online-estate-agents-league-table/

    And YOPA is on 4th 🙂

    Report
    1. PeeBee
      November 22, 2017 at 09:36 #7

      WOW! AgentVX17 – what an AWESOME site you’ve “hunted out” there!

      A typical quote – there are soooo many to choose from:

      “If you are looking for Cheapest Online Estate Agent or Best Online Estate Agent then you are at right place…“

      Who wrote this unwarranted assault on the English language? Have they not heard of spell- or grammar checking tools?

      But by far the best line of all, which @ASA_UK are steadfastly denying holds a speck of truth –

      “Just like high street agents, online estate agents will also visit your home to value it, but it’s not necessary that you get an agent with specific knowledge of the local market.”

      What’s that old saying?  Oh, yeah –

      ‘Out of the mouths of babes (and Online Estate Agents)…’

      Report
  6. El Burro
    November 22, 2017 at 09:33 #8

    The towns listed where we have offices are towns where our market share and sales rate are very strong. Guess what, we’re not mentioned in their ‘league table’.

    Anyone care to hazard a guess as to why?

    A complimentary weekend at the Russell Quirk Home for Delusional Estate Agents on offer to the winner.

    Calls from mobile phones will charged at the PB rate of thinking a number and multiplying by 1000 or 10000 (depending on whether the medication has worn off). Please ask the bill payers permission or that of the ASA before making the call. You must have a mental age of 18 years or older to understand that an online agent will do nothing other than list your property and paying an online agent upfront means they don’t have to bother selling your property and you will still be charged if you don’t sell.

     

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    1. PeeBee
      November 22, 2017 at 09:46 #9

      “Anyone care to hazard a guess as to why?”

      Please, Sir!  I know, Sir!

      PLEEEAAASSSSEEEE!

      Report
      1. El Burro
        November 22, 2017 at 10:21 #10

        It’s always you boy, in life you’ll learn that nobody likes a smart***e. Write a hundred times on the blackboard ‘I will be nice to Purplebricks in 2018’!

        Report
        1. PeeBee
          November 22, 2017 at 10:46 #11

          “…in life you’ll learn that nobody likes a smart***e.”

          Just as well then that I neither need nor want to be ‘liked’, innit?

          And for the record, I AM being nice to PurpleBricks. 

          Just wait ’til I start geting nasty.

          Report
          1. El Burro
            November 22, 2017 at 12:29 #12

            A man after my own heart PeeBee, firmly in the DLTBGYD camp!

             

            Report
            1. PeeBee
              November 22, 2017 at 14:33 #13

              Yeah – wot he said!

              Report
              1. El Burro
                November 22, 2017 at 14:53 #14

                Let me put it this way PeeBee, the B represents the surname of Rik Mayall’s MP persona in the New Statesman!

                Report
                1. PeeBee
                  November 22, 2017 at 15:08 #15

                  I knows, you know!

                  Report
                  1. dompritch134
                    November 22, 2017 at 16:12 #16

                    My sides are aching, what a double act you two are.

                    Report
                    1. PeeBee
                      November 22, 2017 at 17:09 #17

                      Nowhere near as excruciatingly laughable as the #Fanboy_Fu**wits, dom-boy.

                      You guys are, without a shadow of doubt, the star turn on this stage.

                      Report
  7. Mark Walker
    November 22, 2017 at 11:16 #19

    Our city works, but:

    1) Is an incomplete list of local agents

    2) Some agents number of properties look right, some look very wrong.

    Report
  8. Malcolm Barnard
    November 22, 2017 at 11:32 #20

    In my areas the data is basically the agents who list with Zoopla in each town. I wonder if Zoopla have sold them the info or it’s scraped off the website?

    Report
    1. PeeBee
      November 22, 2017 at 14:34 #21

      You got it in one, Mr B!

      Report
  9. AgentV
    November 22, 2017 at 13:40 #22

    Stamp duty abolished for first time buyers up to £300,000!!!!!

    Report
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