Given that online property portals, dominated by a handful of websites, are by far the most popular home search method, it is perhaps unsurprising that estate agents continue to spend a significant amount of money on maintaining an online presence that goes beyond simply listing properties on their own website.

Rightmove remains the most visited UK property portal, while Zoopla, has consolidated its position as the second largest property website in the country.

OnTheMarket, launched in January 2015 by Agents’ Mutual, a large consortium of estate agents, including big hitters like Savills and Knight Frank, aiming to regain control of the homebuyer audience, continues to challenge what they previously described as the ‘duopoly’ of the two big property portals; begging the question, is the so-called duopoly now a triopoly?

“I’m pleased with our progress but I’m not here just to be the ‘third portal’,” said Jason Tebb, Chief Executive Officer of OnTheMarket (OTM). “I’m definitely not in this to just deliver a couple more products or to create a new fancy logo. I’m in this to make OnTheMarket the portal that it always had the potential to be from the start.”

He continued: “I’m in this to make sure that we engage with as many of our customers as possible and deliver a real best in class product and platform ecosystem. With the work we’ve undertaken over the last year, we’re at the stage now where we’ve laid important foundations in place to take that important next step.”

Reflecting on the progress made at OTM under stewardship, Tebb has given a follow-up interview to Property Academy founder, Peter Knight, which you can watch below.

In March last year, Tebb sat down with Knight to give his first major industry interview – see below – since joining the company in December 2020. In that conversation, the pair discussed Tebb’s first 90 days in his new role, his vision for the future of OTM, the acquisition of Glanty, his plans to make OTM  ‘more than just a portal’ and the importance of refreshing the look and feel of the brand.

In a follow-up ‘end of term report’ interview, which you can view below, the pair discuss how increased client engagement has led directly to new products and functionality along with the success of the brand refresh. Other topics explored include how the portal has carved a niche for itself as a place for ‘serious property seekers’, plans to go to market with the firm’s own proprietary CRM software and how OTM is evolving to become a ‘one stop shop’ for agents and consumers.

Tebb commented: “I am incredibly grateful to have been invited back by Peter, who is hugely respected throughout the industry, to provide an update on how my vision for OnTheMarket has progressed, 14 months from our last interview. The conversation has given us the opportunity to look back at the tangible results that have been achieved in that time, whilst discussing evolving plans to implement positive, significant and widespread change across the business while still offering sustainably fair pricing.”

He added: “We believe that there’s massive potential in building a product ecosystem for our customers that provides agents with a menu of services that helps them do their job faster, more time efficiently and more cost effectively as well. That’s where our plans for the ‘one stop shop’ concept will start to evolve over the coming years as we build out a framework that helps agents carve out additional revenue streams for themselves.”

During the interview, Knight poses a number of searching questions aimed at providing an update on the plans disclosed by OTM’s chief executive during their last encounter.

Knight commented: “During our last meeting I was impressed with Jason’s plans for OnTheMarket and I was interested to see whether he could back up that ambition with results this time around. It’s easy to talk a good game and provide a few good soundbites but was there any substance behind his ambition?

“It’s very clear from our chat, and OnTheMarket’s recent financial results, that taking the time to properly listen and understand what agents are looking for has had an enormous impact on the business. I’m excited to see how the plans Jason shared with me will have evolved when we next sit down to talk.”

What impact will OnTheMarket CEO Jason Tebb’s ‘vision’ have on the business?