New online agent shoots over crowdfunding target in a matter of days

Doorsteps, the online estate agent launched less than a year ago and which says it is worth £12m, has sailed over its crowdfunding target in little more than a week.

By yesterday afternoon, 137 investors had piled in a total of £405,600 – above the £400,000 target.

The business is predicting that digital market share of estate agency will rise from 4% to 50% in the next three years.

It is also claiming to be the UK’s 41st largest estate agency. In its pitch, it sets out ambitions to be the country’s biggest agent, and to achieve the market value attached to Purplebricks within two years.

Its biggest investor so far has put in £20,00.

 https://www.crowdcube.com/companies/upside-capital-limited/pitches/bXGymZ#

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18 Comments

  1. AgentV

    Estate agents are the least trusted professionals. They are seen as offering poor service and high prices.
    Doorsteps.co.uk. seeks to solve this. Doorsteps use a blend of real-life agents and technology to offer fixed, fair pricing. Delivered in an honest, transparent and hassle free way. A London high street agent will typically charge an average fee of £6,500. Doorsteps charges £199 for selling a property from scratch, equating to customers savings this year of over £700k in fees this year.

    By my calculations that’s 111 properties at £199 each equating to £22,000 turnover and they claim that’s worth £12 million?
    The world is going mad!

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    1. Trevor Gillham

      The world’s not going mad AgentV, just investors.

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      1. P-Daddy

        Agree. The average investment between these investors is £2,960 and it is easy to see how the crowdfunding set, who all think they are Dragons Den stars of the future, have been lured into the 41st biggest agent. The next PBricks in their mind I’m certain. Lamb/slaughter!!

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    2. AgentVX17

      Please check the calculation again! 🙂  

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      1. AgentV

        6,500 – 199 = 6,301 claimed saving per property

        Total claimed saving of 700,000/6,301 = 111.09 (to 2 decimal places) properties

        111.09 x 199 = 22106 income

        Ok, so in my haste to get to the gymn this morning I dropped the 106 and approximated it to 22,000. Thats a little pinikety to pick me up on that isn’t it………..or did someone not read the question properly?

        Can I have all the marks for showing my workings out? 😉

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        1. AgentV

          gym not gymn and pernickety not pinikety…won’t let me correct 

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        2. AgentVX17

          Sir, you have got 90% 🙂 Few points still missing 🙂 

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  2. Chris Wood

    A fool and his money…

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    1. AgentVX17

      Who? A person who is paying 2-3% commission to estate agents for a £200-500 job or the one investing in  £99 company, which can be a leading estate agent in future? 
       

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      1. agent orange

        And that just proves how little you know.  Its people like you who are causing this stupidity.
        2-3% really? 
        200-500 job? – 
        you sir, are a riduculous person.

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        1. KemptownAgent

          I think ‘X17’ is the age of that ‘AgentV’ by the impression they have of the industry. 

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          1. AgentV

            I think ‘X17’ is the age of that ‘AgentV

            He’s nothing to do with me!

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        2. AgentVX17

          Dear agent orange,
          Ridiculous? OK, thanks for that! 🙂 
          3-6, £99 estate agents, 5-15 £100 – £500 agents are in UK atm.
          Read their reviews,  Maybe 1,2 or 10 can be fake but not all 100+
          Customers are paying just £49 (OpenRent), £99, £199 or £499+ and more than 95% are happy with that!
          Today, High Street estate agents vs Online agents ratio is around 75-25% … 
          Check it! By 2019 it will be 50-50! 
          Take it or leave it….but a fact is a fact.
           
           
           
           

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          1. PeeBee

            “Take it or leave it….but a fact is a fact.”
            PURLEEEASE – talk me through this – just how can you say it is “fact” when it hasn’t happened yet?
            According to your own post, this supposed “fact” won’t become ‘fact’… or fallacy – or anything else other than predicition – for another two years.
            A classic OOPS! moment if I’m not mistaken.
            And one which it is highly unlikely you will return, come 2019, to remind us of…

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  3. Trevor Mealham

    The 50% claim to budget is far fetch.

    Its more likely to hit 25% to 30%, then on changes happening and new budgets coming in cheaper for less service, budget will become just a way to list on RM and Z through listing @passive intermediates for £100 to £150.

    At which point FSBO will likely drop to 12% to 15% as it wont be viable for operatives or agents unless funded by other revenues to prop up to operate a decent service to achieve sellers a best price.

    WHICH did a great survey that showed just 43% of SOLDs come from UK portals and 57% come from other agent efforts.

    Agents need to re think their portal strategies as more budgets not providing full agency services are let in. No portal reaches all buyers.

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  4. dave_d

    I’ve been watching this pitch for a while.. only 2 or 3 days ago it had £40,000 invested..

    I’m absolutely amazed this has managed to receive the funding needed, the pitch is absolutely awful, it looks like a 5 year old child has put it together…

    “The COO determined to do what matters most to him: to help give a happy home to as many people as he can.”

    The superimposed picture of a SOLD sign, the pose that looks like something off Danny Dyer’s Deadliest Men, the grammatical errors on their website – it is just terrible..

    The people investing into these things must literally be playing around with money

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  5. Mark Walker

    4% to 50% in 3 years.  It’s 07/07/2017.  Diary entry set for 07/07/2020 and copied this link in.  See you all back here then.

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    1. AgentVX17

      50% is too high…but 15% ….probably Yes!

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