OnTheMarket recruits high-profile agent with 17 offices

OnTheMarket has recruited high-profile London firm Portico.

The business has 17 branches and is now listing at OTM.

Mark Lawrinson, Portico’s regional director, said: “We are really excited to join OnTheMarket and to see where this new partnership takes us.”

Helen Whiteley, commercial director at OnTheMarket, said: “We’re thrilled to see this prestigious firm join at this exciting time for the portal.

“Since our admission to AIM in February, other large firms including Arun, Belvoir, Chancellors, Hunters, Townends, Andrews and Pattinson have all decided to list all their properties at OTM, along with thousands of other smaller firms which have helped generate momentum in local marketplaces across the UK.

“The more agents who join us now, the more we believe all agents and property-seekers will benefit in terms of the increased property stock at OTM.

“We remain committed to creating an agent-backed, full scale challenger portal.”

OTM now has over 11,500 branches listing with it – more than twice the number listing at the time of the company’s flotation on February 9.

 

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20 Comments

  1. smile please

    How many free shares did you give them to list with you?

    Struggling to give it away, you are paying agents to advertise with you.

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    1. Property Ear

      Can’t you see Smile please – they’re chucking in sprats to catch mackerel – and it’s working!

      Fewer fish for RM soon will result in lower costs for up against it agents.

      If only OTM had set off without the ‘Only one other portal’ stipulation they’d be market leaders now.

      Better late than never though and they’re making ground fast.

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      1. smile please

        Wait until they start charging the agents …

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        1. WestMidsValuer97

          This is the whole point though….all these agents will simply drop them if they don’t stick to their word about lower monthly fees. Very clever approach to the market and I wish them every success. RM’s day (decade) in the sun is over.

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          1. smile please

            Why do they have as you put it this very clever approach now?

            Why not implement it when it was a mutual?

             

             

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            1. WestMidsValuer97

              The simple co branding option they have created to get the traction needed to take on RM. It’s will work. I.E. very clever.

              They have used their original failings to their advantage rather than give up.

              Huge respect and I am sure I am one of many wishing them the best of luck to help rectify the hideous fact that RM are dominating and abusing their position. It’s a disgrace that competition laws don’t cover this clear abuse of power.

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  2. J1

    The public still don’t know who OTM are and they don’t have enough money to get the message out

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    1. WestMidsValuer97

      No one knew who RM were either. Their co branding will work, it takes time. 

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    2. JonnyBanana43

      Not true.

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  3. Bless You

    Iam ready to leave rightmove again.:

    1) I hate being controlled

    2) I hate tech geeks making millions from a 20 year old idea

    3) it’s more then my rent

    4) it supports corrupt pay any way agents

    Over to you on the market… it’s an open goal if you can find your goal from your elbow.

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    1. Robert72

      If you feel that strongly just do it.  We did it last week and though its early days we’re still getting instructions, viewing and sales.  We haven’t had any withdrawals as yet on the back of it and the few vendors who have queried it seem to have been OK.  Take the plunge, those of us who do it early will have the biggest impact as buyers will then need to go to OTM or Zoopla (our backup) to find our properties and that’s better than any TV advertising.  Also better to do it now than distract yourself with it early in the busier months of the New Year.

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    2. WiltsAgent

      Very happy to have left back in the Spring. Felt exactly the same way and doing very nicely thank you with Zoopla and OTM providing a couple of leads a week.

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      1. Bless You

        Will do it in few weeks  i think. Thanks for support guys…

        maybe we should start a rightmove anonymous group ..

        ‘ i’am 3 months rightmove sober….   its tough but at least i got my balls back. ‘

         

         

         

         

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        1. Robert72

          That’s a very good strapline though the thought police will be all over it like a rash.

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          1. Ric

            What are your stock levels like Robert72? are you top 1, 2 or 3 in your area? out of how many agents?

            I admire the “doers” good on you.

            I am just keen to understand those who have left RM, did they (you) do so, in a “we have nothing to lose” attitude?

            After a conversation I had with them yesterday – I am getting ever closer to basically testing this by simply NOT adding new instructions from a certain date. Telling the clients we are not adding new properties and existing stock will simply drop away.

            Some would clearly argue all or nothing, but is there a middle ground? dropping off over time? AND as I know my comments are read by my new RM contacts, then have a chat with Data Quality about the conversation I had with them yesterday! It should make it clearer why the snippets of brilliance I do get from RM occasionally are too often over shadowed with the one rule for them and another for me attitude.

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            1. Robert72

              Ric, have been but not at the moment.  We have something to lose though and enough instructions keep us going though we’d like more as everyone else would.  I’ve had a big issue with RM for some time, largely because I don’t like being forced to do things and RM’s approach to bells and whistles constantly ramming them down our throat and making restraint on fee increases conditional on you taking extras really bothered me.  No, nobody has ever held a gun to our heads but vendors expectation and our own assumptions and fears made doing something about it very difficult.  I tried hard at the launch of OTM to suggest RM as the dropped agent but the fear of losing out and loathing of Zoopla was to strong.  While nobody has ever called me a maverick we were very early droppers of print media advertising and have closed a shopfront top operate from high street office with no window.  After both we wondered why we hadn’t done it earlier.

              Reasons for doing it now:

              Another tough year means I’d rather not plough hard earned profits into RM shareholders pockets, particularly if the start of next is testing because of continued uncertainty.

              I’d rather deal with the upheaval, staff concern and extra vendor chats at this time of year so we can go into (hopefully) busier New Year without the distractions.

              I sense change is coming given OTM’s improved performance and more vociferous grumbling from other posters on here.

              And at the end of the day somebody has to be first over the top and if others follow I’m sure our whole industry will be the better for it.  RM will survive but it will go back to being wagged as it should not wagging the dog and we can pick and chose it as we see fit.

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  4. GPL

    Setting aside the glaring elephant question in the room – “Why wasn’t this tactic adopted several years ago?!” ….and I am still a V1 Gold Member tied into 1 Other Portal, who is paying monthly to be handcuffed!!!
     
    Anyway, “The OTM Brand” remains weak and those responsible at the OTM Bunker need to do MUCH, MUCH MORE! to effectively communicate to the Homebuyers what/who the Pinpoint Logo relates to.
     
    OTM squawked away that with their post AIM suitcase of investment money they would have the money to invest/grow the business…. whatever was burned on the frankly embarrassing TV Ad Campaign surely there must be money left?
     
    If OTM are giving away Free Shares, Free Subscriptions etc then they are still taking my & other Paying V1 Members money?
     
    By all means announce your “Growing Subscribers” Numbers Helen/Ian …..however at what stage do you think you will actually have a Cohesive Strategy which drives/explains the OTM Brand to the consumer, and does so with real focus.
     
    Drive the numbers of course, however you are simply failing to drive The OTM Brand hard enough and you are wasting my hard earned money every month.
     
    STOP the back-slapping numbers game and ENERGISE the OTM Brand!  
     
         

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    1. Property Poke In The Eye

      They should start the original RAF stickers in the window campaign again.  Agents should remove all Rightmove and Zoopla logos from their windows.

      FindaProperty was No.1 before Rightmove came to the party.  ZOOPLA killed off FindaProperty.  This is the 10 year portal cycle.

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      1. GPL

        Property Poke….
         
        The RAF Style Marker is eyecatching however on its own it means nothing, if anything it is simply a Pinpoint Marker Icon….
         
        More thought required on driving the meaning/message ….IMHO
         
         

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        1. Bless You

          Just makes us look like brexit lovers….
          Heres a good logo for you:
           
            OnTheMarket  –   for honest estate agents.   
           
            There you go. ave it. Bless he who ignore the voice of heaven. 

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