Rightmove’s ‘instant’ listing service scores quick hit

New speeded-up services from Rightmove are proving a big – and quick – hit with both agents and consumers, the site has said.

Real-time Data Feed (RTDF) enables properties to be automatically uploaded almost instantly, meaning agents no longer have to wait potentially overnight for their properties to appear.

A quarter of all properties uploaded to Rightmove are now visible on the website within 30 minutes and, via Rightmove’s new Instant Alert services, emailed to consumers’ in-boxes in 90 minutes or under.

Instant alerts for lettings have been live for over a month while instant alerts for resale were switched on only last week.

Since instant alerts for lettings launched, 79% of new Rightmove users have opted to receive them and the number of newly listed rental properties receiving a lead on their first day has increased by an average of 38%.

Resale instant alerts are a matter of just days old but already 57% of new Rightmove users are opting for them, meaning that over 700,000 property alerts are now sent every day.

Rightmove is advising more agents to sign up to take advantage of the faster uploads and quicker email leads.

James Micklethwait, head of product development at Rightmove, said: “Research tells us that speed is vital in the current market and our new Real-time Data Feed enables agents to beat their vendors’ and landlords’ expectations by uploading properties in minutes.

“It also means that a new instruction can be marketed for an agent faster.

“Agents don’t have to wait for an overnight batch feed to run. Crucially, this means a new property can be included in a property alert during working hours so that your teams can be there to deal with inquiries as they come in.”

Spicerhaart, who were among the first to move over to RTDF, and data feed provider 10ninety, are both pleased with their decision.

Andrew Benn, managing director of Spicerhaart Residential Lettings, said: “It is a welcome improvement. It means that prospective tenants can view new instructions and any price reductions on the web straightaway.

“In west London we listed a block of eight flats and let five within a very short period.”

Johnny Freear, director of 10ninety, said: “The single biggest benefit is the speed.

“Whilst the previous approach saved agents from manually uploading details, it could at times take until the next day for the site to get updated.  With the new real-time feed it is minutes.

“Similarly, updates or corrections can be made straight away without having to wait for the next feed to be processed.

“The new feed can give agents a real competitive advantage – particularly in an environment where getting your listing in front of applicants a day, if not hours, before other agents could prove critical.”

Data-feed services – including agents with their own in-house data feeds – signed up so far include:

•         Spicerhaart

•         10ninety

•         Dezrez

•         Vebra

•         Jupix

•         Expert Agent

•         Kinleigh Folkard & Hayward

•         Webdadi

•         Farrell Heyworth

•         Reapit

•         Thesaurus Technology

•         Thomson Lettings

•         MLS Ventures

•         Reades

•         Inversebit

•         Pulse8

•         Purplebricks

•         Property World

•         iappmanager

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24 Comments

  1. JAM01

    Should have happened years ago – I wonder if there is an extra charge to use this service?

    Report
    1. Robert May

      "Should have happened years ago" It did! this functionality has been laying dormant and unused in Agency software for at least 15 years. I know because I put it in there.

      Report
  2. Jrsteeve

    Two questions, why has it taken more than 10 years for this realisation, it's ***** obvious, and what's this gonna cost?

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    1. Robert May

      It shouldn't cost anything either from Rightmove or your SAAS supplier.

      Report
  3. Trevor Gillham

    We asked Rightmove about this service and their response time itself needs looking into, in the end we had to tweet to get a reply.

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  4. Jupix

    We have been offering this function to our agents since September and we're proud to say that we do not charge for Rightmove Realtime. It's something available to all of our clients for free, they simply need to log interest with our Support Team. Call us today to find out more 08000 75 87 49 or email sales@jupix.com.

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  5. wardy

    Why increase your reliance on Rightmove by using this service? Its the ideal opportunity to make sure that the first place to see new listings is your own site.

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    1. Trevor Gillham

      This is true, google also need to see the property on your site 1st otherwise it looks like duplicate content.

      Report
    2. PeeBee

      Dinna worry, wardy – The AM Collective will all be coming off RM come January anyway…

      … won't they? 😉

      Report
  6. PortalPerson

    This functionality has been in most other industries for 20 or so years, why does it take this long for the property industry to catch up?

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  7. Paul H

    Yet another move by Rightmove to try to show joe agent that they should be leaving Zoopla over them in January. Expect similar 'we love agents' announcements between now and January.

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  8. MF

    I don't use RM but I'm staggered to learn that for all their profit margins and premium subscription rates, they have only just learnt how to process data uploads efficiently.

    Clever marketing; instead of apologising for being so lame on this point, they put it out as a cutting-edge improvement to their service.

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  9. sablade

    Again agents are relying on expensive portals as the middle man between them and the public.
    Dumb sheep agents should build their own brand and website, giving more control to greedy portals is asking them to increase their fees.
    Sole instructions should wait a week before going the portal route.

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    1. smile please

      Spot on! – Nothing to say you cannot advertise on your website and upload at a later date to RM / Zoopla. This drives more visits to your own website and starts to remove the need on a portal and creates a better local brand. Call it a preferred buyers list!

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  10. wilko

    One step closer to accepting "self sell" listings?……..Imagine if you put your item on e bay and it didn't upload for 24 hours! If RM want to sell direct adverts to sellers and landlords they will have to be in "real time" and that is another reason they have brought this in now.
    I also believe that AM are intending to work in "real time" so that is probably another reason why RM have brought it in now.

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  11. sablade

    Portal browser skip past properties without registering

    Our registered applicants get properties a week before the portals, we encourage them to view and try and get theirs on

    Sheep agents are lazy and enjoy feeding the portal monsters

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    1. PeeBee

      "Our registered applicants get properties a week before the portals…"

      "Sheep agents are lazy and enjoy feeding the portal monsters"

      In SOME respects you have me as your wingman on the above, sablade.

      In others – not so.

      The two sentences confuse and therefore weaken your point.

      I take it from what you say, you ARE on the "portal monsters"?

      If so – then you feed them just the same as others. Only later in the process.

      In fact, you – and more importantly, your customers – are potentially getting less money's worth out of them than if you joined the flock you mock.

      Your comments would be welcomed.

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      1. JAM01

        Sablade? Sablade? Where for art though Sablade?

        Exactly Peebee. If an agent is on RM and yet does not advertise for a week on it, what if the top buyer with top money in their back pocket were to be available to purchase in Week 1 but alas, a 'sheep' of an agent advertises immediately on all available portals….wait for it…benefiting their client and giving maximum exposure to the property from Day 1 (as well as calling out to all registered hot buyers of course) and said buyer places an offer on another property, then this delaying practice is not in the client's best interest.

        It is once again acting in the best interest of the agent in driving up SEO to their own website. Nothing wrong with promoting one's own agency, but at the expense and possible detriment to the client who pays the bills on completion?

        mmm…

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        1. PeeBee

          JAM01

          Please – do yourself a favour – DON'T agree with me.

          You'll get yourself a bad reputation… 😉

          Report
  12. Trevor Mealham

    RM comes as always as a dbl edged sword.

    1. Its a great achievement to mass turn around very large data sets faster to the level they do without the system crashing.

    2. But the big BUT is that agents should be delaying data to RM and Z by 48-72 hours and first placing data on their own websites. Google is a pretty mean tool and SEO these days means properties will be found on agents own websites if the website is constructed right.

    Agents need their own site to become their preferred website and increase stock into their own website and more local information.

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  13. Ric

    erm…. Wilko has a point! OR this is being rolled out in a bid to keep agents happy and value Rightmove as an improving service.

    I still do not think private listing will work for RM, no matter how much they think it will or other commentators think it will…. HOWEVER it WOULD BE a triumph for AM if RM allowed this ……….you would have thought?

    EVERY AGENT who is not an AM member now would surely come off RM overnight if they saw Private Listings appear and this would only strengthen the position of AM.

    If I was not an AM supporter, I would certainly want to become one, if my agency was displaying on RM alongside private clients who were paying thousands less for the same service!

    Also fee structure for RM on Private listing! Up front? Monthly? RM's shareholders will be a touch concerned at how they would have to guess their future income on a FSBO site? where as now….. they know! The lack of new property would have killed RM already, yet they still get their cash from us no matter what in any market.

    Agents would not allow a smooth transition for RM to pinch the private listings, they would take all their stock off over night, making RM look laughable within days……. then RM would need to promo their new venture which would carry very little weight I reckon.

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  14. PeeBee

    Hi ric matey. See you're still rollin' and hatin'! 😉

    "If I was not an AM supporter, I would certainly want to become one, if my agency was displaying on RM alongside private clients who were paying thousands less for the same service!"

    I need help with this on please.

    How can you state that these theoretical "private clients" would be paying "thousands less for the same service"?

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  15. Ric

    Hi PeeBee "long time no debate" Still rollin well but never hatin!

    Not sure how to answer as just my thought based on why has no other property portal made millions using a FSBO method……… how much could RM charge Private Clients to list on RM? and on what terms?…..if Private listings was their plan.

    Remembering if RM became FSBO you would have to assume almost all agents would drop em, so RM would have to tout the entire UK housing stock and change the way they think….. but thinking out loud

    An agent with 100 houses paying RM £400 per month, means RM could charge £4 per month per property to maintain that agents lost income on a FSBO basis! BUT RM have 100 people to deal with now NOT just one office!

    That same agent could argue he/she pays just £4 per month per property to get their stock on RM but is more likely to think I pay £400 per month to them lot and if my stock drops to 90 or 80 I still pay £400…. so they would be no doubt annoyed RM now charge £4 to list on RM and he/she agent no longer makes money on completion as a result due to RM trying to cut them out of the equation.

    with FSBO it will ALWAYS be down to stock levels on the website and customer service and to think RM will be able to convert the entire UK "for sale" stock to FSBO before their brand is damaged is laughable…. so is it £8 per month in case they only get half of the UK stock, but then how many houses are for sale in the UK….. wow good luck to RM who now has tens of thousands of vendors to talk to and convince dropping their agent is the way forward imagine RM customer service dept: "my photos have dropped off" "my property is not on" "why has it not sold" "I have been on RM for 6 months already and still not sold so what good is RM"

    I Just don't see how RM would be able to charge the money they charge agents without spending vast amounts of money to cope with the new business model and all on the "hope" stock levels remain high.

    They do as well as they do because they deal with offices who deal with hundreds of houses but they charge per office, have one feed, one point of contact, one debt to collect etc etc….. A whole new ball game to replace their millions with individual home owners, who are typically very patient when it comes to dealing with the sale of their house!

    RM struggle to answer me within a week nowwa days!

    Interested to know how you think RM would make it work PeeBee? or would charge anything close to an agent to have an agent think well that's fair!

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    1. PeeBee

      Now then, Ric… 😉

      Sorry about the delay in responding – only did it to keep you interested!!

      "Still rollin well but never hatin!" – what – not even RM?? Just a teensy weensy ickle bit, maybe? 😉

      Personally, I think that the whole RM/Z going FSBO is a giant smokescreen, lit, fanned, and set on its way by certain other parties to suit their agenda.

      IF they were going to – then why haven't they done it before now? Think about it – in some respects, RM and Z are ALREADY the nation's biggest, best known… and successful… "Online Estate Agents" of a sort. AND, ironically – WE have put them on that pedestal over the last decade-and-a-bit.

      It certainly wouldn't take them much effort to BE that.

      They already HAVE a squillion properties listed on their database. They decide to go 'Agent' – all they have to do is advertise it to the masses and Robert's yer Daddy's brother – my guess is that quite a chunk of current property owners would want a slice. As far as costs go – then you are looking at RM charging I would say a one-off charge for maybe three months initial listing, with incremental charges thereafter.

      The economies of scale of the operation, despite the requirement for more back-room tech support and field operatives, would enable the monsters to not only survive – but to thrive… to the severe detriment of us all!

      The sad reality of al this is that those who are heralding this as "the future" are probably "the cause" – IF it happens.

      Report
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