Following last year’s launch of its Lettings Advisory Board, with the aim of supporting the sustainable growth of the lettings market, Zoopla has now announced the members of its Sales Advisory Board, the purpose of which, it says, is to bring agents into the heart of decision-making at Zoopla and to maximise customer collaboration.
Zoopla says that as an independent, non-regulatory group, the board “unites business leaders and influencers to work in partnership to support the successful and sustainable growth of the residential sales market, while also ensuring vendors and buyers remain at the heart of all decision making.”
The Sales Advisory Board will meet on a quarterly basis.
Oliver Blake, Managing Director of Your Move and Reeds Rains will Chair the board and lead the representation of the estate agent community, while other representatives include:
Kate Randall, Managing Director, The Property Franchise Group
Ian Fry, National Operations Director, Connells Group
Lisa MacKenzie, Sales Director, Kinleigh Folkard & Hayward
Sharon Donaldson, Managing Director, Countrywide PLC
James Bunning, Managing Director, Lettings & Business Development, Arun Estates
Zoopla says that to ensure the wider industry is represented, the remaining places on the board are held by:
Nathan Emerson, CEO, Propertymark
Ben Quiney, Chief Business Developer Officer and Co Founder, Focal Agent
Jamie Cooke, Managing Director, iamsold
Zoopla is represented by its Chief Commercial Officer Andy Marshall, who is also Vice-Chair of the board, and Richard Donnell, Executive Director – Research.
Oliver Blake, said: “The Sales Advisory Board represents a great opportunity for the industry to share a platform, debate challenges and opportunities to improve the moving process for consumers.
“In a post pandemic environment we have seen advancements in technology and new ways of working which, if endorsed and encouraged by industries that influence the housing market, could lead to greater collaboration from agents, lenders and conveyancers, ultimately simplifying the process of buying and selling property.”
Andy Marshall added: “We’re constantly looking for ways to get closer to our customers, and our Sales Advisory Board will enable us to bring agents and the wider industry into the centre of decision making at Zoopla.
“We’re very pleased that such a respected group has joined the board and we’re looking forward to working together to create a successful industry for buyers, sellers, agents and all other parties involved in the residential property market.”
Comments (1)
There is certain irony about this ‘wiggly worm’ précis
“Zoopla advisory board members selected ‘to drive sustainable growth in the residential sales market’ ”
transaction volumes are decreasing; dependent on where you are in the country the rate of decline in the number of properties sold and bought varies. The trade press and MSM only ever focus on the house price index ( algorithm adjusted NOT to represent what people have to pay for property) no-one gives any thought to the fact more and more homes are being long term removed from the market by investors all of which contributes to a trend-line reduction in transactions each year.
Unfortunately that’s not good news for aggregating ‘legacy’ portals who rely on volume listings to attract their audience, it is good for agents though; with fewer and fewer homes coming to the market potential purchasers will have to get cosy with the agents who are winning the instructions they want to buy. As far as agents go the portals become a want, not a need, the role of the portals changes
As Bob Dylan says….