This year there has been one subject that has polarised the views of the estate agent community time and again. Agents' Mutual's challenger portal - OnTheMarket - launches on January 26 and looks set to cause friction and encourage debate well beyond its launch date.
Agents' Mutual says it has signed up over 4,000 offices and a selection of agents who have signed up to OTM have already announced which portal they will be dropping in the New Year. However, all year there have been plenty of agents who remain undecided on their portal future.
In January we launched a 'Portal Wars Survey' inviting our readership to detail their intentions and give their thoughts on the biggest story of 2014. In September we relaunched the survey to see if and how agents had changed their viewpoint.
Over the next two weeks we will be publishing some of your responses as well as the raw results to the questions in the survey. Combined, both surveys have attracted almost 2,000 responses and the free comment box has attracted over 350 comments during the last 12 months.
The first question of the survey - the subject of this article - was if you had to make a choice today which portal would you choose to keep (out of Zoopla and Rightmove due to Agents' Mutual's one other portal rule)
The results are as follows:
Zoopla vs. Rightmove: if you had to make a choice today which portal would you choose to keep
January survey (870 responses)
Rightmove - 577 (66%)
Zoopla - 293 (34%)
September survey (993 responses)
Rightmove - 678 (68%)
Zoopla - 315 (32%)
And here are ten of the best comments (in chronological order) relating to this question:
"Many people misunderstand the true business plan behind Agents' Mutual. Its sole aim is to replace one of the top two, not to become just a third option. Being third will achieve nothing and all those buying in know this. Let's face it, none of us would drop Rightmove today but many of us are willing to take the lesser gamble of dropping Zoopla. If everyone involved makes the same choice then the damage inflicted will be substantial enough to bring about a sea change. Anyone got a better way to challenge the status quo"
17/02/2014
"If only the big, main agents could be persuaded to drop Rightmove as the main portal, then the small agents like me would be able to - stuck in a chicken and egg situation."
17/02/2014
"I would love to leave Rightmove altogether but cannot do so until Agents Mutual is the top performer."
05/03/2014
In run an independent estate agency which, like so many others, is being bled dry by Rightmove (which increases profits by continuously raising fees and we can do nothing about it until January 2015). We will drop Rightmove like a stone and I hope others will follow."
26/05/2014
"Rightmove obviously has the lion's share of the property portal market but has been holding agents to ransom for far too long. This is an opportunity for agents to show Rightmove that they cannot bully us. Zoopla, on the other hand, has been fair with its pricing and just need to make up the gap. However, I am sure if it did this Zoopla's pricing would increase in line with Rightmove's."
01/10//2014
"We have more enquiries from Zoopla but clients seem to recognise the Rightmove brand more. If Agents' Mutual insists on the only one other portal restriction both portals may need to work harder at keeping their clients so, for us outsiders, there may be a beneficial knock on effect!"
01/10/2014
"Rightmove has become too expensive to sustain my membership. So unfortunately I have no choice but to go to with Zoopla/OnTheMarket - Rightmove has shot itself in the foot!"
02/10/2014
"I was not allowed to join OTM as I don't have a shop front; therefore, after initial optimism about the venture, I now hope it doesn't succeed. I am only with Rightmove as I don't believe Zoopla is as strong or used as much in my area. All I was after was a cheaper alternative to the big two that would work. Of those going with OnTheMarket, some will go with Rightmove, some with Zoopla which will probably result in very little price difference. I also can't see OnTheMarket getting out to the general public very quickly; maybe that's why it is asking for agents to tie in for five years."
15/10/2014
"I wouldn't be happy dropping Rightmove or Zoopla as we do get strong leads from both, plus I use it as an instruction winning tool. My rivals would jump straight on my clients if i took their homes of Rightmove."
20/10/2014
"I run a single office outlet but separate lettings and estate agency companies. I am going to reduce Rightmove down to a basic level and also the same with Zoopla. I will sign up with OnTheMarket using the lettings company and advertise on all three and our own website on two different pages of the local press and on the individual websites. Happy days."
18/11/2014
The second part of this series takes a look at the results and top comments regarding whether agents are in, out or on the fence when it comes to the agents' mutual proposition. And the series concludes focusing on the third question of the survey, which asked for your opinion on the divisive one other portal rule
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