Traditional Estate Agents Have to Play Catch-Up Online

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National property portal The Big Property List (thebigpropertylist . co.uk) claims Online Estate Agency market is topped by former Private House Sales websites and High Street Agents have a lot of catching up to do online

London, UK, November 04, 2010 (PressReleaePoint) -- There is a lot of discussion about online estate agents and the value they offer, and currently they are seen as a distinct group, apart from ‘High Street Estate Agents’. They are being discussed more and more in the popular press but do we really know who they are, how many they are and what services they offer?

The Big Property List thought not and so undertook a comparison of online estate agents published this week.

The report compares, for the first time, Online Estate Agents’ prices, services offered, year established and the quality and popularity of their website – allowing house sellers to make an informed decision when considering whether or not to use an online estate agent to sell their house, and if so, which one.

The top six online estate agents ranked by quality of website were:

1. The Little House Company
2. My Property For Sale
3. Half a Percent
4. 121move
5. House Revolution
6. House Network

Two ex-Private House sales websites (The Little House Company and My Property for Sale) rank in the top 5 for website traffic and quality of their website. A spokesman for The Big Property List said ‘this may be because they have been trading online for a longer period of time and as For Sale by Owner websites, could not rely on property portals like Rightmove to market their properties and so developed strong online marketing strategies to promote their clients’ properties via their own websites’.

Only 2 of the 22 Online Estate agents studied were part of a traditional firm of Estate Agents – suggesting that traditional Estate Agents are not adjusting their model to move online and will be in danger of being left behind if a shift from the High Street to the internet occurs in the way it has done for music stores and insurance.

Notes for editors:
• The Big Property List is a UK property portal where Estate Agents and individuals can advertise their property for sale or to rent for free.
• Download your copy of the Comparison of Online Estate Agents report.
• The Big Property List displays details of properties which have been publicly listed on Google Maps.
• The Big Property List is an independent business and NOT a Google product or service.

The Big Property List is simply a searchable list of property for sale and to rent in the UK.

An online property resource where you can browse tens of thousands of properties for sale or to rent in your area and get advice about all aspects of owning, selling or renting property, from choosing an estate agent to selling a house privately.
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