Open House press releases

Latest news from Open House Estate Agents

Want to learn more about Open House online estate agents and keep up to date with all the latest news, areas of coverage and new franchisees? Please see our most recent press releases below.

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April 2010

Opening eyes – a fresh approach to estate agency

April 2010 will see the launch of a revolutionary new concept in estate agency, which will be welcome news to struggling home sellers and landlords across the country.

Offering selling fees from as little as £195 for a full estate agency service, it is expected that Open House will ruffle the feathers of traditional agents, who in some cases are still charging as much as 2% commission on the property sale price.

local agent national exposure

As a network of ‘local personal agents’ with property expertise and local area knowledge, backed with national support; Open House will combine the best of traditional estate agency service with the low fees associated with personal property selling websites.

Victoria Burbidge, Director, commented “The way that people are searching for property is changing, with over 80% of successful home buyers now using the internet.”

“Combine this with those who found their next home in the local press or by a ‘for sale’ board, then this figure is likely to be a lot closer to 100%.”

“However, people still value the expert service and local knowledge that an estate agent can provide. After all, your property is likely to be your most valuable asset and it makes sense to employ a professional to handle the sale. This is why the majority of home sellers still choose to pay up to 2% commission to an estate agent“ said Victoria.

Open House will offer range of selling and letting options to suit all budgets, which could quite literally save people thousands of pounds. These low fees are achieved by reducing unnecessary overheads, group buying power and the centralisation of non-customer facing functions.

Ian Shaw, Open House Marketing Manager, commented “By adapting services to the way that people are actually searching for property and removing unnecessary overheads, such as expensive flashy stores, we are able to deliver a fully personalised estate agency service at a fraction of the cost of most high street estate agencies.”

“The day of the high-street agent and their associated high fees has gone. Consumers are more informed today and are prepared to shop around for great value service.”

“The OFT have recently stated that there is a need for new business models to put competitive pressure on traditional ways of buying and selling a home. We feel that Open House offer such a model.” Ian continued.

Open House is launching seven pilot franchise operations in England, before rolling out the model across England and Wales in Summer 2010. The five initial pilot locations are; Warrington, Bristol, Nottingham, Leicester, and Manchester.

Home sellers and landlords can find out more about Open House’s selling and letting options by contacting their local agent at www.localagent.co.uk.