Guest Post by Richard Ayre, Business Development Manager at The SEO Works (www.seoworks.co.uk)

So, in the interest of full disclosure, I worked within the property industry for around 10 years before getting into digital marketing and I left just as the big online agents started to gain traction in the marketplace.

I’ve found the subsequent market disruption and how agents have dealt with the challenge fascinating. Anecdotes from friends and colleagues still working within the industry paint a broad picture of the challenges agents are facing in today’s aggressive market. As such, there’s been an amazing increase in high street service levels and creative thinking within the industry over the past few years as agents alter their approach to compete with the new, online business models. Not only that, but the general feeling with the people I’ve spoken to is this is only the tip of the iceberg.

2017 has already been an astonishing year for PropTech, with an abundance of fundraising announcements. Never should agents be more aware of the potential impact of this digital takeover. But that doesn’t mean it’s all doom and gloom.

We’ve now had the first ‘hottest day of the year’ headlines which means we have made it through to Spring. For the property market, Spring is an optimum time to sell your property, with trends showing the largest numbers of buyers active in April, May and June.

A guest post by Compare My Move

Buying a house is certainly not an easy process, from having to compare estate agents and deal with mortgage companies, to searching for reliable removal companies. However, dealing with the disappointment of losing out and being gazumped after you’ve put an offer down can add additional stress to the process.

The word ‘Gazumping’ is used a lot, but what does it actually mean and, more importantly, how you can minimise the risk of it happening to you?

Guest blog by Sainsbury’s Bank

With the longer and darker nights, it’s now more important than ever to make sure your home is kept secure. Sainsbury’s Bank has created a visual guide to home security, full of tips for the inside and outside of your house to help deter intruders.

New research conducted by netanagent.com reveals a huge disconnect between UK homeowners and estate agents when it comes to understanding what is involved in selling a property.  The findings show a need for more transparency around the sales process in a rapidly changing property market.

The new survey explores the perceptions of UK homeowners across a variety of property related topics; including the services consumers expect as part of an estate agent’s fee, preferences for online property portals and the public perception of estate agents.