New Portal Claims Half of UK Agents are Onboard for Next Week's Big Launch

Just over one month ago we reported that UK challenger portal Homesearch had some 6800 agents prepared to list for free as well as 500 paying agents together representing around 32% of the market signed up to list when the portal goes live on the 1st of July. It seems that either word has spread organically among British agents or the team at Homesearch have sent and made an unprecedented number of emails and phone calls in the last month because the news today is that the portal will launch next week with some 10,000 agents who the London based portal says represent over half of UK agencies.

Homesearch has built a reputation among agents as a widely used property data platform that invests heavily in data and engineering, so it will be fascinating to see the company’s take on a property portal in July. According to Homesearch Chief Operating Officer Sam Hunter , the company is “in a unique position to be able to offer agents not only leads of a potential buyer, tenant, landlord or seller, but deliver buyers and tenants the homes they may want to move into that are yet to hit the market; as well as match the would-be seller or landlord with the would-be buyers or tenants currently active in the market.”

Homesearch’s portal had been due to launch in June, but the company gave themselves more time in order to, among other things, sign up more agents. It seems that the impressive number of agents backing the new portal is justification for the delay.