Agency Group Spicerhaart Launches Pre-Market Solution in UK

Spicerhaart, the UK’s largest independent property real estate agency group, is the latest big-name real estate business to dip its toes into the increasingly attractive off-market and pre-market space.

Spicerhaart offers a broad range of services covering home sales, lettings, property management, mortgages, insurances, part exchange, conveyancing and surveying.

And now the company is introducing a short pre-market period under the title 'Showcase', whereby property sellers privately test interest in their property within Spicerhaart's network and, importantly, without engaging any real estate portals.

Spicerhaart Showcase prepares and markets properties to pre-qualified buyers for up to two weeks to gather feedback around pricing and buyer sentiment before a wider launch. Additionally, properties will only be distributed to portals such as Rightmove and Zoopla a few days before a planned viewing event to maximise urgency and demand among buyers.

Paul Smith, founder at Spicerhaart, said:

“We’ve looked hard at how homes are sold and asked a simple question: are we really getting the best outcome for the customer? Showcase is about slowing the process down at the start so we can achieve a quicker sale and, in many cases, a higher price.”

“Too much of our industry has become ‘lazy estate agency’–put it on a portal and hope for the best. This is about taking back control, qualifying buyers properly and presenting homes in their very best light.”

Antony Lark, joint group CEO of Spicerhaart, added:

"In markets where sellers can choose from dozens of agents, standing out has never been more important. Showcase gives our teams a clear, compelling story to win instructions and, more importantly, a better way to deliver results. Every seller wants the same thing–the best price. If we can deliver that more consistently, then we’re not just improving our business, we’re raising the standard of estate agency."

The group says early pilots are showing strong engagement, and the expectation is that Showcase will drive sole agency instructions to Spicerhaart.