Purplebricks ‘have never managed to pay their way’ but instead ‘cheapen and weaken’ our industry – Beragampengetahuan

Low fee estate agencies, particularly Purplebricks, have once again come under fire from Spicerhaart for the downward push on fees that has worsened standards across the industry.

The joint CEO of Spicerhaart, Antony Lark, has slammed Purplebricks – and Strike – for its fees model, which he says has led to a “cheapen and weaken” service across the industry, making the experience worse for customers.

He said the low cost model offered by Strike and Purplebricks are unsustainable and do not make money. All that has happened is that everyone is now charging less for their services and the whole sector is far worse off as a result, according to Lark.

Given that Purplebricks has had a decade to make things work and still failed – under its previous owners – Lark believes the estate agency is destined to fail again under its new owners, which yesterday announced plans to sell properties for free.

Lark commented: “The news that Purplebricks will be selling homes for free comes as no surprise, considering it’s now operated by Strike. But I question how on earth they’ll make this work, when both organisations make multi-million pound losses annually and have reportedly lost significant market share over the past year.

“They have never managed to pay their way but instead have pulled down fees for a whole industry, with traditional agencies desperate to compete, resulting in far too many disgruntled customers who don’t get the service they deserve. Is that the sort of industry we want? One where we now ask our vendors to take their own photographs? What comes next?

“Estate agents need to charge what they’re worth – even more so in the current housing market. Ultimately, we need to get the best outcomes for our customers. How much longer are we going to stand by and watch others cheapen and weaken what it means to work in this fantastic and critically important industry?”