I wanted to know what additional value do traditional estate agents believe they offer to clients over low cost agents such as Hatched.co.uk?

I dont see it as an online estate agent vs 'traditional estate agency' argument or any real revolution - I just think that more and more estate agents will gradually leave the high street in favour of cheaper accommodation, whether its an off the high street office, or a back-bedroom office.

Combine that with a greater focus of online marketing instead of the 'local rag' and hey presto... online estate agent.

I think the need for High Street Estate Agent is going to decline, if they were to monitor how many enquiries they received via Rightmove/Primelocaiton sites and how many from walk-in off the High Street the numbers would give a telling story.
Conversely the Agents need a High Street presence to sell themselves to future vendors almost like a peacock shaking it's feathers to show they stand out from the rest. The value to the vendors when they have the instructions is negligible though.
I run a relocation company based in Beaconsfield http://www.chilternrelocation.com
and I find meeting the Estate Agent face to face and building a relationship helps me get to the properties before they hit the websites so I think potential buyers are missing out by relying on on-line searches only.

1. they know the area
2. they have local people registered waiting for properties to come on
3. you can walk in their office and hassle them if you think they're not getting on with the job

Hi,

In my opinion I think like these online estate agent will gradually need a high street occurrence to sell themselves to predicted vendors. I find meeting the Estate Agent face to face and building a relationship helps me get to the properties before they hit the websites so I think potential buyers are missing out by relying on on-line searches only.Basically, estate agents don't perform true valuations. They just give informal opinions to the prospective buyers.

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Plaza Estates- the leading Central London Luxury Properties to Rent - http://www.plazaestates.co.uk/properties-to-rent

I dunno, but its possible.
There have been quite a few of these online estate agents opening up recently. There is one in particular which I found has the potential to stir things up a bit, www.Sweetlocation.co.uk

This property site is completely free to use and users can advertise everything from houses, flats, apartments commercial property to new developments, and it's absolutely free. It's a new site so its a little bare but starting to pick up especially in Birmingham, Maida Vale - London, Leeds, Bradford, Sheffield and Liverpool and I can definitely see it getting bigger.

I find meeting the Estate Agent face to face and building a relationship helps me get to the properties before they hit the websites so I think potential buyers are missing out by relying on on-line searches only.
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