October 2007

Agents' high street future called into question in new survey

A NEW survey suggests the future for estate agents may not be on the high street.

Although 71 per cent of agents who took part in the survey by property portal HotProperty agreed that high street premises are still in demand now, only 38 per cent thought they would be necessary in 10 years’ time — and only 28  per cent thought they would still be necessary in 20 years.

Asked where agents should be operating now, if not in high street shops, there was an equal split between online and in serviced offices.

The future for high street agency has been called into question before, most notably at the height of the dotcom boom some seven years ago.

HotProperty managing director Shawn Luetchens said: “People today still like to be able to browse estate agent windows for houses, but for how long it’s hard to say.

“Without a doubt the future for estate agents is going to be online — it’s a just a matter of how fast it happens.”