Fury over Property Live closure at Surrey NAEA meeting

By Barton Wyatt Estate Agents Sunningdale

Sparks flew yesterday in usually sedate Surrey as the county's NAEA members expressed their anger at this week's announcement of the closure of Property Live. 

Attending the quarterly meeting of over 60 Surrey NAEA and ARLA members in Guildford was NAEA MD and President Mark Haywood who acted as 'messenger', relaying the Board's decision to close the association's Members Only portal at the end of January 2013 due to poor performance.

Launched 4 years ago and rumoured to have cost Members in excess of £2 million, Property Live was the long-awaited portal dedicated to NAEA members. Well supported across the country and intended to be a real alternative to major portal players, there was widespread disappointment and dismay in Surrey upon hearing about the closure with one member at the meeting exclaiming, "Property Live was the best Member benefit we've had for years or maybe even ever!"

The Board's decision to cease operations at Property Live from the end of the month was taken after much discussion with low volume of lead generation cited as the reason although concerns over the management and availability of sufficient marketing budgets were also voiced at the meeting by Surrey NAEA members. 

Surrey NAEA Chairman, James Wyatt, comments, 

"With over 90% of property buyers starting their search online and the likes of Jessops and HMV going into administration because of the seemingly insatiable growth of online consumerism, it seems madness that the NAEA Board has decided to close the main online presence of the NAEA!

"Our Members here in Surrey bought into and supported the Property Live model for 4 years with some even cutting ties with the likes of Rightmove and Zoopla, where does that leave them now? As the ones who funded this ambitious project, the Board has a duty to provide a full and detailed explanation about the decision to its Members."  

With the NAEA retaining the Property Live URL pending further discussions according to Mark Haywood, questions have already been raised as to the future of the portal? 

Sentiment was clear in Surrey with Members holding a long heated debate and concluding that a viable commercial future was possible for Property Live but that it needed to be discussed with the Board as a matter of urgency.  

James Wyatt concludes, 

"Within minutes of hearing the news about Property Live's intended closure I received a number of emails from interested parties keen to take the now defunct site on. It will be very interesting to see what steps the Board takes next."

So with this latest news of yet another property portal going to the wall, it seems that there's nothing, even the 14,000 strong members of the NAEA and ARLA, can do to stop the might of the Rightmove and Zoopla - even if it is much to the displeasure of NAEA Members.

For more information please contact Barton Wyatt Letting Agents Sunningdale  on 01344 843 000 .

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Barton Wyatt provide luxury golf villas in Florida and select Property in Sunningdale. James Wyatt MNAEA, MARLA, TRC, REALTOR ® is a partner at Barton Wyatt Letting Agents Surrey. Tel: 01344 843000

James Wyatt at the NAEA International Forum 2008

DRAGON BREATHES FIRE INTO THIS YEARS INTERNATIONAL FORUM
30 / Oct / 2008

James Caan, Sue Hayward and Michael Saunders were just some of the key speakers to attend this year’s highly acclaimed International Forum ‘Staying Profitable in a Challenging Market’ held by the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA), which was a show stopping success this year.
The main attraction of this exciting event was celebrity guest speaker James Caan, from BBC’s Dragon’s Den who discussed the ways to stay profitable in a challenging market.
James explained ways to make the most of a difficult market place using his personal experience as a successful businessman. He proved very popular with attendees as he provided an excellent insight into ways to improve their business in the current market.
The fifth in a series of international forums was held at the luxurious 5 star Renaissance Chancery Hotel in London. The event, which was sponsored solely by Foreign Currency Direct had over 100 leaders in international property attend, providing them with the opportunity to listen to a number of property experts give an insight on ‘Staying Profitable in a Challenging Market’.
Other guest speakers included; Sue Hayward, TV presenter and journalist, who discussed marketing properties within the media; Peter Bolton King, Chief Executive of the NAEA, gave a preview talk on the much anticipated Property Portal ‘Property Live’ and Michael Saunders, Top US property expert, flew especially from America to discuss how to expand ones horizons through effective networking. Other topics included staying on the right side of the law and the current Spanish initiative from the government to underpin the building industry. The day was split up with a buffet lunch and the forum was rounded off with a cocktail party, which provided opportunities for delegates and speakers to meet. Delegates received an action packed day allowing then to obtain useful information.

Delegate, James Wyatt of Barton Wyatt International, comments: “This was by far the best NAEA conference I have ever been to. There was a fantastic range of speakers, from different counties, who shared a lot of knowledge on the current market. With the present situation of the market, a number of property professionals are feeling the pinch, however this day was insightful and many left feeling positive.”

Peter Bolton King, Chief Executive of the NAEA, says: “The International Forum was an astounding success, with a great turn out and a well-informed picture of the international property market from a mix of property experts. The event provided the perfect opportunity for the NAEA to unveil its plans for Property Live, the Associations new Property Portal.”Stephan Hughes, Associate Director at Foreign Currency Direct, concludes: “It was a pleasure for us to be the sole sponsors this year. The day was a major success and everyone left content with the set up of the day and information provided. In this difficult market, it is useful to gain insider knowledge as this helps maintain sales and opens doors to other opportunities presented in the overseas market.”

Barton Wyatt provide luxury golf villas in Florida and select golf villas in Spain.

James Wyatt MNAEA, MARLA, TRC, REALTOR ® is a partner at Barton Wyatt International based in Wentworth, Virginia Water. Tel: 01344 843000