A marketplace for sellers to appoint estate agents before listing their property has launched, called Swoople.
Sellers can negotiate, appoint, and confirm an agent online, potentially quickening up the process.
Paul Drummond, chief executive and founder of Swoople, said: “The idea for Swoople was born from a simple frustration, in a digital age where almost every transaction can be started in minutes, sellers and estate agents were still relying on phone calls, word of mouth, and often weeks of back-and-forth just to get in a room together.
“I saw how much time and opportunity was being lost in the very first step of the journey and I wanted to solve that.”
For Agents, Swoople delivers pre-qualified, instruction-ready sellers who are already serious about moving, saving weeks of prospecting and follow-up.
There is a fee of £50 when a seller invites them to a market appraisal, and £100 if they are appointed, after which agents also receive the details of any buyers who pre-registered interest in the property.
Richard Rawlings, Swoople’s estate agent consultant, said: “Until now, Estate Agents have relied on uncertain shot-gun marketing, and digitally-engaged sellers have been frustrated by an outdated, highly manual approach for assessing and selecting the estate agent best-aligned to their needs.
“It’s genius that estate agents can now showcase their services and expertise to pre-qualified, high-intent, sellers in real-time.”
When using Swoople, potential Sellers are invited to create a “Swoop” – a private preview of their property, containing internal photos, descriptions and price expectations.
Estate agents are invited to ‘pitch’ for appointments based on this information.
Specific location and contact information is not made available to would-be-buyers, to ensure the estate agent appointment process cannot be circumnavigated.
