Name of your website?Beat The Agent - Property For Sale By Owner
Your name?
Beat The Agent
Your Location (city, etc)
Manchester
Please give us a short summary of your website?
At Beat the Agent, we make it really easy for people to advertise their own property. For a single payment of £149 within seconds property will be advertised for sale worldwide through the internet and to our huge database of property investors, just follow the simple three step process. Advertisers will also receive a free guide on how to sell your property from a leading International Legal firm.
What inspired you to launch your own website?
There is a real gap in the market for FSBO in Europe.
When did you launch your first website, and what was it?
Late 2008, soft launch of Beat The Agent.
How did you decide on a name for your website?
Brainstorm. Many options considered, came down to what we thought was a strong brand.
What makes your website different from other, similar offerings?
Most For Sale By Owner websites in Europe also akllow real estate agents (realtors) to list properties. This usually means the agents swamp sites and this doesn't help the little guy. Agents are not allowed on our site, only the direct owners of the site can list.
What is your eventual goal? (To sell it, keep it for income, secure a book or other mainstream media deal?)
In the short to medium term to make it a solid business model and to help our customers.
How does your investment of time and money balance against your success?
Too early to say, but the signs are good.
If you had an unlimited development budget for development, how would you change your site?
We would not alter the fundamental proposition of the website because we are confident it is a great business model for customers and ourselves. There would certainly be a few more bells and whistles on the website though I'm sure!
If your site got really big, really quickly, would you be able to keep up with the demand?
Yes, that would be a nice problem to have.
What unexpected costs and headaches have you had to deal with?
In the early days we found that customers need a little more coaxing than expected. But when they understand the savings they can make...it's a no-brainer.
What has been your biggest challenge?
Marketing, spreading the word.
What method has been most successful for promoting your website?
A mixture of Google Pay per click, some national press, and some paid linking from some well established and successful websites.
How has running your website differed from your expectations?
Not at all really.
How long have you run the site already, and how long will you continue to keep it up if you don't enjoy big gains in traffic, income or popularity?
Been running properly for a couple of months. Will persevere for as long as it it feasible.
What is your website address?
Beat The Agent - Property For Sale By Owner
