Eight reasons why I’m backing Boomin

With 30 plus years in the industry and having sat on the Board’s of leading agencies I want to set out why I am now backing Boomin as a much needed challenger to shake up the status quo.

I have always been very vociferous in my distrust of the current paid to list portal operators and how in the main it’s dominated by one player to such an extent that the Estate Agents are held captive as customers in the main against their will. I meet lots of agents where RM take more from their turnover than they do themselves and this isn’t healthy, fair or right yet they feel trapped by ever increasing prices and ever decreasing returns. This isn’t sustainable so change has to happen. For me it’s simply not an option to do nothing. 

Having people paying 30 x times more than the branch next door who have more properties languishing on the portal and have also been gifted normally paid for features for all their listings is not acceptable. Without a credible alternative the stranglehold will get stronger and the model that, as of right, pushes up the prices every year for the people who can least afford them will have a free run for the next ten years.  

What I like about Boomin is the calibre of the team behind it , I have been very critical of the PB model so it may surprise some people as to why I am so enthusiastic about Boomin.

The facts are pretty simple for me:

1.  Boomin is fair in its Charging model and will provide a revenue stream to agents longer term. 

2.  It’s credible , well backed and well organised and can bring much needed competition to the portal space which in turn will reduce costs, increase customer service and force innovation.

3.  It’s innovative and opens up the passive market which I believe will bring additional movers through old fashioned serendipity transactions which largely died with the newspapers.

4.  It takes away the barrier between agent and client and promotes deeper more personal contact, putting the skill and relationships back into the estate agency. The best agent wins not the cheapest one.

5.  I dislike PB and have been very noisy about the model and its effect on agency, however I can’t deny what it achieved in terms of brand awareness and it is now the largest lister of property in the UK. I believe the Bruce Brothers will achieve the same with Boomin and if they do they give agents agency back.

6.  I have checked double checked and checked again and grilled Michael and Kenny at length but I can’t find a single reason not to get involved and I believe their intentions are genuine.  They are not taking possession of your database, controlling your customers or seeking to do anything other than support great agents.  

7.  The no tie in free period creates a no lose scenario, if Boomin fail to deliver on any level you simply don’t opt to move forward onto the paid period. in addition there is no lock in after the free period so again if you change your mind you can come away easily and contract free

8.  Doing nothing in the current portal space simply isn’t an option for estate agents. 

Over the next few months I will be engaging with agents on Boomin’s behalf, discussing the pros and cons and hopefully persuading many of you that Boomin is the best hope we have of bringing meaningful and positive long term change to the portal market. There are a lot of myths out there which need dispelling so agents can make decisions based on fact.