spiceheart Founder Paul Smith has criticized the increasing reliance on property portals in parts of the estate agency industry, as the group introduced a new sales process called “Showcase”.
The approach developed over the past year aims to replace the traditional “list and wait” model by introducing a short pre-market period before launching an asset to the public.
Under the system, properties are prepared and marketed to pre-qualified buyers over a period of approximately seven to 14 days. Pricing feedback is collected during this phase, with the aim of aligning expectations before a comprehensive demonstration and coordinated launch.
Smith said: “We’ve looked at how homes are sold and asked a simple question: are we really getting the best outcome for the customer? Showcase is about slowing down the process at the beginning so we can get a faster sale and, in many cases, a higher price.”
Unlike traditional listings, properties are launched on the portal only a few days before the planned viewing event, designed to create urgency and maximize competition among motivated buyers.
He added: “Much of our industry has become ‘lazy estate agency’ – put it on a portal and hope for the best. It’s about taking back control, qualifying buyers appropriately and presenting homes in their best light.”
The model also emphasizes database-driven marketing, direct mail, and side-by-side viewing, helping agents identify qualified buyers to pursue and reduce the risk of attrition.
Antony Lark, joint group CEO of Spiceheart, said the initiative is as much about showcase as it is about differentiation: “In markets where sellers can choose from dozens of agents, standing out has never been more important. Showcase gives our teams a clear, compelling story to win instructions and, more importantly, a better way to deliver results.”
The initial pilots have shown quite high engagement levels and strong vendor interest, with Estate Agency Group expecting the approach to drive growth in sole agency instructions.
For the wider industry, Lark argues that the showcase raises important questions about the future of the portal-based agency model, especially at a time when agents are under pressure to better justify their fees and demonstrate solid value.
He added: “Every seller wants the same thing – the best price. If we can deliver this more consistently, we are not only improving our business, we are raising the standard of estate agency.”