Member Article

Lockdown Opens The Door For Online Property Browsing

Yorkshire’s largest independent estate agent, Dacre, Son & Hartley, has revealed that tens of thousands of people have visited its website during the current Covid-19 lockdown, suggesting that time spent at home could be encouraging people to consider making a move when lockdown restrictions are relaxed.

In a six week period, spanning March and April, approximately 47,000 people clicked into the company’s website and viewed more than 230,000 of the site’s pages. A good proportion of people were visiting the website for the first time.

The company’s data also reveals that 10.5% of web traffic is currently coming from London and approximately 7% of visitors to the site are from overseas, with 2.5% of people viewing properties in Yorkshire from the US.

Patrick McCutcheon, head of residential at Dacre, Son & Hartley, which has 20 offices in West and North Yorkshire, said: “Although only a small number of property sales are completing at the moment due to social distancing and lockdown restrictions, the number of enquiries we’re currently receiving, from potential buyers and sellers wanting to talk through a sales strategy, is encouraging. We have also engaged with sellers who have requested virtual valuations, and that pricing advice means we already have a good number of instructions ready to launch once Government movement restrictions are lifted.

“We’ve spoken to several people recently who are considering moving as a direct result of the Covid-19 pandemic, some wanting to downsize and others wanting more outside space or a more rural location, and it’s also clear that some homeowners are using the time to complete home improvements and get their homes ready to sell once the market starts moving again.

“Although there’s uncertainty at the moment, it’s clear that people are comforted by the low interest rates and we believe that the market will adjust and adapt, and people will once again start moving with Dacres once Covid-19 is under control.”

With 20 offices and 152 members of staff across West and North Yorkshire, Dacre, Son & Hartley is Yorkshire’s largest independent estate agent. Anyone wanting to arrange a virtual valuation should contact their local office.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Steven Wright .