On the hunt for a new home

HOME-buyers hunting for a new house or flat and estate agents looking to keep the market moving are to benefit from the merger of two of the UK’s biggest players in property on the web.

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Zoopla – which powers the homes24.co.uk property portal run by media group Archant, publisher of the East Anglian Daily Times – is to merge with the Digital Property Group, the company behind Findaproperty.com and Primelocation.com.

The deal will create new competition for the £1.3billion Rightmove property business by bringing together the second, third and fourth biggest property websites in the UK.

Zoopla, which was founded in 2008, and Digital Property Group, owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust, have informed the Office of Fair Trading of their intention to merge.

Martin Cunningham, commercial director of homes24.co.uk, said: “The consolidation of the UK property portal sector to a definitive two players shall benefit consumers and agents alike.

“A new common platform will make property search less arduous for buyers and renters who will find a significantly enlarged market place within the Zoopla network of properties for sale and to rent available for search.”

Mr Cunningham added: “homes24.co.uk joined the Zoopla network in January of this year. We did so because the Zoopla network approach to marketing allows sellers’ and landlords’ properties to be available for search via multiple on-line channels, such as homes24.co.uk, Sky.com, Yahoo UK & Ireland and UpMyStreet, to name but a few.

“Another major point of difference between rightmove and homes24 Zoopla, is that Zoopla has developed a range of online tools to help sellers, landlords, buyers, renters and developers. Two such tools are ‘home-values’, which allows homeowners to obtain and receive a free estimate of their property’s value, and ‘AskMe!,’ which allows those who have a question about property or moving to post it on the AskMe! forum.”

Alex Chesterman, founder of Zoopla, said: “The deal will deliver real value for UK estate agents and developers and we will be in a position to provide them with the widest possible exposure and be their most cost-efficient marketing partner.”

Jade Cheffers, manager of Connells in Bury St Edmunds said: “We welcome the merger which will deliver an enhanced service for estate agents. It will create more competition in the property portal marketplace which can only provide greater value to agents and our customers.”