Property ‘disruptor’ FreeAgent247.com to go national with its buyer-pays-fees model

By Nicky Godding

27 September 2021

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A Worcester business that has disrupted the traditional estate agent model is setting its sights on national expansion with demand for its unique offer continuing to grow.

FreeAgent247.com, which was the brainchild of industry experts Daniel Lewis and Gerard Smith, provides homeowners with a ‘free’ way of selling their homes by reversing the fees so they are paid for by the buyer.

The approach has proved successful in Worcestershire, with the company regularly handling more than 100 different properties, from riverside lodges and city centre apartments to family homes and country retreats.

Supported by accountants Haines Watts, the firm has defied sector specialists by proving that there is an appetite for a different sales model that has, to date, achieved the asking price on 99 per cent of properties – a key national measure of success for estate agents.

“There were a lot of doubters when we launched FreeAgent247.com, but I think it is safe to say that we have proved the critics wrong,” explained Daniel Lewis, who had previously worked at a leading local estate agent.

“Reversing the fees so that the buyer picks up our charges makes complete sense for the seller. It takes away a big additional cost, whether you are selling a 2-bed starter home or a luxury rural property. We are now seeing a steady stream of clients asking us to sell £1m+ properties and why not? They could be saving between £15,000 and £30,000."

Dan Jackson, Associate at Haines Watts, added: “FreeAgent247.com is a great example of how an innovative business can take a new concept and revolutionise an established sector."

By Nicky Godding

Nicky Godding is editor of The Business Magazine. Before her journalism career, she worked mainly in public relations moving into writing when she was invited to launch Retail Watch, a publication covering retail and real estate across Europe.

After some years of constant travelling, she tucked away her passport and concentrated on business writing, co-founding a successful regional business magazine. She has interviewed some of the UK’s most successful entrepreneurs who have built multi-million-pound businesses and reported on many science and technology firsts.

She reports on the region’s thriving business economy from start-ups, family businesses and multi-million-pound corporations, to the professionals that support their growth and the institutions that educate the next generation of business leaders.