Ebay UK intends to allow people to sell their homes through the auction site from next month, it has been revealed this week after the possibility was spoken about in a recent meeting.
The company is in advanced talks with real-estate site PropertyIndex.com to launch a UK property channel in a bid to drive revenues, which they believe is going to be the new way to sell your house in this current age of new media becoming popular amongst all aspects of the retail industry.
New media age understands the auction site aims to tap into a perceived increase in consumer interest in online property listings, up 10% year on year, when it rolls out the service in spring of 2009.
Ebay already has an existing US real-estate channel and an Ebay motors site, and the aim is to replicate these existing sites which were first launched in June 2006.
The move is understood to be part of an overall review of Ebay’s European marketing operations headed by European marketing director Torsten Schuppe, who assumed the role in January. Earlier this month it was revealed Schuppe had initiated a review of Ebay’s pan-European integrated advertising account.
A source close to the project told new media age, “Ebay is looking to bring in new vertical sectors to develop the site and grow profits.”
Ebay wouldn’t be the first to enter into the already crowded online property listings market. Earlier this month Estatecreate.com, a service which enables people to sell their homes online, launched in partnership with The Independent. Last month Asda said it aimed to showcase 85% of all new homes on its fledgling online property service, Homes In Asda.
Ebay refused to talk about the plans, while Propertyindex was unavailable for comment as new media age went to press.
