David Jones of Allan Morris Estate Agents sees the major property portals as an invaluable tool for estate agents these days, but definitely not the be-all-and-end-all that some people might like you to believe.

Many property buyers and sellers will by now be aware that a brand new major property portal has just launched, with the aim of helping them find or market a home. In recent years there have been two main portals, both regularly appearing on television commercials and gradually becoming household names as the nation recognises the simple opportunity to search for hundreds or thousands of properties in one place.

The major property portals have been supported by many corporate and independent estate agents up and down the country who upload all their properties onto these sites. Each of the two big players have established a strong degree of brand loyalty from house hunters over the years, meaning that customers who wish to find ALL properties on the market – (as opposed to only seeing MOST properties), have had to search both of these portals to be sure.

But now a third portal has arrived with the aim, over time of becoming the one-stop place where ALL agents will advertise their wares. Rome wasn’t built in a day, but over the coming weeks and months, homebuyers and sellers will become very familiar with a new name which will be heavily promoted on television commercials on the main channels and national newspapers etc. Perhaps one day it will become the undisputed heavyweight champion. Who knows?

These days a lot of people think that everything in life is done by computers, and it’s true that an awful lot of us now choose to shop on the internet. Whether you are buying a tin of baked beans, or a laptop, or even a brand new car it is certainly possible to find the very best deals and usually the cheapest prices by searching the internet. Perhaps because of this, we have in recent years seen the rise of a handful of internet property firms who seem to believe that the housing market works the same way. Unfortunately it doesn’t.

Whilst the internet reaches a vast audience of potential buyers and is invaluable tool for estate agents, we do need to stress that any property portal is only there to let people know what is on the market. Contrary to what some people may have you believe, internet websites do NOT sell houses.

Property portals won’t value your property (though some of them try to). They won’t tell you what you can do to add value to their homes, they won’t negotiate fiercely on your behalf and they won’t then diplomatically, respectfully and tactfully steer a sale to completion through the complexities of conveyancing, mortgages, surveys and other chain-related issues – including liaising with other buyers and sellers all with very different needs, wants and timescales.

But never forget that a property website is very simply just another tool in the estate agent’s box. Computers cannot make appointments, accompany viewers, negotiate prices, confirm the buyer’s finances, liaise with all parties and their solicitors, resolve unexpected problems or deal the myriad of other little details which are involved with the sale and purchase of a property.

There really is no substitute for local knowledge and experience, which is why as different property websites might come and go, the best local estate agents are still here and still selling houses.