Sole selling rights have long been discouraged by the OFT as unethical contractual terms.

If this is the only response from a highly successful estate agent, how can the industry expect to clean up its image?

Perhaps what Mr Smith was trying to say was, "if we can't fight fair, we'll fight dirty".

www.tickeverybox.com

I am disappointed by Paul Smiths comments but not surprised having followed the launch of the Tesco site with interest. Most agents are short sighted, used to a great, as yet unchallenged way to make BIG money and confused about their future. A defensive/aggressive approach is quite normal when threatened. What exactly is the threat to a good respectable estate agent from Tesco though? Not a lot. There is still a place for knowledgable professionals to act on their clients behalf and receive the commission fee for a great job done. A local estate agent should have a wealth of experience within his/her chosen field, be accurate and clear about their marketing and pricing strategies, be helpful and genuinely concerned for their clients interests and have a loyal customer base. Other agents who get money for old rope need to watch out. Well documented public opinion is that they over/under value, speak with grandiose enthusiasm about the buyers they have lined up to view the property and the grand marketing schemes they entice you into the deal with. Once you are registered your home sits languishing somewhere and it takes alot of phone calls and nagging to get your agent back on focus. Unfortunately the many bad apples ripping off the consumer are the rotten core. Public confidence in selling privately will inevitably grow as people have to tighten their purse strings and become more technology savvy. Other related services will have to catch up. A good shake up of this industry is what is definitely needed although personally I think Tesco may not be the answer because their motives too are financial gain and monopoly rule. Gradual change which is consumer driven will always win against blatent quick fix materialism.