The Property Market Has Shifted — And Sellers Need to Know It
For several years, estate agents operated in one of the most forgiving markets in living memory. Demand consistently outpaced supply, prices climbed with little resistance, and buyers competed fiercely for almost every available property. In that environment, simply listing a home on Rightmove was enough to generate a flood of enquiries within hours.
But that market no longer exists. Today, buyers are back in charge. They are more cautious, more price-sensitive, and far more selective about what they are willing to pay. The balance of power has decisively shifted — and the estate agents who fail to recognise this reality risk falling dangerously behind.
The best estate agents in the country are already adapting. They are not sitting at their desks waiting for Rightmove to deliver leads. They are going out and creating them.
What "Buyers Back in Charge" Actually Means for the Market
When we say buyers are back in charge, we are not suggesting the property market has collapsed or that sellers are without options. What it means, practically speaking, is that buyers now have leverage they simply did not have eighteen months ago. They are taking longer to make decisions, submitting offers below asking price with greater confidence, and walking away from properties that are not priced compellingly.
Rising interest rates have played a significant role in this shift. Higher mortgage costs mean buyers are stress-testing their budgets far more carefully before committing to a purchase. Affordability has become the central concern in almost every buyer conversation. Properties that might once have attracted five or six competing offers are now sitting on the market for several weeks before receiving a single bid.
This is not doom — it is recalibration. And estate agents who understand the new dynamics have a significant competitive advantage over those who are still operating as if it is 2021.
Why Waiting for Rightmove Leads Is No Longer a Strategy
Rightmove remains the UK's most visited property portal, and no serious estate agent would suggest abandoning it. However, treating Rightmove as a passive lead generation machine — a place where you list a property and then wait — is a strategy that belongs in a different market era.
In a buyer's market, the volume of new enquiries naturally decreases. Buyers are taking their time. They are browsing extensively but enquiring selectively. This means the estate agent who relies entirely on portal traffic for new business will find their pipeline thinning quickly. Meanwhile, the agents who are actively generating their own qualified buyers, nurturing their existing databases, and building genuine relationships in the community will continue to transact consistently.
The shift is simple to articulate but demanding to execute: proactive estate agency beats passive estate agency every single time when the market gets difficult.
What the Best Estate Agents Are Doing Differently
Working Their Database Relentlessly
Top-performing agents have always known that their CRM database is their most valuable business asset. In a buyer-led market, this becomes even more true. Rather than waiting for a new buyer to register through a portal, the best agents are calling existing registered buyers who have not yet found a property. They are qualifying those buyers more deeply, understanding exactly what they need, and matching them proactively with suitable listings — sometimes before those listings even go live online.
Positioning Properties with Precision
Pricing strategy has never been more important. In a market where buyers are acutely price-sensitive, overvaluing a property is one of the most damaging things an estate agent can do. Properties that launch too high sit on the market, accumulate days on market figures, and attract the kind of stigma that forces price reductions — ultimately achieving less than a well-priced initial launch would have done.
The best agents are having frank, evidence-based conversations with vendors about pricing reality. They are using comparable evidence, market data, and honest projections to set prices that attract genuine interest from the outset. This requires courage, but it produces results.
Delivering Standout Marketing from Day One
With fewer active buyers in the market, making a property stand out has become critically important. Professional photography, compelling property descriptions, high-quality floor plans, and where appropriate, video walkthroughs, are no longer optional extras — they are baseline requirements for any agent serious about achieving the best possible outcome for their clients.
The agents winning instructions in 2024 and beyond are those who can demonstrate to vendors, clearly and confidently, that their marketing approach is meaningfully superior to the competition.
Building Local Visibility Beyond the Portals
Social media, community engagement, local PR, and direct mail campaigns are all tools that proactive agents are deploying to maintain visibility and generate off-market enquiries. Building a recognisable local presence ensures that when a buyer or seller is ready to move, your agency is the first name they think of — not because of an algorithm, but because of genuine, consistent effort.
The Agents Who Adapt Will Win
A shifting property market is not a threat to a well-run estate agency — it is an opportunity. When passive operators see their enquiries dry up and their instructions slow down, the agents who are already working harder, smarter, and more proactively will absorb that market share.
Buyers being back in charge does not mean sellers cannot achieve great results. It means the standard of service, strategy, and effort required to deliver those results has risen. The best estate agents have always known this. Now is the time for every agent to prove they are among the best.