Rentals365 Blog

Are the major property portals getting greedy?

After finding out today that an agent has left the Digital Property Group after being told that his rate will increase from £49.50 to £399 per month you think to yourself are they just cashing in, or is there a justified reason for this increase.

Graham Tickner, who runs Rand Lettings in Carshalton, Surrey, has cancelled his monthly payment in protest and asked for his properties to be removed from the Digital websites immediately. Prime Location, and FindaProperty are part of the group.

He said he was called by Digital and told of the new rate card. Because of the huge increase, it would be phased in at £119.40, rising to £399 a month - a 700% increase.

Tickner, who runs his lettings business within a Bairstow Eves office which settles its accounts centrally, said: “We are a very small letting agency and only have 10 to 15 properties on the web at any time. I am astounded that DPG can suggest an increase of this level. Rightmove charge us £175 plus VAT which is high enough, but £399 is just ridiculous.”

Jon Notley, Digital sales director, said: “The Digital Property Group rate card was created to provide a fair and transparent reflection of the value we deliver; it takes into account the agent’s location as well as the number of properties listed and their average cost.

“By advertising on each of the DPG portals, agents benefit from inquiries across all levels of home-buyer and renter as well as profit from the positive brand association with our portals - especially important when attracting new instructions. Our subscribers also benefit from innovations such as Insight and the FindaProperty iPhone search app.

“We cannot comment on specific cases but I would be very happy to speak to any customers on an individual basis and demonstrate our value to their business.”

Digital, whose websites include FindaProperty and Primelocation, recently acquired a 50% stake in the free Globrix. Last week, using figures from ComScore, it claimed that combined traffic to its websites is now close to that of Rightmove.

However, ComScore is currently running two different ways of measuring traffic and does not allow its clients to compare its latest monitoring figures with those of its older method.

Rightmove has not yet agreed to the new method but Digital has. When Rightmove signs up to the new measuring system, it is likely that the gap will widen, since every website that has gone on to the new tracking system has recorded higher traffic.

This article is based on an article sourced from Source: www.estateagenttoday.co.uk.

Enjoy the heart of Transylvania

Who hasn’t heard of Transylvania? Everyone has but very few know it as the touristic epicenter of Romania. Cultural variety, traditional cities, medieval villages and castles offsetting against modern facilities and a hunger for modernization. But above all, Transylvania is home to the largest unspoiled nature reserves of Europe. Dazzling rocks in the Carpathians, large forests hosting a variety of birds, bears and many other animals. And yet, the area is easy accessible by airplane, car or train.

The entry of Romania into the EU in 2006 has brought an inflow of ideas, capital and most important, the infrastructure to allow for a pleasant, yet affordable vacation in this beautiful part of Eastern Europe. The area houses many well equipped mansions and self-catering villa’s providing you ‘Western’ comfort and luxury while enjoying the outdoors activities both in summer and winter. Local festivities, food and wine from the valley will make your holiday a never to forget experience. As we say, welcome or ”Bine ati venit!” in Romanian.

City of Brasov
Braşov, the ‘Prague’ of Romania, combines a medieval architecture with the pleasures of a modern city. The famous Black Church overlooks the sprawling Sfatului Square. Go dining, shopping or just enjoy a local beer or wine on a picturesque terrace, all still at very affordable prices!

Dracula’s Castle in Bran
Without doubt one of the most popular tourist attraction of Transylvania. Take the tour and learn the real story behind Dracula.

Peleş castle in Sinaia
The Peleş royal palace is the best-preserved and most gorgeous castle in Romania. A tour through all stunning and exquisite rooms will leave you with an unforgettable memory. Once here, we recommend seeing more of the Prahova Valley area, known for its splendid wines and once the home of Romanian Kings and Royalty.

Skiing
Brasov is conveniently situated between Poiana Braşov, Predeal and Sinaia, the largest skiing resorts in Romania. The area has various slopes suited for beginners to advanced skiers. Ski equipment can be rented on the spot and the English and German speaking instructors will make your ski-holiday a memorable experience.

Hiking
The Braşov area is famous for its 326 sq km hiking paradise. Various tracks are available for beginners and experienced hikers. Just cross the forest or take a trail on top of the Bucegi Mountains. You will be treated with marvelous views of unspoiled nature.

To sample this beautiful region, you could look into renting a stunning Brasov mountain holiday house.

First opened up to tourism in the sixties, for several decades Thailand was the tourist powerhouse in south-east Asia. The devastation caused by the tsunami, SARS, and now bird flu, coupled with the opening of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam to western tourists has seen Thailand’s position as principal destination in South East Asia come under threat. There is much more to Thailand than meets the eye, however, and it remains one of the great places to visit.

Thai cuisine is famous worldwide, and there is no better place to experience it than in Thailand. Bangkok has a series of gourmet restaurants that are fantastic places to visit, whilst you can get more simple meals on just about any street corner and in any market.

Thailand is famous for medicinal holidays and shopping, as well as it’s exceptionally beautiful shoreline, but one of the reasons for the decline in tourism compared to, for example, Cambodia, is the perception that Thailand has nothing to rival the great temples like Angkor Wat. This is a misconception, and any visit to Thailand is incomplete without visiting at least one of the five World Heritage Sites.

Ayutthaya Historical City is the capital of the province that bears the same name. It was founded in the mid 13^th century and was the capital of Thailand for over four hundred years until it was largely destroyed by the Burmese when it was one of the largest cities in the world at the time. The ruins are filled with temples, spires and palaces.

On a similar theme is Sukhothai Historical Park in the north of the city. It was built at a similar time to Ayutthaya and boasts no fewer than 26 temples and a royal palace.

The Thungyai -Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuaries are another of the country’s World Heritage sites and, combined, form the second largest protected natural area in Asia. The sanctuaries are host to a multitude of flora and fauna, including tigers, leopards and a number of other protected species.

Ban Chiang archaeological site is another of Thailand’s tourist attractions and one that has received much attention through the world. At one time it was believed to hold the oldest discovered human graves in the world, but carbon dating modified the graves to being some 4,000 years old. Some Thai artifacts from Ban Chiang have been smuggled to the United States, but there is still more than enough at the site to occupy an afternoon’s sightseeing.

The final of Thailand’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites is the Jungle of the Ice Lord or Dong Phaya Yen, a mountain range in central Thailand within with is found Khao Yai national park. The park is easily accessible from Bangkok and has over 50km of hiking trails.

DialAFlight.com offer the following flights to Thailand:

·Bangkok flights from £378 (including tax) from Heathrow
·Phuket flights from £478 (including tax) from Heathrow

New York will always be known as one of the most exciting cities in the world. It is one of those rare spaces that encompass everything about life, a microcosm of the world at large, if you will. Rich with history, it continues to house many of the worlds and people that made it famous in the first place. From the Lower East Side Tenements, to the luxurious buildings of Fifth Avenue, New York offers something to capture everyone’s imagination.

If you have never been, the best way to get to know New York City is by foot, so put on your comfiest sneakers and start walking!

One of the most enjoyable ways of getting a broad sense of the city’s history and attractions is by walking Broadway. Famous as the theater and musical district, Broadway is actually a street that crosses the entire island of Manhattan. If you start your tour at the very bottom, you can visit the Statue of Liberty, either by taking a short ferry ride or simply by admiring it from afar. Going up a few blocks on Broadway, you will encounter the infamous Wall Street, the first permanent home of the New York Stock Exchange and the heart of the financial district.

Keep going up and you will run into Canal Street, the bustling center of Chinatown, a great place to sit down and have a dim sun meal. This is also a great place for exotic grocery shopping, for the so inclined. A pound of live frogs goes for $6 only! For the less adventurous, plenty of Chinese-assembled toys, handbags, cameras and other touristy tchotckes. Soon after Canal Street one enters the well-paved streets of Soho. Once home to more bars and brothels than any section of the city, today it is one of the most coveted residential spots of the city. Iron-cast buildings line its streets and it is hard to take a step without seeing a celebrity.

A little further up is the West Village, the birthplace of the Beat movement. Honoring its roots, it continues to be a colorful and distinctive neighbourhood, displaying many of the original and oldest buildings in the city. For an especially charming spot, head down to Minetta Lane, a lovely and quiet spot in the middle of the bustling traffic that will bring you back in time. Feel free to cool off with a beverage in one of the many Italian cafes lining the streets of the West Village.

For a beautiful way to wrap up your day, let Broadway guide you the theatrical entrance to Central Park, a National Historic Landmark and home to an ice-skating rink, a pool, several theaters, a gorgeous central lawn and a zoo! Whether you want to cool off your feet in the Bethesda Fountain while overlooking the lake, or simply walk around the many paths, Central park will offer you a chance to catch your breath, until you are ready to see the rest of the city.

Try DialAFlight for cheap flights to New York that start from £259 (including taxes).

The emirate of Dubai, the most populous of the seven cities that comprise the United Arab Emirates, is synonymous with shopping, incredible buildings, and most recently, sport. Over the last twenty years or so Dubai has turned itself from an economy with a great reliance on oil revenues, to one that thrives on the profits produced by one of the most popular tourist trades in the world.

Unfortunately, the world recession has hit Dubai hard, but the emirate remains a brilliant place to visit. Dubai International Airport is one of the busiest transport hubs in the world and one of the most modern airports, and it is possible to get cheap flights to the emirate from just about every major city in the world.

As a tourist location Dubai is famous for its shopping and is widely known as the shopping capital of the Middle-East. There are numerous shopping centres found in the city, offering wares from just about every retail chain in the world, but as a tourist one of the major places to visit are the souk districts.

Historically dhows from the Far East, China, the Indian subcontinent and other locations around the Gulf discharged their cargo in Dubai and bargained with local traders across the souks. These districts still retain much of their traditional flavour, and bargaining and haggling are considered the normal way of conducting a transaction.

Dubai also has a rich cultural history, although this tends to take a back seat compared to the busy attractions of the city. The area around the souks is generally considered to be the old district and carries a flavour of life in Dubai before the modern era.

Of course, Dubai also boasts some of the most remarkable buildings in the world, including the world’s only seven star hotel and the Burj Dubai, the tallest manmade construction on the planet and visible from most parts of the Emirate. If you are flying out to Dubai it is definitely taking some time to look at the amazing architecture.

No discussion of Dubai can be complete without mentioning the waterfront. The Dubai Waterfront Project is an astonishing architectural and landscaping feat that has shaped a portion of the coastline into an enormous palm tree. Dubai’s beaches are kept in immaculate condition, and are undoubtedly some of the best in the world.

A holiday in Dubai is unlike anywhere else in the world. The emirate is undeniably an expensive place to visit, but with its incredible architecture, and countless shows, shopping and sport on display it is a great place to go. The New York Times even described it as one of the world’s partying centres in 2008, though most of the pubs and clubs are inside the amazing hotels. If you are thinking about a luxury holiday, take a look at DialAFlight.com for some great deals.

Flights to Dubai are available at DialAFlight.com starting at £199 from Heathrow.