Purplebricks outlines US expansion plan with California launch
Online estate agency Purplebricks has announced that California will be the focus of its first expansion into the United States market.
In advance of attending the 51st Annual NAREE Real Estate Journalism Conference – which starts in Denver today – Solihull-based Purplebricks said California’s strong housing and economic fundamentals may it an ideal location for its new venture.
In preparation for its US launch, Purplebricks said it would shortly begin engaging hundreds of full-time real estate agents across California who would use their local knowledge to lead sales.
Known as Local Real Estate Experts, the Purplebricks recruits will undergo extensive training covering all aspects of the Purplebricks platform.
The firm said data from the California Association of Realtors and other publicly available information pertaining to US homes sales, ranked California first for residential property transactions with total sales commissions exceeding $11.5bn.
Once California is established, Purplebricks said it would utilise its brand awareness to expand into other states. It will do this using a controlled roll-out strategy with a plan to accelerate coverage, as required.
To achieve its ambitions, the firm has recruited Eric Eckardt, a real estate technology expert, to serve as its US CEO. He is tasked with positioning the company for long-term success in the US market.
Mr Eckardt said: “Purplebricks is launching in the US, with a distinct offering, which aims to offer a better deal for customers and a compelling opportunity for highly skilled, experienced local real estate experts. Our plans are progressing well and we remain on-course to launch in the second half of 2017.”
Michael Bruce, founder and group CEO of Purplebricks, added: “We are absolutely delighted to be moving forward at pace with plans for what will be an exciting US launch.
“We will be giving sellers and buyers a unique and seamless experience. We are looking to recruit the very best real estate agents who want to be highly successful and who want to spend their time helping and supporting customers rather than prospecting for leads. We will provide them with a stimulating customer centric culture and market leading support to help them build scalable, profitable businesses.”
