Aussie Livestreaming Technology helps Nicol & Co to keep on selling

Cutting edge technology is keeping Worcestershire estate agents Nicol & Co ahead of the game.

The leading independent agency is using a bespoke livestreaming system to help sell houses across the county.

On Saturday Matt Nicol, managing director and founder of Nicol & Co, carried out three livestreams which resulted in a number of online offers being made on an apartment – one just seconds after the livestream finished.

The second livestream was of a vacant three bedroom, semi-detached house in Kingsbury Road in St Johns, Worcester.

He also introduced clients to Iceworks, the 54 apartment development on Bromyard Road in St Johns, Worcester, which is currently under construction.

Matt Nicol said: “We are using the latest technology to provide our buyers with the opportunity to view and buy, while we are still doing our bit and acting responsibly in line with the latest government guidance.

“Others have been using Facebook live, but the system we use is purpose-built and much more advanced. It is very popular in Australia and you can understand why when you use it.”

Interested parties can only view the property live during the livestream. There is no recording available afterwards. Those on the livestream can ask questions and direct the agent to specific features they want to see in more detail.

Mr Nicol explained: “People interested in viewing live online are sent a link giving the time the livestream is scheduled to start and once they have downloaded the app, which takes seconds, they are notified when it goes live.

“A chat box appears on the screen which shows on my device and they can ask me questions or guide me on what they want to see again or up close.

“The system is discreet and fully GDPR-compliant as nobody on the livestream can see any of the other potential buyers or the questions being asked.

“I have had a number of people get in touch since to ask if they can have the recording, but we don’t offer that – they have to be on the livestream, otherwise they miss out.”

He said that feedback from participants had been very positive.

“One lady who took part in the livestream on Kingsbury Road on Saturday was slightly sceptical in advance as she had already viewed the property online and wondered how different this would be.

“However, after viewing the livestream, she said it gave a greater insight into the property and gave a better all-round view of the property that you don’t get from the virtual tour or the photos. She said was able to get a better feeling for the property and would definitely use the service more in future.”

It’s just another example of Nicol & Co leading the way in online, interactive marketing of residential property.

Matt and his team quickly established remote working as soon as lockdown was announced and have even recruited two new staff.

During lockdown, Nicol & Co has also been raising money for the NHS by donating £100 for every new instruction in April.

In February, Nicol & Co was named “Company of the Year” for the second year running by BoomerangCRM, a leading provider of customer feedback that measures engagement via Score (NPS) surveys for hundreds of UK estate agents.

The business currently has two offices, in Droitwich and Worcester, and will this year open a third in Malvern to be headed by sales manager Erica Hinwood.

For more details of livestream property viewings, contact Nicol & Co on in Droitwich on 01905 799072 or via droitwich@nicolandco.co.uk or in Worcester on 01905 676000 or worcester@nicolandco.co.uk