Newsroom

Software evolves constantly and regular training ensures you are making the most of your investment and delivering a high level of service to your customers.

Vebra's new Live Training Courses are specially designed to demonstrate the innovative features that VebraLive has to offer.

Training days will be held on the following dates, with a fee of £99 per person:

25th August 2010 - Wolverhampton - Induction course

3rd September 2010 - Luton - Induction course

1st October 2010 - Wolverhampton - Advanced course

To book your place or for more information call Clare Parker on 08446 626 472 or email training@gmgpsg.com

GMG Property Services, the UK’s largest supplier of software solutions to the property industry, is pleased to announce that Kris Norgrove has been appointed as Residential Training Manager for software brands, Vebra and Core.

Kris has more than seven years’ experience of installing software and undertaking training and has a deep understanding of both the VebraLive and EncoreLive products. Initially this role will combine the day-to-day management of the training and installation department, but Kris will also continue to have a ‘hands-on’ involvement as a trainer/installer.  

Training, for both Vebra and Core products, is offered either on an individual basis or as part of a mixed group. Highly experienced training consultants guide users through the software, ensuring that they are using the product to its full potential by offering practical examples of how to use the different features. There are also a range of introductory, advanced and bespoke courses on offer, which are tailored to suit individual needs.

Mark Goddard, Group Managing Director of GMG Property Services, commented; “Thanks to the team’s hard work over the last 12 months, the residential training function for Vebra and Core is in excellent shape and very much ready to take on any future challenges. Due to the recent opening of our new training facility in Wolverhampton, Vebra and Core clients now have more of a choice of where they can receive their training; either in their own offices or in our other state of the art facilities in York and Luton.

“I have every confidence that Kris will continue this success as the business goes from strength to strength and I would like to wish him the best of luck in his new role.”

For more information on Vebra and Core’s training facilities, call 08446 626 455 or email training@vebra.com   

GMG Property Services, the UK’s largest supplier of software to the property industry, today launched a new social media service which will give its clients’ property listings automatic access to the key social media channels, including inclusion of listings to Facebook Marketplace, as a way of reaching more home movers.

In addition to the feed to Google’s new property search that was reported in the press last month, the Social Media Bundle is exclusively available to customers of software brands, Vebra, Core and CFP, at no additional charge. It works by automatically data-feeding property through to the new Facebook Marketplace, Twitter and the Oodle Network, allowing agents to further advertise their property to a potential audience of millions, and increase their own brand awareness.

GMG Property Services is the exclusive provider of listings on behalf of estate and lettings agents for Facebook Marketplace, which is already a successful, well-established extremely cost effective platform for advertising property in the United States.

Clients wishing to fully capitalise on the opportunity that the new Social Media Bundle offers, will be given the chance to upgrade to a Social Media Plus Bundle, which gives a range of additional features linked to Facebook.

Mark Goddard, Group Managing Director of GMG Property Services, commented; “With our Social Media Bundle, we are offering our clients easy access to post their property listings on Google, Facebook, Twitter and the Oodle network. By using social media platforms, they are able to engage more effectively with their customers on a more flexible basis, as it gives them the opportunity to get their listings out quickly and efficiently to a large group of people. It can also work as a two-way communication tool, as followers can leave comments or feedback.

“The purpose of the Social Media Bundle is to provide our customers with an additional stream of online enquiries, encourage them to use the emerging platforms that look set to dominate the way we do business going forward, and to demonstrate our continuing commitment to add additional value to our proposition.”

“We are very pleased to have been chosen as the exclusive partner for this service, as it gives any customers of Vebra, Core and CFP a real advantage in the market.”

GMG Property Services would like to congratulate Vebra’s Chris Wray, who successfully completed the Coast to Coast (C2C) cycle challenge, raising funds for Shelter, the housing and homelessness charity, along the way.

C2C is Britain’s most popular long distance cycle route; running 147 miles from Whitehaven in Cumbria on the west coast to Sunderland in Tyne and Wear on the east coast. As a keen cyclist, Chris decided to take on this challenge, as it was something he had always wanted to do and thought that raising money for Shelter was the perfect way to keep himself motivated.

Chris definitely found the trip an eventful one and ended up covering 156 miles over the three days. Passing through the quaint village of Loweswater in the Lake District on Day One, he saw a large Mercedes with a HRH number plate, before having to tackle the tough off-road terrain across the moors, which in the end became a three-hour walk. He also had a slight mishap with a stream and ended up having to ride for 20 miles soaking wet until he reached his stopover point in Penrith. A lot of mileage was covered on Day Two, as Chris unfortunately followed the wrong signs and had to retrace his tracks for eight miles, but luckily he found Hartside Pass and the Pennines a lot tamer than he was anticipating. After spending his second stopover in Northumberland, Chris encountered another hard climb on Day Three, but once he had passed Stanhope in County Durham, the last 30 miles were downhill all the way to the east coast.

Chris commented; “It was difficult to know what to expect of this trip, but I knew it would be a long ride, with big hills and there was no telling what the weather had in store!

“I opted to finish in Sunderland because my grandparents are originally from the area and I wanted to see the shipyards where my grandfather would have worked. He would often regale me with first-hand tales of ill health, no work and poor accommodation and it’s unacceptable that a hundred years on there are still 2.2 million households in Britain today owned by local authorities that don’t constitute ‘a decent home’. Shelter is trying to address these problems by continually lobbying the Government to take action and that’s why I decided to support them in my cycle challenge.

“I had a fantastic trip and have so far raised around £300. I am very proud of my achievement and would recommend it to any keen cyclist, especially if you are able to raise money for a worthwhile cause at the same time.”

Mark Goddard, Group Managing Director of GMG Property Services, commented; “Well done to Chris on this amazing achievement. He certainly had some tough challenges to overcome and we are very proud and impressed that he successfully completed this ride in aid of Shelter.

“Since GMG Property Services entered into the two-year employee fundraising relationship with Shelter last year, staff across all our offices have made a great effort to support the charity and have taken part in a range of madcap initiatives to raise funds. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has been involved, as so far we have raised several thousand pounds and hope to add to this throughout the rest of the year.

For more information on Shelter, visit http://england.shelter.org.uk/      

GMG Property Services, the UK’s largest supplier of software to the property industry, is pleased to announce that it has been selected as a launch partner for Google’s new property search feature in the UK. 

Google Maps Property Search will be free and is open to individual home owners, landlords and professional estate agents around the country, who can submit their details to Google and their properties will be uploaded via Google Maps. The service has already been launched in Australia and the US.

This new feature will benefit property professionals who use software products from GMG Property Services’ market leading brands, Vebra, Core and CFP, as their properties will be automatically uploaded on to the search facility via their software, free of charge.

Mark Goddard, Group Managing Director of GMG Property Services, commented; “We are delighted that GMG Property Services has been selected by Google as a launch partner for this new feature on Google Maps and we are extremely pleased how beneficial this will be for our clients. The aim of this new search facility is to provide an additional, free to advertise platform to increase an agents’ ability to reach a wider audience. All our customers’ properties will automatically be available on Google Maps Property Search, unless they choose to opt out, for no additional cost or effort.”

VebraLive, the innovative estate agency software from market leader, Vebra, has been previewed at a series of roadshow events up and down the UK.

Following on from the success of last year, a number of interested agents across a variety of locations were given demonstrations of the product first-hand in a one-to-one session with a regional sales manager.

VebraLive has been developed to help agents manage their business more efficiently. Not only is it designed to help them win instructions, accurately target purchasers, deliver first class service and offer superior levels of property presentation, but it also allows them the flexibility of access to their data, wherever and whenever they need it via a desktop, internet browser or mobile device.

Many agents realised just how VebraLive could transform their business as they were able to see for themselves how the software would allow them to utilise their resources effectively, share information and communicate effortlessly across multiple branches.

Mark Freeman, Residential Regional Sales Manager, commented; “We held a series of 80 roadshows spanning across three months where we could provide interested agents with a full demonstration of VebraLive so they could see for themselves the benefits it can bring to their business.

“Cambridge was a particular hotspot as we visited four agents, who have 24 offices collectively. They liked the fact that we visited them in their workplace, as it was more convenient and less time-consuming for them and we were able to gain a better sense of their requirements and how VebraLive could help them with their daily workload.

“We were very pleased with the success of the roadshows, as VebraLive was well received by new prospects, as well as existing users.”

Tim Summerley, Managing Director of Residential Sales Software, commented: “We were delighted with the attendance of the VebraLive roadshows as it signals an upward surge of confidence in the UK property market and shows that agents have a positive outlook to the future.

“VebraLive was launched just over a year ago and is already exceeding all expectations, with several large multi-branches and a considerable number of smaller local agencies both using the software and we are expecting this to increase as the market continues to pick up.”

As the headline sponsor of this year’s Property Professional Show, GMG Property Services is pleased to report that all three of its software brands; Vebra, Core and CFP, have hailed the exhibition a success.

The show, which took place at the ICC in Birmingham on 17th and 18th May, was aimed at all property professionals and energy assessors, and Vebra, Core and CFP all exhibited their latest estate agency and property management software products. Experienced professionals were also on hand to give demonstrations or to talk through any queries.

Vebra and Core are the leading suppliers of software to estate agents and their products are designed to help property professionals enhance their business, work more efficiently and become more profitable.

Mark Freeman, Residential Regional Sales Manager for Vebra and Core, commented; “We achieved a lot over both days of the show and spent a lot of time talking and presenting to prospective clients. We were also on hand for existing customers, who wanted to discuss their current software and our third-party partnerships, which can help develop their brand.

“All in all, both VebraLive and EncoreLive were well received by the agents that we spoke to.”

CFP is the UK’s largest supplier of software to the property management and lettings industry, with more than 2,500 customers representing 45% of all dedicated lettings agents in the residential market.

James Toogood, Head of Sales at CFP, commented; “We took the opportunity to launch some of our new products at the show, which included CFP Solutions; an outsourced accounting service and two new features for CFPwinMansdb; the Service Charge Module, which will benefit both residential and commercial block management specialists and Multi Office, which is specifically designed for larger multi-office companies.

“We enjoyed a busy couple of days at the show and were pleased to welcome new potential customers, as well as our existing ones.”

Mark Goddard, Group Managing Director of GMG Property Services, commented; “We were very proud to be the headline sponsor of such as prestigious event in the property industry and this was a fantastic opportunity for all three of our software brands to showcase their products, give demonstrations and liaise with both existing and potential clients. It was also a platform on which to launch our new property iPhone app, which is available exclusively to our clients.

“All three brands reported a good turnout across both days, which resulted in a number of deals being done on the stand, as well as several leads being generated. Vebra, Core and CFP were all nominated for the ‘Best Estate and Letting Agency Management Solution’ award and we are delighted that Vebra was named as the winner, against some stiff competition. We look forward to enjoying the same success again at next year’s show!”

Comment from Tim Summerley, Managing Director of Residential Sales Software for Vebra and Core

“I guess we all expected the general election to have an impact on our businesses, as potential clients waited to see what the outcome was and how it would affect their lives.

“Whilst I am sure there was a slight slow-down in the decision-making process, I have to say that our own fears proved to be somewhat unfounded. Agents have continued to contact us for information on our products and those who have already decided to sign up, have been pushing for early installation, as they hope to capitalise on any positive bounce that might follow the, to date, astoundingly harmonious partnership between David Cameron and Nick Clegg. Whether this will last, only time will tell; however both existing and potential clients are clearly now planning for the future and making decisions about their software and what benefits it can bring to their business.

“Consequently, we are making sure that our business is best placed to respond to their needs and have made huge strides over the last 12 months. While other companies have cut back, we have continued to invest in our staff and training facilities, have launched new products and bolstered our support operation. As a result, Vebra was named the Best Estate and Letting Agency Management Solution at this year’s PPS Awards; proving that we are the UK’s number one supplier of estate agency software.”

GMG Property Services, the UK’s largest supplier of software solutions to the property industry, is pleased to announce that it has appointed Sara Seymour as a Regional Sales Manager, working across both its leading software brands, Vebra and Core.

In her new role, Sara will concentrate on identifying and securing new clients in the south of the UK and will work exclusively with estate agents not currently using Vebra or Core software by demonstrating the benefits of its latest software programmes, VebraLive and EncoreLive.

Sara has 10 years of experience working in the property sector, including residential sales, lettings, property management and HIPs, and has previously worked for Vebra, selling its property management product. More recently, she has worked in a business-to-business environment for the global corporation, Iron Mountain, which specialises in document management, archiving and data protection.

Sara said: “I have settled into my new role at Vebra very well and all my colleagues have been extremely supportive and welcoming. The product range for Vebra and Core offers some exciting functionality and I’m looking forward to demonstrating this to our clients and potential clients.

“I hope to bring a consistent and methodical approach to this role, by combining my territory management experience and business-to-business sales knowledge, whilst also providing our clients with a flexible solution tailored to their specific needs. I think the main challenge will be finding enough time in the day to meet the demand of clients wishing to see a demonstration of the Vebra and Core products.”

Tim Summerley, Managing Director of Residential Sales Software, commented: “We appointed Sara in order to cope with the increasing number of enquiries from potential new customers, due to the continued upturn in the property market. This role will be very challenging, but I am convinced Sara will help us identify new business that we currently do not get to pitch for. I wish Sara the best of luck and look forward to working alongside her again.”

GMG Property Services has teamed up with award-winning creative technology agency, World Archipelago, to launch a custom-built property iPhone app, for estate and lettings agents who use Vebra, Core and CFP software solutions.

The individually branded app allows agents to easily show their current property stock to potential vendors and also allows their existing customers to search for properties at their own convenience, whilst on the move. The user can flip through property images, read full property descriptions, view their location, email a friend and contact the agent directly. An added advantage is that the GPS feature on the iPhone can highlight properties close to the user’s current location, which makes viewing even easier!

The app will bring many benefits to agents as it will:

• Drive increased traffic to their website; resulting in better lead generation,
• Provide them with the latest cutting edge sales tool to convert leads on the move,
• Exploit the increase in iPhone users in the market and their adoption of mobile property searches.

 Mark Goddard, Group Managing Director of GMG Property Services, commented; “As there are over 1.2 million iPhones already in the UK, there is a recognised and enthusiastic audience for apps. Around three to eight percent of agency traffic now comes from iPhone users and this is constantly increasing. We are delighted to be working in partnership with World Archipelago to offer our customers their own branded iPhone app that works seamlessly with their data through Vebra, Core or CFP. iPhone users will be able to download the app for free from the Apple Store and access the agency’s entire database of properties, including full details and photos. This will be a huge benefit to estate and lettings agents as the app will widen their reach to the ever growing iPhone user base.”

 
Russell Douglas, Managing Director Property at World Archipelago, said: “We are very excited about partnering with the UK’s leading provider of property software solutions and the opportunity that the partnership with GMG Property Service gives us to extend our products to a much broader market sector.”

The iPhone app is available to all GMG Property Services clients for a set up fee of £750, followed by monthly subscriptions from £20.

For more information on GMG Property Services’ iPhone app call 0844 573 6093 or email apps@gmgpsg.com            

Two members of staff from GMG Property Services have raised over £3,000 for Shelter, the housing and homelessness charity, by successfully completing the London Marathon.

Steven Bottomley and Russell King were amongst the 37,000 people who took part in the 26.2-mile race on Sunday 25th April, which included a member of the Royal family, Fred Flintstone, a leprechaun, a giraffe and a dalek!

Steven, who is the Group Technical Services Manager for parent company, GMG Property Services, ran the race in a very respectable five hours, 44 minutes and 10 seconds and has so far raised over £1,500.

He said; “This has been the most gruelling task I have undertaken yet, but has also been the most incredible experience. I started training at the beginning of the year and took part in a series of half marathons in the run-up, but actually completing the London Marathon gives you an amazing sense of achievement. Thanks to everyone who supported me and I am extremely proud to have raised so much money for such a worthy charity, like Shelter.”

Russell, who is the Area Manager for software brand, CFP, stormed the course in three hours, 46 minutes and 39 seconds and raised funds of more than £1,700.

He said: “I would like to thank everyone who sponsored me and supported me in the preparation and on the day itself. I had an amazing experience, met some fantastic people and even managed to raise some money for a great cause along the way. I had previously tried to enter the Marathon three years in a row, but didn’t get in so you could say I had an old score to settle! I would also like to like to personally thank the marshal who gave me direct encouragement 600 metres from the end and made me deliver the sprint finish I had promised myself all those years ago!"

Mark Goddard, Group Managing Director of GMG Property Services, commented: “Congratulations to both Steven and Russell on their excellent achievement and for finishing with such fantastic times. I really admire them both for the effort they have put in with their training, and as a company, we look forward to perhaps lending our support to them again next year!

“Since GMG Property Services entered into the two-year employee fundraising relationship with Shelter last year, staff across all our offices have made a great effort to support the charity and have taken part in a range of madcap initiatives to raise funds. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has been involved, as so far we have raised several thousand pounds and hope to add to this throughout the rest of the year.”

For more information on Shelter visit http://www.shelter.org.uk/             

Vebra has once again proved itself to be the UK’s number one supplier of estate agency software by winning the ‘Best Estate and Letting Agency Management Solution’ award at this year’s PPS Awards.

The awards were presented at a spectacular gala dinner, which took place on the evening of the 17th May at the ICC in Birmingham, following the first day of the Property Professional Show. Around 350 guests enjoyed a superb four-course dinner, cooked by Michelin Star chef, Paul Gould, with entertainment provided by stand-up comedian, Alun Cochrane.

Aiming to recognise excellence in the property sector, the awards allow professionals working in the industry the opportunity to showcase and celebrate best practice. Delegates were asked to vote for the award candidates whilst registering to attend the show.

Tim Summerley, Managing Director of Vebra, commented; “This is a particularly pleasing award to win as it is voted for by all the show’s attendees; therefore by both existing and potential clients.

“It is great to hear from the agents themselves that we are providing products and services that not only meet their needs, but that also stand head and shoulders above our competition. I would like to thank everyone who voted for Vebra and we will continue to provide first class software solutions.”

Mark Goddard, Group Managing Director of GMG Property Services; Vebra’s parent company, commented; “We are very proud that Vebra has won this well-deserved award and I would like to congratulate all the team for their continued hard work in making sure that Vebra continues to be the leading software brand for residential estate agents.”