Purplebricks Canada
Purplebricks Canada is a Canada-based real estate brokerage and a subsidiary of Purplebricks which was founded in 2012 by Michael Bruce and Kenny Bruce, and currently headed by CEO Vic Darvey.[6][7][8][9]
Formerly | ComFree[1][2] |
---|---|
Private | |
Industry | Internet & Real Estate |
Founded | 8 January 2019 |
Headquarters | |
Areas served | Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario (Canada)[3] |
Services | Real Estate Brokerage |
Number of employees | 200 |
Parent | Purplebricks Group Plc.[4][5] |
Website | https://purplebricks.ca |
History
Purplebricks is backed by investors that include venture capital firm DN Capital[10] as well as Neil Woodford, Paul Pindar, and Errol Damelin.[11][12][13][14]
Initially known as ByTheOwner, it comprised PrivateRealEstate in Ontario, ComFree in Alberta, ComFree in Manitoba, and Skhomes4sale in Saskatchewan,[15] was acquired by DuProprio in 2009.[16] After the acquisition, the company was rebranded as the ComFree network.[17]
In January 2012, the two ComFree Commonsense Network brokerages were launched in Ontario and Alberta.[18]
In July 2013, WeList.com joined the ComFree network.[19]
In 2015, DuProprio (the site's parent company) was purchased by Yellow Pages Group for $50 million.[20]
In 2018, the Purplebricks purchased Comfree/DuProprio network, as a Canadian real estate network that offered commission-free real estate services, for $51 million from Yellow Pages Group.[21][22][23][24][25]
Purplebricks rebranded the purchased network and launched in Canada on January 8, 2019. Purplebricks Canada followed a fixed-fee model for sellers, while following a cash back model for buyers.[26] They remained operating as Purplebricks in ON, MB and AB.[27][28][29][30][31][32]
Services
Clients have their home listed on Purplebricks.ca, as well as Realtor.ca through a board’s MLS system. Purplebricks employs local Realtors who know the local real estate market. These Realtors provide clients with a home evaluation that includes pricing recommendations based on current market analysis of their local area. Clients pay a flat fee to list their home with Purplebricks, regardless of the home’s value. The fee includes photography, a home listing on Realtor.ca and Purplebricks.ca, full time customer support, and selling advice from a local Realtor. Clients also have a Realtor to handle offers, negotiations and paperwork, and the company manages booking showings.[33][15]
Purplebricks offers a cash back Home Buying service to help clients find a home with the help of local Realtors who specialize in the field. They help the client find homes that match their criteria. Once a home is chosen, the Realtor helps the clients decide on an offer amount, handle the negotiations, navigate multiple offer situations, and finalize the deal.[33][34][35]
References
- "Taking spring 2019 real estate pulse in Edmonton | Watch News Videos Online". Global News.
- Lewis, Nigel (January 21, 2019). "Purplebricks launches in Canada but with directly-employed agents".
- "PAGE NOT FOUND ERROR 404". The Irish News.
- "Purplebricks hints at introducing No Sale, No Fee, as it looks to 'evolve' its pricing". Property Industry Eye. August 27, 2019.
- Salisbury, Ben. "PurpleBricks signals change to U.K. fees". AIM Group.
- Evans, Judith (March 23, 2017). "Is online estate agent Purplebricks overvalued?". Financial Times. Retrieved 2018-09-20.
- https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/discount-real-estate-1.4787422
- Burke, Tim. "M&A takes estate agent Purplebricks into Canada". www.fnlondon.com.
- "Estate agent Purplebricks enters Canadian market with acquisition". The Irish Times.
- "Purplebricks Gets Another £8M To Disrupt Real Estate Agencies In The UK". TechCrunch. August 18, 2014.
- Kollewe, Julia (3 December 2015). "Purplebricks float expected to value online estate agent at £240m". www.TheGuardian.com. The Guardian - Guardian News and Media Limited. Retrieved 18 May 2017.
- Steafel, Eleanor (3 December 2015). "Purplebricks becomes first online estate agent to list in London". www.Telegraph.co.uk. The Daily Telegraph - Telegraph Media Group Limited. Retrieved 18 May 2017.
- "Purplebricks shares dive on sales shock". BBC News. February 21, 2019 – via www.bbc.com.
- "Subscribe to read | Financial Times". www.ft.com.
- "Canada's largest commission-free real estate network launched". www.newswire.ca. Retrieved 2016-09-10.
- "DuProprio.com élargit ses horizons". Radio-Canada.ca. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
- "Duproprio.com change de couleurs". LesAffaires.com. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
- "Canada's largest commission-free real estate network launched". newswire.ca. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
- Stephenson, Amanda. "Calgary's WeList.com sold to ComFree real estate network". calgaryherald.com. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
- "Yellow Pages to buy DuProprio real-estate network for $50M". CBC News. Retrieved 2016-04-20.
- "Yellow Pages sells ComFree/DuProprio to Purplebricks for $51 million". The Montreal Gazette. July 2, 2018. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
- "British commission-free realtor expands to Canada" – via The Globe and Mail.
- "Subscribe to read | Financial Times". www.ft.com.
- "Purplebricks expands into Canada through acquisition".
- Kollewe, Julia (May 7, 2019). "Purplebricks boss exits as online estate agent scales back expansion" – via www.theguardian.com.
- "Subscribe to read | Financial Times". www.ft.com.
- "Hamilton real estate market reacts to the colour purple". The Hamilton Spectator. February 21, 2019 – via www.thespec.com.
- "Turf wars: Real estate sales are ripe for disruption and big foreign players are moving in, but they're in for a fight" – via The Globe and Mail.
- "Commission impossible: The Purplebricks disruptor is coming to Canada - The Lawyer's Daily". www.thelawyersdaily.ca.
- Warncke, Cila. "Purplebricks acquires DuProprio in Canada". AIM Group.
- "We Sold! Why We Chose Purplebricks to Work With to Sell Our Edmonton Home". January 24, 2020.
- "Tech companies offer new ways to buy, sell homes in Edmonton | CBC News".
- "For Sale by Owner". ratesupermarket.ca. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
- Perkins, Tara. "How Canada's housing downturn threatens to shake up real estate commissions". theglobeandmail.com. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
- "ComFree earns Manitoba real-estate broker licence". cbc.ca. Retrieved 18 March 2015.