0/4
Estate Agency Launch Programme · Stage 4 of 10
Stand Up Your Software Stack
Stand up the software a new agency runs on: the CRM, the portal feeds, and the tools that keep a solo day moving.
How long
~1 week
You’ll have
A CRM chosen and wired to the portals, with the tools to run a solo day
Steps
4 steps
Resources
2 resources
-
01 Step 01
Step 01
Choose your agency CRM
The CRM is where contacts, properties, buyer matching and portal feeds live. The wrong one slows every job.
Do it yourself
- Shortlist real UK options and match them to your size: Alto (from ~£149/mo per branch, Houseful-owned, feeds Zoopla well), Street.co.uk (~£350/mo per branch, unlimited users, modern), agentOS (from ~£130/mo), Jupix (~£60–£100/user/mo), Reapit (enterprise, quote-only, typically £150–£300/user/mo), plus Rex, Vebra, Expert Agent and Dezrez.
- Treat every price as a rough market figure. Most need a live quote, so book demos before you trust a number.
- Decide sales-only or lettings-capable: lettings needs rent and arrears, compliance-date tracking and deposits.
- Check the essentials: portal feeds included, data migration, contract length, and per-branch versus per-user pricing.
- Demo two or three and test the daily flow yourself: add a property, send it to the portals, match an applicant.
Common mistake · Over-buying an enterprise CRM, or signing a long lock-in, on day one when a lean per-branch tool fits a solo start better.
Time~1 week of demos CostFrom ~£60–£350/mo DifficultyMediumResource for this step
PDFCRM scorecard
Score the real UK CRMs against your size, then get a live quote for the one that fits.
-
02 Step 02
Step 02
Wire the CRM to the property portals
One-click distribution is the reason you bought a CRM. A broken feed means double-keying and errors.
Do it yourself
- Confirm your CRM supports the standard portal feed and connects to Rightmove, Zoopla and OnTheMarket.
- Once your portal accounts are live (Module 7), request the feed between the CRM and each portal.
- Push a first listing through and check it renders right on each one: photos, floorplan, description, material information.
- Set your branch and agent display details so every listing carries your branding.
Common mistake · Signing portal contracts and building listings before the feed is confirmed working, then discovering a manual-upload mess.
Time~half a day CostUsually included DifficultyMedium -
03 Step 03
Step 03
Set up business email, domain and calendar
A branded address and shared calendar are basic credibility and the backbone of viewing and valuation scheduling.
Do it yourself
- Buy your domain and set up branded email on Google Workspace or Microsoft 365. Never a Gmail or Hotmail address for the business.
- Build signatures with your redress scheme, client money protection membership and contact details.
- Share one calendar for viewings and valuations so nothing double-books.
- Turn on SPF, DKIM and DMARC so your mail reaches inboxes.
Common mistake · Trading from a free personal email. To a seller choosing who to trust with their biggest asset, it says “not a real agency”.
Time~2 hours Cost~£5–£12/user/mo + domain ~£10–£20/yr DifficultyEasy -
04 Step 04
Step 04
Add the supporting tools
A few small tools remove the friction that eats a solo agent’s day and keep you compliant.
Do it yourself
- Add a digital ID and AML tool for CDD checks, ideally one that plugs into the CRM.
- Add e-signature for agency agreements and terms, such as a DocuSign-type tool.
- Bring in accounting from Module 2, plus client accounting if you let property.
- Cover comms: a mailout tool for your database, and call handling so a valuation lead never rings out.
Common mistake · Buying a dozen overlapping SaaS tools before there is any workload. Start with ID checks, e-sign and accounting, and add only when a real bottleneck appears.
Time~half a day Cost~£20–£100/mo combined DifficultyEasyResource for this step
CHECKLISTLean tool stack for month one
The minimum set to trade with now, what to add later, and rough monthly costs for each.
What you’ll have after this stage
- An agency CRM chosen for your size, not the biggest name
- Listings feeding Rightmove, Zoopla and OnTheMarket from one entry
- A branded domain, email and shared viewings calendar
- ID checks, e-signature and accounting set up
- A lean tool stack you can add to when a real bottleneck appears