Founder, The Little House Company
How I Innovated UK Property Selling Online with The Little House Company
In 2000, I helped build one of the UK’s earliest “For Sale By Owner” (FSBO) platforms — designed to give homeowners a credible alternative to traditional estate agency fees, supported by practical services and genuine buyer demand.
The Innovation
The Little House Company wasn’t “just” a listing page — it was built around a simple insight: most online property sites focused on sellers, but buyers were actively searching for property for sale by owner. The platform was designed to be discovered in search, attract real buyers, and then support homeowners with the optional tools and services required to run a professional sale.
- Buyer-led visibility: strong search presence for private house sale terms, bringing targeted demand. :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}
- Multi-channel promotion: listings promoted across multiple property websites and social distribution. :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}
- “Sell like an agent” support: optional add-ons such as boards, photography, floorplans, EPCs, and Google campaigns. :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}
- Flexible packages: homeowners could build their own bundle based on how much help they needed. :contentReference[oaicite:4]{index=4}
Credibility & Recognition
The platform developed an excellent reputation with coverage across TV, radio and newspapers, and was recommended by consumer magazines and money-saving websites. It was also voted by The Guardian as one of the UK’s top ten money-saving websites. :contentReference[oaicite:5]{index=5}
Accessible Homes Work
Alongside private sale marketing, we supported initiatives to improve visibility for accessible homes, working with housing organisations and partners to help disabled buyers and tenants find properties that were adapted or suitable for wheelchair users.
My Role (Senior Partner)
- Created and implemented the digital media strategy
- Recruitment, training and development of key individuals
- Partnerships and negotiations
- New business development
- Product and service development and implementation
How it Shaped My Later Platforms
The Little House Company validated the power of trusted online marketplaces, search-led buyer demand, and scalable property marketing services. Those lessons directly informed the international marketplace and buyer acquisition strategies I later applied across HomesGoFast and EuropeanProperty.
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BBC Breakfast Interview — A Turning Point
As The Little House Company began gaining traction, the idea of homeowners selling property online without paying traditional estate agency commissions was still considered radical. Having already helped friends successfully sell properties online — saving thousands of pounds in fees — I was invited to appear on BBC Breakfast to discuss the emerging model.
The interview became a live industry debate, where I was positioned opposite representatives from the National Association of Estate Agents. The discussion focused on how new internet technology was changing consumer expectations and whether homeowners should have greater choice in how they marketed and sold their properties.
My position was never anti–estate agent. Instead, I argued for consumer choice — that technology was enabling alternative models to exist alongside traditional services. The rise of the internet allowed homeowners to access buyers directly while choosing the level of professional support they required.
The BBC appearance proved to be a pivotal moment, accelerating national awareness of online property marketing and helping establish The Little House Company as part of a wider shift toward digital property marketplaces in the UK.
The goal was not to disrupt for disruption’s sake, but to use emerging technology to give consumers more control, transparency, and choice in how they bought and sold property.
Why This Mattered
At the time, the idea that homeowners could successfully market and sell property online without relying entirely on traditional estate agency models was widely viewed as disruptive. The Little House Company emerged during a period when the internet was beginning to reshape industries, yet property remained largely dependent on offline processes and percentage-based commissions.
By introducing an online marketplace focused on private house sales, I was helping demonstrate that technology could expand consumer choice rather than replace existing professionals. Sellers could decide how much support they required, while buyers gained access to properties that were often unavailable through conventional portals.
This approach challenged long-standing assumptions about how property should be marketed and priced. It showed that digital platforms could reduce barriers to entry, lower costs for consumers, and create new models operating alongside traditional estate agency services.
The lessons learned through this early innovation directly influenced later platforms including EuropeanProperty.com, HomesGoFast.com, and TheHouseShop.com, each building on the same principle: that digital marketplaces could connect buyers and sellers more efficiently on a global scale.