Advertising on Homes24.co.uk is free to estate agents, who only pay when viewings are arranged through the site. Access is free to consumers and the site features location maps powered by Google.
Archant was the last of the major regional publishers without a property classifieds site. Homes24 will now compete for business with Propertyfinder, part-owned by News International and the largest in the UK with 2.3 million registered users, Associated Newspapers' Homesandproperty, and Fish4Homes, joint-owned by Trinity Mirror, Newsquest, Johnston Press and Guardian Media Group.
Starting in Norfolk, the website will be rolled out within weeks across Archant's areas of operation in East Anglia, the Home Counties, London and many English counties, linking up with the publisher's 80-plus regional newspapers and 40-plus county magazine titles.
Regional development director Stephan Phillips said: "Our unique charging system, which only kicks in when viewings are arranged through the site, sets us apart from all our competitors. On average, it takes just 11 viewings to sell a property and we are taking all the risk from the estate agents."
An Archant spokesman said: "The move is part of a broader digital development strategy at Archant that will mean new websites and business models introduced in the coming months in the other two big classified advertising areas: automotive and jobs."
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