Why I built FreeMarket

The origin of FreeMarket was not based in monetary incentive. In fact, it was the result of the passing of a family member.

In March 2026, I lost my dear Nan. She was a wonderful woman and one of the most subtly witty people I’ve ever met. In some ways, I built FreeMarket as a tribute to her. But alas, PatriciaMarket was not quite as catchy.

After the initial mourning period subsided, my family began the daunting task of dealing with her estate. Whilst most of the proceedings were reasonably simple, we encountered the gargantuan task of selling her house. Something that has unfortunately become a universal experience for British executors.

As we began this process and started looking for estate agents, I was shocked by the extortionate prices that estate agents charge. So much so, I made it my mission to research house selling as thoroughly as possible. All of this, only to find no discernible reason for the extreme cost. The more I researched, the more confident I became that using estate agents was an outdated and exorbitant method of house-selling. And beyond that, many estate agents were taking advantage of people at vulnerable times by abusing the ignorance surrounding property selling.

For years we have blindly accepted the necessity for estate agents as a societal norm that no-one really ever questions. But in reality, the only part of house selling that requires external input is the conveyancing. This is the legal transfer of property that is done by a solicitor. Every other aspect of selling your property – from taking photos to preparing relevant documentation – can be done by the seller. The only real space left behind by estate agents is a place to market your house. Since the major property portals don’t accept private listings, marketing was the only gap left.

From this came an epiphany. Why not make a marketplace where for minimal cost, people can privately list their own homes?

And thus began the creation of FreeMarket and my personal journey to make estate agents obsolete.