Top 5 Stories of the Week

In case you missed them, here are the most interesting proptech and real estate news in partnership with Proptech-X from the week.

 

  1. Rightmove says it has the tools to speed up tenant referencing by 20%
  2. Zoopla: One in five homes increased in value by over £35,000 in last year
  3. HomeHere focuses on better lead generation for agents
  4. Aviva suggests widescale buyer’s remorse after moving in to dream homes
  5. Resolution Foundation says pandemic made the rich even richer

 

Rightmove says it has the tools to speed up tenant referencing by 20%

As the portals spin forward with lots of new proptech features Christian Balshen, head of lettings at Rightmove, announced that “letting agents are busier than ever, and so we’re investing in speeding up the process to help make a move-in as easy as possible.

“Our unique referencing platform already allows agents to start referencing through their CRM and our re-designed referencing platform aims to improve the process even further.”

Balshen is referring to the fact that Rightmove is now rolling out its “rent in five” strategy, building upon its Landlord & Tenant Service.

 

Zoopla: One in five homes increased in value by over £35,000 in last year

The latest figures from Zoopla, the UK’s second-largest property portal, show that 21% of properties have outstripped the average salary in the UK.

Andy Marshall, CCO at Zoopla, said: “There has been strong demand from home buyers since the market reopened after the first lockdown in May last year, compounded by the search for space and the stamp duty holiday.”

 

HomeHere focuses on better lead generation for agents

Proptech company HomeHere has developed a top-quality digital screening service for estate and letting agents, a type of digital applicant box that co-exists with agents CRMs, analysing applicants in a way that empowers agents and the end-user.

By automating processes normally conducted by the agent, viewers can be booked into the agent’s diary after being digitally verified, so a lot of the legwork is removed at a cracking pace.

Lou Quinn, the co-founder of HomeHere, says that serious buyers or renters will engage with a software response first before a human if they are motivated, also they can do this at any point 24/7.

Quinn said: “If you are giving the buyer or renter the opportunity to take the next step themselves, if they are not willing to do that, perhaps the question is how interested they really are in that property.”

HomeHere’s tech removes the stress from rammed email boxes. All agents have to do is log into a website and they’ll get a comprehensive view of everything that is going on.

 

Aviva suggests widescale buyer’s remorse after moving in to dream homes

In a study of 2,200 homebuyers carried out by Aviva, nearly 70% felt pressured to buy their property quickly. That figure rose to 94% for those who purchased during the pandemic.

Other key points found were that buyers typically took 46 minutes to view a property before pulling the trigger, and over 30% of buyers during the pandemic did so due to the SDLT holiday.

 

Resolution Foundation says pandemic made the rich even richer

The Resolution Foundation, an independent think-tank focused on improving living standards for those on low to middle incomes, has been doing some deep thinking about the pandemic and who it helped…and who got squeezed.

Its most recent analysis suggests that High Net Worth (HNW) individuals, especially those in the capital, enjoyed a rise in their standard of living. This could be, in part, due to their higher probability of being in bullish tech-adjacent industries, or because they owned property, which has risen by over 10% in the last year.

In contrast, the less well-off in society appear to be getting even less well-off in real terms. Of course, many work in industries like the entertainment sector, which have been severely impacted by the pandemic.

Andrew Stanton

CEO & Founder Proptech-PR. Proptech Real Estate Influencer, Executive Editor of Estate Agent Networking. Leading PR consultancy in Proptech & Real Estate.

You May Also Enjoy

Estate Agent Talk

Why September is the Most Expensive Month for Your Boiler

As households prepare to switch their boilers back on after summer, heating engineers are warning that September is often the most expensive month of the year for boiler breakdowns, repairs, and inefficiency. Rob Jones, heating engineer at UK Radiators, explains: “After months of being idle, boilers are suddenly put under pressure when temperatures drop in…
Read More
Estate Agent Talk

What AI Can and Can’t Fix in Block Management

By Robert Poole, Director – Block Management, Glide Property Management, part of LRG In an industry increasingly shaped by regulation, rising expectations and squeezed margins, the promise of AI and automation in block management is understandably appealing. The idea of freeing property managers from repetitive tasks, improving compliance, and streamlining communication offers significant operational value.…
Read More
Crowded beaches - Clacton-on-Sea in Essex
Overseas Property

The top holiday property hotspots for UK buyers

Greece’s property market sees highest level of property transactions since 2009 The latest analysis from international property consultancy, Astons, reveals that Greece’s property market is in the middle of an extraordinary growth period with the past decade seeing transaction numbers increase year after year, with 2025’s total sales set to hit the highest point since…
Read More
Estate Agent Talk

Regulation overload?

Reapit report shows concerns over Renters’ Rights Bill as government plans improvements to bailiffs and tribunals There is widespread concern across the property sector over incoming regulatory changes – including the Renters’ Rights Bill – according to research by leading PropTech provider, Reapit. Their Property Outlook Report 2025 reveals letting agents, landlords, and sales professionals…
Read More
Estate Agent Talk

Later life living – turning a corner for investors?

By Daniel Austin, CEO and co-founder at ASK Partners By 2072, almost 30% of Britons will be aged 65 or over. This stark demographic shift is already taking shape, with profound implications for the housing market. Despite an estimated shortfall of at least 4.3 million in the UK today, less than 1 million are specifically…
Read More
Breaking News

Bristol crowned best area for downsizers

The latest research from over-50s property specialists, Regency Living, has revealed where in England downsizers have the greatest choice of suitable homes to move to and where they face the toughest search based on the availability of suitable stock in the current market. Regency Living analysed current property market listings, looking at the proportion of…
Read More