What is #PropTech and how does it work?

What is Proptech 2021

It is not some geeky language that is shared by school leavers sat up in their bedrooms sharing special digits and codes and neither is it some high tech marketing skill that goes way above your head when presented to you (well the build of it may be complicated, but how it is presented certainly isn’t).

Proptech is the change we are seeing within our industry that are making our lives easier and much more rewarding when it comes to finding new valuations and selling / renting property in the UK. There is no challenge for Estate Agents to embrace Proptech and it is in fact more a challenge for the guys behind the Proptech brands to get in front of agencies to showcase what their products and services can do.

Proptech: Breaking the industry into smaller sectors and having the ability to drive more and more of a target audience to each of them meaning that results are better, so there is a very big tick in the ROI box.” Christopher Walkey.

The internet will never catch on was once a famous saying and since that time we have adopted it to such an extent that it is more important to some than communication channels such as radio, telephone and television. In recent years we have had the explosion of social media and being one of the first within our industry to embrace it, I know that it was never really seen as a potential marketing channel in the early days for the property industry… I believe that it is no where near where it can be just yet, so much more to come and nowadays many estate agencies spend a lot of time and their budgets on the likes of Twitter and Facebook etc.

Savills and Proptech Cities? http://www.savills.co.uk/tech-cities/index.html#intro

Innovation (Proptech) we have recently seen enter our industry now automates nearly every step of the UK property buying and selling process eliminating time wasting elements and delivering more precise results by being able to understand each and every client’s needs. How consumers are interacted with such as when, on which device and in which tone, in how much detail and what language can all be defined with advancements in PropTech. We can not (yet) eliminate the need for human driven actions within the industry, but PropTech is learning very quickly how it can deliver results in helping to work alongside people (both industry and consumer) to save valuable time, efforts and money.

You just want to acquire new valuations for your portfolio and sell / rent them out as quickly a possible right? This part of Estate Agency will never change, but Proptech is now filtering into the industry and breaking it all down into parts allowing estate agents to pick and chose the best ‘components’ to help them to drive better results and market share locally.

You may not think that Proptech is actually anything to take note of yet, but London is now seen as one of the central hubs for this new section of the industry and just like those who didn’t take note of the internet or social media, it will creep up behind you and your business will embrace it at some point so just like anything in business, as per the early bird with the worm, being first at something can prove the difference to success and failure or achieving market dominance.

Christopher Walkey

Founder of Estate Agent Networking. Internationally invited speaker on how to build online target audiences using Social Media. Writes about UK property prices, housing, politics and affordable homes.

You May Also Enjoy

Breaking News

As RRA Changes Loom, Thoughts from the Industry

Overview of changes due via RRA as of Friday 1st May Abolish section 21 evictions and move to a simpler tenancy structure where all assured tenancies are periodic – providing more security for tenants. Ensure possession grounds are fair to both tenants and landlords – giving tenants more security, while ensuring landlords can reasonably recover…
Read More
Letting Agent Talk

Three steps landlords should take to pet-proof properties under new laws

With new pet rental rules set to come into force on the 1st of May, landlords are being urged to act quickly to prepare their properties and policies. The changes come at a time when demand for pet-friendly homes is far outpacing supply, with up to 13 million dogs across the UK but fewer than…
Read More
Breaking News

Market continues to build momentum

Foxtons Lettings Market Index – March 2026 Market continues to build momentum, recovering from winter slowdown as supply strengthens   Lettings market continues to build momentum as we move further into the spring period. While renter demand remains below last year’s levels, March performance shows continued recovery from the winter slowdown. Market entering critical period…
Read More
to let sign 2025
Letting Agent Talk

41% of letting agents unaware of rent rule changes

The latest research by The Letting Partnership has found that a significant proportion of letting agents remain unaware of key changes to rent in advance rules under the Renters’ Rights Act, despite the reforms coming into force from 1st of May 2026 and almost 40% of agents still taking more than one month’s rent up front.…
Read More
Home and Living

How homeowners can fight back against rising energy bills

New research from Yopa warns that millions of homeowners are set to be hit with a 14% jump in energy bills this summer, wiping out recent savings and piling fresh pressure on household finances. In response, Yopa has analysed which home improvements are most effective at reducing energy use, looking at both the typical savings delivered…
Read More
Breaking News

Homes selling as fast as last year

First time buyers in outer London hit hardest as higher borrowing costs and  high stamp duty costs weigh on sales times   The average time to sell a home is just 1 day longer than last year at 33 days, despite higher mortgage rates and 2 months of conflict in the Middle East However, areas…
Read More