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UKPA launch will support PropTech businesses

The Negotiator

The UK PropTech Association (UKPA) will support businesses and individuals working within the PropTech industry.

It aims to promote engagement between technology businesses and the property industry, whilst representing the interests of both parties at home and abroad.

Eddie Holmes, PropTech, image

Eddie Holmes

Eddie Holmes, Chairman, said, “Today’s climate of increasing investment in PropTech businesses is mirrored by a boom in the adoption of new technology by property professionals and consumers.

“It’s more important than ever to make sure that the companies and people driving innovation in PropTech have a body which can help them succeed.

“It’s one of the key goals of the UKPA to bring technology and property businesses closer. For too long each group has viewed each other with some trepidation. We will work to build bridges between, and create opportunities for both industries.”

The UKPA steering committee comprises: Dan Hughes – RICS; Edwin Bartlett – kykloud; Juliette Morgan, Cushman & Wakefield and James Dearsley – The Digital Marketing Bureau, who said, “I’ve seen how important it is to help the property industry work with technology companies during my time working in both sectors.

“I hope to bring this insight to the UKPA steering committee and help PropTech to flourish in the UK.” www.ukproptech.com

Houseviz presents affordable Virtual Reality

Houseviz Virtual Reality imageHouseviz is helping estate agents to take advantage of Virtual Reality (VR) technology, with a pricing model which, they say, pays for itself.

3D virtual walkthroughs deliver an experience very much like the virtual tours on Google Street View. Creating extraordinary experiences, 360 VR property tours add a new dimension to estate agency marketing. More immersive than standard video, with VR, estate agents can offer prospective buyers the chance to explore properties online in great detail; Saving valuable time, agents can reduce the time they spend on casual property viewings while pricing is accessible to all agents.

Houseviz Director, Amanda Lindsay said, “We’ve been leading the way when it comes to bringing VR and AR to the UK property market. VR is now science fact and it won’t be long before vendors expect this service as standard. But it’s not enough to just offer the industry something new; we have to make it affordable.”

Houseviz offers DIY immersive VR walkthrough for £10 per property and camera equipment for £199. The PropTech can also provide agents with custom branded Google VR glasses and training where required.

http://houseviz.com

Studenttenant.com aims to disrupt

Studenttenant.com imageStudentTenant.com raised £310k in its first funding round and aims to rival high-street letting agents. This is a free to use service for landlords to advertise their student property on StudentTenant.com and other portals. They have ‘created robust property management packages for landlords at a fraction of the cost of high street letting agents; disrupting a market.’

With 2,000 properties, StudentTenant.com claims to be the largest student-only property letting agency in the UK and it has forged strong relationships with Emoov, Uber and Norwegian Air to offer customers promotions.

Danielle Cullen, Managing Director said, “Our goal is to use technology to make the rental process easier, more accessible, more transparent for all parties. The new funds allow us to advertise and grow our database of landlords, expanding our brand awareness.

Having recently taken on board Shelly Suter-Hadad (COO of a global online entertainment company) as a non-executive director, I’m extremely confident in our future. With her experience in digital marketing and business development, as well as running an international online company, this will drive us even further forward.” www.studenttenant.com

Nested set to build brand

Nested, a chain-breaking PropTech company has appointed Instinctif Partners as PR adviser to raise its profile.

Matt Robinson, Nested, image

Matt Robinson

The start-up was founded by established entrepreneur, Matt Robinson, who previously co-founded the successful payment transfer firm, GoCardless.

Nested guarantees vendors a sale of their property within 90 days, through a process which provides an instant online valuation for a property, based on a combination of publicly available data, information entered by the homeowner and an internal algorithm.

Nested then guarantees the vendor 95-98 per cent of this valuation (dependent on area and property type) and puts the property on the market, with all the ‘traditional’ estate agency services and with further services available, such as investigative digital sales tracking.

Nested guarantees to sell for 95-98 per cent of market value within 90 days – or they will give the homeowner the money themselves.

Any profit above the guaranteed price is split 70/30 in favour of the vendor with a 2.5 per cent sales fee.

Matt Robinson, CEO, Nested, says, “The process of selling a property in 2017 is little changed from 30 years ago and it remains far too hard to sell.

“This is particularly painful for people caught in chains who frequently miss out on the property of their dreams.

“Our proposition is truly groundbreaking, within four months we have already helped many people take control of their sale, allowing them to escape their chain and move on their timeline and we look forward to helping many more.”

www.nested.com

April 18, 2017

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