Data service to reduce free info for agents and intro...

A new service which launched in June and pledged to provide estate and letting agents with “game changing” access to property data and market intelligence is to scale back its free-to-use service and introduce a subscription ‘pro’ option from January.

Homesearch - now working with 4,000 agents - made it clear at launch that being completely free to use would last only until the end of 2019.

And it claims that the majority of agent users, who were questioned by the service, “want to pay” a fee of between £50 and £75 per month.

“We’ve listened and that’s where we’ve landed” says Homesearch’s Sam Hunter, announcing a monthly subscription of £55.

A free version will still be available but comes with “limited searches, limited reports and a reduced feature set” says the organisation.

Agents can purchases additional searches and reports for small fees after the completely-free-to-use period ends on December 31.

The service claims to offer the most comprehensive property data in the UK as well as demographic and market insight relevant to agents’ requirements. These include:

• detailed information at individual property level, complete with visual Land Registry boundaries, title numbers and comparable local properties;

• a database of planning applications and planning history attached to every related property;

• data-based valuation information;

• live analytics and demographic data available at: building, street, district, sector and full postcode level;

• filterable single map view to explore properties and land across the UK.

“The pricing gives us the best chance at building on the foundations created this year, while keeping Homesearch as affordable as possible for agents as well. Our mission in everything we do is to improve the property industry and we see information as the best way to do that in the fastest possible time” explains the service founder Giles Ellwood.