Internet update

Citation

Nigel Almond, D. (2000), "Internet update", Property Management, Vol. 18 No. 5. https://doi.org/10.1108/pm.2000.11318eag.001

Internet update

The views expressed are the author's and not those of WG&S.

Anyone who has moved home at any stage of their life will no doubt recall how stressful the process was. Some of the challenges to improve the process are currently being considered in the Government's Housing Green Paper (April, 2000) Quality and Choice: A Decent Home for All. Of course such measures are not instantaneous, providing little comfort for those currently seeking to move. But how can the World Wide Web (WWW) be of benefit?

With an estimated one-quarter of households now having access to the Internet, businesses are increasingly re-branding and marketing their products through the WWW, including estate agents. Currently the number of properties available on the Web is limited unless you are after an expensive pad in London, therefore do not expect to find many "two up – two downs" in Dunroamin. The services offered by agents is improving, and include lists sent via e-mail and details of property on-line, though for the purposes of this editorial I do not propose to list or discuss these sites.

Finding a property is just one part of the process. Identifying areas and knowing the best parts to live in is high on everyone's agenda. Having that all-important local knowledge is vital. A dream house could turn out to be a nightmare. But help is at hand from a number of sites – although some caution is required.

Upmystreet (www.upmystreet.co.uk) has been going for a couple of years now and provides some useful information – particularly in the initial stages of searching – on individual locations through typing in a place name or postcode. It is better to use a postcode where possible to gain more detailed information. The site has improved since it was first launched to include a postcode profile on the basis of the Acorn classification (a classification of residential neighbourhoods) from the marketing services company CACI. This provides a broad overview of the area in terms of the resident population, drawing on census data, demographics and socio-economic profiles. The profiles talk of the housing type as well as residents, including the types of paper likely to be read and preferred activities. It is a useful addition to the site particularly in the initial search stage when considering between locations.

Property prices are also provided on the site with the ability to compare with other locations or the national average. Taking the "about the data" link on house prices provides a timely warning to "treat the property prices cautiously." House price indices provide a good general indication of movements but no more.

Other information includes details on the top school and a list of schools within the particular area. Local authority data include details on the local council tax, the time to determine planning applications – even the number of missed waste collections (where available) should you require this! Of greater importance are the crime levels, including violent crimes and burglaries. While useful, the information is only available at county level, so don't expect to be able to find the local crime spots you want to avoid.

A more recent site to be launched is homecheck (www.homecheck.co.uk). A colleague mentioned this site to me after they had been sent a can of worms in the post – not a full one I hasten to add! It seems venturing onto this site may well open a can of worms. Again through typing in a postcode, the site provides information on various risks to property in the area, covering the risk of flooding, subsidence, radon, landslip, the proximity of landfill, waste and contaminated sites, together with air quality and pollution risk. Very useful information indeed, but care is required, as there is the potential to mislead.

The information is supplied on a risk scale from low to high, with five points in between. To check the service I entered in a number of postcodes, and found a number of inaccuracies. The first was the map supplied outlining the area for one postcode, in which the location of the property was actually some 0.5 km outside the boundary. On the basis that data relating to hazards is on the basis of being within 0.5 km I hope it is just the map that is inaccurate! For another postcode I was provided with a "low" reading for subsidence, yet the property is located in an area of shrinkable clay, where solid floors have had to be replaced due to subsidence. The term caveat emptor still stands!

Don't let this distract you from the site, rather take this as a warning. The overall aim of the site is good and raises awareness of issues that many would not consider in their purchase. The results of the search should be noted and acted on, either through making follow-up queries as the reports suggest, or more importantly through passing details on to the necessary professionals involved in the transaction.

For greater peace of mind you may consider homesight (www. homesight.co.uk). This site appears to offer a similar service to homecheck, although unlike homecheck the aim is to provide a number of different reports for a fee. Essentially, three reports are available, those for radon, clay subsidence and land use costing £24, £26 and £36 respectively. With the reports you will also receive information on local amenities and schools. The cost it seems provides peace of mind; for example, the clay subsidence report will pay your buildings insurance excess (typically they say £1,000-£2,000) should you subsequently have to make a claim. Without seeing the reports I cannot comment on how useful the service is. From my own personal viewpoint I am not sure why there is a need for such a service in that this should be included in the service you should get from a surveyor anyway!

As with homecheck this site also offers information such as council tax bands. I was also impressed with the searchable database of Yell (the electronic yellow pages) of companies offering services to homemovers. Select the services you require from the scroll down menu, such as surveyors, estate agents or removals, and all you need to add is the location. None of this searching for the type of company is required.

Other sites you may wish to consider are those for the relevant local authority. A list of these is available on the main UK government Web site (www.open.gov.uk) through taking the "organisational index" link. Not every local authority has a Web site and the information on those that do varies – some have just basic information on the area, while others have details of current and historic planning applications. A recent article I saw in a paper mentioned that a local flight route map was available on the National Air Traffic Services Web site (www.ais.org.uk). Searching through the site I could not find anything to resemble flight routes of use to homebuyers, though it will only be a matter of time before we can type in a postcode and a whole host of nuisances will be available, along with other essential information.

And finally, do not forget all the latest local news may be available on the Web. In the past year there has been an explosion in the number of local papers on-line; many include searchable databases enabling users to find relevant articles on areas in the recent past. Perhaps the most well known are those in the "fish 4" group. A list is available at www.fish4.co.uk where you can search using a geographic map for the paper closest to the area you are searching. Be aware that not all the country is covered. Nonetheless, this is a useful site – you may even find a home here too! Alternatively you may wish to try the paperboy (www.thepaperboy.com) and search the list of national and local UK newspapers available on-line.

If the sites don't make the homebuying process any easier, they will at least make you more knowledgeable allowing a more informed decision to be made.

Dr Nigel AlmondMarket Analyst, Weatherall Green & Smith, London, E-mail: nia@weatheralls.co.uk