The property market in England & Wales is broken. 1 in 3 home purchases fall through, leading to wasted fees for buyers and loss in commission for mortgage brokers. One of the key causes is material information being surfaced too late in the process that can cause difficulties with mortgages or buyers to pull out.
Data suggests 35% of failed transactions collapse due to difficulty securing a mortgage and another 26% due to buyers changing their mind due to the amount of work flagged by a survey report.
The acceptance of an offer triggers the start of a transaction, but usually the data and information flows after this point. HomeScoper was built to help reduce the market wide problem by empowering prospective buyers to make more informed offers that have less chance of falling through.
Although it is built with regular homebuyers in mind, it can be a useful tool for independent property investors and mortgage brokers to sanity check offers and potential risks associated with a property.
How HomeScoper Addresses these key pain points
Pain point 1 – Manual Sold Price Research
Most individuals don’t have access to simple tools that compare sold prices for similar properties. The raw data exists in websites like property portals, but you have to manually filter out properties that are fundamentally different. For example a modern-build flat may not have the same value as a Victorian converted flat. Having a good set of comparables can help back up a sensible offer and assess down valuation risk.
Core feature 1 – Optimised Comparable Sales
Automatically matches a property to other sold properties that have similar characteristics (same build era, similar floor size, same property type). Users can get up to 20 sold price comparables for free and market trends for their exact property type. No more manually doing this exercise or using services behind a paywall.
Benefit – Quickly understand market value, back up for offer, and reduce chances of a down valuation.
Pain point 2 – Lack of Property Level Context Before Offer Stage
Every house is different, with many posing quirks unknown to inexperienced homebuyers. For example non standard construction that may cause mortgage issues. Most homebuyers generally don’t know what to look for, or what questions to clarify with the estate agent before offering.
This results in material issues being highlighted too late in the process, unexpected costs, or the buyers simply regretting their purchase later (37% of homebuyers have regrets).
Core Feature 2 – Customised Viewing Checklist – Free
Convert publicly available EPC data into a highly specific viewing checklist. Gives the buyer detailed context on the property, what to look for in viewings and how. Raises potential red flags the buyer should be aware of, including things that might impact mortgageability and insurance.
Benefit – Know what to look for in viewings and what questions to ask the estate agent. Flag those key risks early so they can be dug into before the offer stage.
Feedback from early users
“I absolutely loved the website, we always try and do research before we go look but it takes so much time. The website is awesome because it tells you everything you need to know without spending time on it – I particularly like the price per square feet.”
“Website is unreal. Really like the £ per square foot. Market trend is nifty. The viewing guide is insanely useful. Genuinely 10/10. At the risk of gatekeeping this, I would probably have that as a premium feature.”
“Homescoper has helped me navigate comparable properties in the areas I am looking to buy and has given me a realistic view of the price range a home should fall within. The property-specific checklist has highlighted key aspects to research and consider, helping me feel more prepared when viewing homes. It has provided valuable insights, helped me build a clear strategy, and given me practical actions to take when viewing properties and making an offer.”
“Honestly if I’d had this before I’d put an offer in then I wouldn’t have done it. It has all the things I never know to look for in the structure and layout and and it’s been so hard to know until it’s too late. The viewing guide bit is amazing.”
Beta launch available for people to test for free
HomeScoper is live and available for anyone to try out. Simply enter the postcode, select your property and a free report will be generated if there is an EPC record available for the property. The core features are all free for the time being with an optional upgrade to see further data such as planning permissions and title details.
The website is continually evolving and any feedback is much appreciated. Feel free to reach out at hello@homescoper.co.uk.
