10 Top Property Websites
The internet has revolutionised the area of property as much as any other in the last 10 years; sites have cropped up ranging from huge portals advertising property to interior design tips sites. Below is a selection of the most popular property sites on the web:1. Rightmove - http://www.rightmove.co.uk
The granddaddy of all property sites, Rightmove is the largest property website in the UK, with most new properties going on sale in the UK being listed on the site. Rightmove has over 20,000 estate agents properties on the site. The site makes its money by charging estate agents for putting their properties for sale on the site. By doing this Rightmove have preserved a key element of many successful sites on the web - the element of making the site free for the user. This drive toward free has been a key part of the new internet economy; businesses that would have traditionally charged a fee for their services are now having to find their income from another source. Rightmove have done this well, and have been successful as a result.
2. Prime Location - http://www.primelocation.com
One of the second tier property sites in the UK, Prime Location serves a wide range of property interested clientele in the UK. Its services are more wide ranging than Rightmove; Prime Location offer services for people such as: people looking to rent; people looking to buy land; people looking for the best deal on their mortgage; people looking to find house price trend data; people looking for property market news; and people looking for new build homes to buy. These resources mean the site is more of a property "hub" than Rightmove, and may mean it is potentially well placed to overtake Rightmove as the UK's number one property site in the future.
3. Period Property - http://www.periodproperty.co.uk
As the name suggests, this is the premier site in the UK for period property. Again, it is more of a "hub" than Rightmove, offering forums, a Q & A section with a professional, book recommendations, articles as well as an area to buy and sell period properties. Periodproperty.co.uk has some really good content, including a directory for services related to period properties, but will only ever serve a niche, which is people who own or interested in older buildings. This is not necessarily a bad thing - serving a targeted niche effectively can be very helpful for its users, as well as potentially being very profitable. The only downside I would give to the site is its design; it's a little bland.
4. Shared Spaces - http://www.sharedspaces.co.uk
This interesting site gives people who would not usually have the opportunity to buy a property the chance to get on the ladder. Shared Spaces touts itself as the original UK "co-buyer network". They have been running since 2005, they offer the chance to sign up and meet one of the thousands of people on their books in order to buy a house with them. What seems like quite a strange option at first actually makes sense for thousands of people unable to keep up with the rocketing property prices of the past few years. The site has a nice, fresh design and much of the on site copy is well written. I suspect sites like this will do well if house price increases continue to outstrip salary levels.
5. Energy Saving Trust - http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk
This site is a government sponsored site that provides information to the public and businesses about ways to save energy and reduce CO2 emissions. The site's central premise is that global warming is a potentially disastrous issue and one that needs to be addressed by everyone, now. Highlights of the site include: a personalised carbon footprint calculator; a section on generating your own energy and a section on driving tips to reduce CO2 emissions. Being a government sponsored project, the site is of top quality, both in terms of content, design and usability. One to bookmark and come back to.
6. Lawrence Llewelyn Bowen - http://www.llb.co.uk
The OTT interior designer here promotes his own interior design company and other projects. The design is quite distinct; it is the most stylish design I have profiled in this blog post. The site gives some good design tips from the man himself, based around some of his favourite lighting, kitchens and bathrooms. Perhaps what is missing from this site is some sort of interactive element, which would take it to the next level. Still, a good effort, worth visiting if you are thinking of changing your home around.
7. Land registry - http://www.landregistry.gov.uk/
The main appeal of the Land Registry is its house price index, which, it claims, is the most accurate house price index available. The site offers the unique ability to generate lists of average house prices in any area of England and Wales for any range of months since January 1995. The Land Registry house price index traditionally has strengths and weaknesses; its strength is that it is official government data, so it has gravitas. Its weakness is that because the index is of completed sales, the data may be a few months behind the real figures, perhaps reflected in the indices of companies such as Nationwide and Halifax.
8. Property Snake - http://www.propertysnake.co.uk/
Property Snake is a site that has really come into its own during the recession - it basically shows the properties for sale in the UK that have dropped in price, ready for sale. The highest price reduction shown on the site currently is 54%. The site give users the option of searching for properties by price or location. Since the economy and housing market has picked up, the site has declined in importance slightly, but still is the place to visit if you're looking for property bargains.
9. Star Driveways - http://www.stardriveways.com/
Bit of fun this one - an amateur site that shows pictures of stars' driveways, most of them in Hollywood. You can get a glimpse of some of the houses in some of the pics, which look very luxurious. So log on and catch a glimpse of Ozzy Osbourne or Tom Jones' house front. Brings out the nosey-parker in all of us!
10. Quick Move Now - http://www.quickmovenow.com
Couldn't leave this one out! Quick Move Now are one of the leading house buying companies in the UK; they help out hundreds of people every year who need a quick sale. They will pay up to 85% of the property's value, and can turn around in as little as 7 days. Because Quick Move Now have access to a large reserve of our own cash to buy houses, they can move a lot quicker than other house buyers, who have to borrow money to buy homes. If you are thinking, "I really need someone to buy my house quickly," or "I need someone to sell my house to," then look around our site and see what we can do for you.
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