With UK house prices continuing to surge, Halifax and Royal Bank of Scotland have each added to their portfolio of online services for home buyers.
Halifax Estate Agents has launched a new online tool to enable customers to quickly search through all of the properties listed with the company across their over 370 offices in the UK.
Customers can use HomeFinder to view properties online, print off sales brochures or request to have brochures posted to them. Potential buyers can also arrange to view a property via the Web site.
Other services offered on the Halifax Estate Agents Web site include advice on how to sell a property, mortgages and solicitors and conveyancers; information about local areas, in conjunction with Up My Street, such as details on schools, crime rates and counil tax; up-dates of new properties coming on to the market in specific areas; and a facility to request a free valuation of their property.
The site is linked to www.halifax.co.uk and Halifax Online to enable customers to use the Halifax mortgage calculator to work out likely repayments, apply for a mortgage promise online and track the progress of a Halifax mortgage application. Halifax says the additional investment in the site in no way threatens its involvement in rightmove, an online property search site launched in conjunction with three other estate agents.
Separately, The Royal Bank of Scotland has also revamped its Web site to include online tools and advice to home buyers.
Three new guides to home moving on the site feature Up My Street, The House Doctor, which is an online version of the popular TV series offering tips and advice on decorating ideas designed to add value to your home and achieve a quick sale, and The Which? Guide to Moving House, which gives potential buyers tips on the costs and expenses of moving, help in finding a home, information on mortgages, surveys and conveyancing.
Two mortgage calculators have also been added, allowing potential borrowers to check how much they can borrow based on salary and how much they will pay, per month, on a specific mortgage. A product finder enables users to select the type of mortgage which best suits their individual circumstances.
A new jargon-buster contains a simple glossary on more than 50 terms, such as annual percentage rate (APR), decreasing term assurance, equity, maximum advance premiums, and the standard variable mortgage rate (SVR).