This homebuying app is packed with property tips, and financial and legal information but the price may slow its progress
App: Kirstie and Phil’s House Hunter
By: Jointly developed and produced by BBC Worldwide and Raise The Roof Productions
Price: £3.49
Available on: iPhone
What is it?
A homebuying guide from the presenters of Location, Location, Location that seeks to educate buyers about the financial and legal side of buying a home – as well as tips on how to find your dream property, an integrated property search function powered by Zoopla and help with negotiation.
Who is it by?
Kirstie Allsopp and Phil Spencer are best known for their property programmes Location, Location, Location and Relocation, Relocation. Allsopp had previously worked in magazines and interior design before launching a home search company in 1996, while Spencer founded a property search company in 1996, though it was subsequently hit by the downturn in the property market.
What does it promise?
“House Hunter is the ultimate guide to buying a home from Kirstie Allsopp and Phil Spencer. This app is packed with videos guides and audio tips from the king and queen of property and provides a comprehensive handbook taking you through each and every stage of the house buying process.”
How does it work?
There are four sections to the app: guide, properties, tools and search. The guide has videos, text and tips on finances, the legal side of buying, estate agents, dream properties, viewings, making an offer and more; while the properties section allows users to input the details of their dream property and add dream properties to an integrated Google map. Tools include a budget calculator and a torch (useful for looking at insulation in gloomy attics and damp in basements, according to Kirstie) and the search function is powered by Zoopla.
Is it easy to use?
The many video additions, while welcome and fun, can slow down the initial experience as you feel compelled to watch them all rather than plough on with researching and/or buying a home. But the videos actually contain many of the useful tips and once you’ve watched them the rest is reasonably straightforward to use and navigate around.
Is it fun?
It is surprisingly amusing, with much of the personality of the duo’s TV shows filtered into the app. For example, once you have inputted what your budget is, if you start looking at houses that are too expensive you’ll get an audible ticking off from the team. You can also shake the app for random tips.
Is it pretty?
It’s got a Lawrence Llewellyn-Bowen, designer feel to it, which achieves a classy, polished look. Fans of either Kirstie or Phil get their fair share of the presenters looking pretty in the videos too.
Should you download it?
For me, its main selling point is that it puts a lot of individual features you can find elsewhere in one place. This is great for those who require a one-stop shop for advice, hints and tips; but more discerning customers might, for example, prefer to use Rightmove or Find A Property for their property searches rather than Zoopla. Or they might prefer the calculators on offer from London & Country’s Mortgage Assistant app or wish to use Tepilo to find a property for sale outside of the usual estate agent network.
However, the app should be commended for including the many differences between the property markets in England and Wales and those in Scotland, and offers sound advice on negotiating and making offers as well as how to keep your solicitor on their toes to ensure a smooth transaction.
I met Kirstie & Phil ahead of the app launching – under no obligation to write about it – and Kirstie told me: “It is a pricey app but my feeling is that, well, the contents of most women’s handbags are already at breaking point, so when you’re house hunting you don’t want a whole lot more shite in your bag. You don’t want books, notebooks, the tape measure, the torch.
“We know it’s not revolutionary in any way. But with everyone working so much harder than they used to, you need the speed, the info to be there. You can be in the queue in Pret A Manger and all the information you need is there. If you suddenly see a house you like and you think ‘what do I do next?’, you want that information there and then – and it’s all on the app.”
There is plenty to like here, and fans of the Kirstie and Phil brand will be more than satisfied. But it all comes down to price and at £3.49 this could be a deal-breaker for many potential purchasers. It may only be the price of a pint, but in the world of apps that is a lot of money and Kirstie and Phil may find it hard to convince punters it’s worth it.
Android and BlackBerry users can only expect the app to be rolled out to them, “if it makes enough money”.
