A digital makeover has boosted business at Countrywide this year as the broker signed new partnerships with lenders.
The estate agent and mortgage broker has introduced digital methods of conducting on-site surveys and valuations, and introduced a new way to create off-site valuations online.
Paul Wareham, managing director of Countrywide Surveying and Conveyancing Services, said these moves had helped his firm to sign contracts to provide valuation services for Virgin Money and Leeds Building Society.
He added Countrywide is on track to complete more than 350,000 valuations this year.
"Countrywide has this year not only proved that we are an innovative and imaginative organisation, but also that our peers judge us to be at the top of our game," Mr Wareham said.
He said 2017 would be remembered as the year when technology really took off in the home moving sector.
"Digital tech has been sweeping through our business world fast, including the rise of online estate agents, the digitalisation of the Land Registry, block chain going mainstream, more sophisticated automated valuation models and new mortgage lending platforms, to name a few.”
Mr Wareham predicted 2018 would be a busy year for Countrywide as it looks to attract more people onto its Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) graduate programme.
The scheme offers those fresh out of college a Rics surveying-related degree of 2:1 or above a salary of £27,000, a company car, surveying technology and two years of structured learning through Countrywide’s in-house Survey Academy.
simon.allin@ft.com
