Energy costs are becoming a more prominent property-finance consideration. Rightmove research found that 63% of movers would ideally like a home capable of generating most or all of its own energy, although energy-efficient features remain concentrated in more expensive homes. Advisers may increasingly need to discuss the interaction between purchase price, projected running costs, retrofit plans and available green mortgage propositions.
Meanwhile, the Open Property Data Association has urged firms to prepare for digital home buying, including smart data, trust frameworks and accreditation. Research also suggests that 73% of recent movers felt they lacked important information before making or accepting an offer, showing the scale of the transaction-data gap.
For advisory firms, this creates a case for better-connected journeys: structured collection of property data, transparent assumptions about energy costs and clear client updates throughout the transaction. AI can summarise documents and surface missing information, but clients and advisers must be able to verify the underlying data before relying on it in a borrowing decision.