Bank of England reduces interest rate to 4.25%

Gareth Samples, CEO of The Property Franchise Group, comments: “The latest Halifax data, indicating a welcome uptick in house price growth, suggests the market is not just recalibrating after a period of intense activity, but also building positive momentum. A combination of factors, such as easing mortgage rates, rising stock levels, and the cooling of post-deadline buyer urgency, are creating a more balanced and now slightly strengthening environment for both buyers and sellers.

“Encouragingly, we’re still seeing strong underlying resilience in the market. Sales volumes remain robust, with a snapshot of the post-stamp-duty market suggesting movers are carrying on and have adjusted to the tax rise. The level of agreed sales falling through remains steady, with most buyers who missed the deadline still proceeding.

“Crucially, there are more sales being agreed than a year ago, alongside an uptick in available homes, which is essential for long-term market health. This subtle strengthening in annual price growth a sign of the return to sustainable and confident market conditions.

(Pictured – Gareth Samples, CEO of The Property Franchise Group) “Looking ahead, we expect house pricing to stabilise, further supported by mortgage affordability gradually improving with falling rates and growing confidence around future base rate cuts. Time-to-sell metrics are also improving, with Rightmove data showing the average property took 64 days to sell in March, down significantly from January. With sales volumes on track for a potential 5% uplift in 2025, we remain optimistic about market performance through the summer and beyond.

Iain McKenzie, CEO of The Guild of Property Professionals, comments: “Excellent news from the Bank of England. This decision to cut the base rate is a welcome boost for homebuyers and the wider property market. We’ve already seen mortgage rates easing, with sub-4% deals re-emerging, and this will only fuel that positive momentum, making homeownership more attainable.

“Despite global uncertainties, mover activity remains resilient, and with strong housing supply and sales agreed up year-on-year, the market is adapting well. This rate cut will further underpin confidence, supporting the forecast of a 5% uplift in sales volumes this year, particularly as we see the time to sell quickening. It’s a clear green light for those considering a move.”

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Andrew Stanton CEO Proptech-PR

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HID launches Digital Security Integration with New Service Platform

HID, a trusted identity and access management solution announces the launch of HID Integration Service, a platform that integrates physical security, cybersecurity and digital identity management.

This integration platform-as-a-service (IPaaS) was designed to empower application developers, solution integrators and software vendors to seamlessly and rapidly integrate essential physical security solutions, streamlining processes and enhancing system interoperability.

By doing so, the platform aims to ease the burden of maintenance and upgrades associated with managing and implementing integrations between physical security and cybersecurity systems, thereby lowering costs, streamlining operations and significantly reducing implementation time.

“Organizations have long struggled with brittle, complex integrations and the costs to maintain them,” said Martin Ladstaetter, senior vice president and head of Identity and Access Management Solutions at HID.

“HID Integration Service eliminates these pain points by providing an integration platform that connects physical and digital security products, reducing time to market for development partners who are building the next generation of security solutions with greater speed, quality, resilience and value.”

The service directly addresses the top benefits security leaders seek from unified management solutions—improved efficiencies, simplified management and enhanced visibility—helping them:

Reduce operational complexities and maintenance costs. Deliver new security capabilities faster into tailored industry solutions. Simplify security touchpoints through streamlined user experiences.

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Andrew Stanton CEO Proptech-PR

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Starberry unleashes the power of Custom GPTs for estate agents

Starberry, a Nurtur Company, is setting a new benchmark for innovation in estate agency marketing  by introducing Custom GPTs – bespoke AI tools that enable agents to create powerful, on-brand content across their entire business, faster than ever before. From property listings and email campaigns to blog articles, social media, and even internal communications, estate agents can now generate content that reflects their unique tone of voice, brand values, and local expertise – instantly.

“This isn’t just about speeding up content creation,” says Ben Sellers, Co-Founder of Starberry. “It’s about helping agents speak with one, consistent voice, whether that’s on a listing, in a client follow-up email, or across a multichannel digital marketing campaign. Custom GPTs are empowering estate agents to take control of their marketing like never before.”

Trained on each agency’s existing marketing materials, from websites and brochures to tone-of-voice guides and past campaigns – Starberry’s Custom GPTs powered by Nurtur AI, are purpose-built to reflect how that brand communicates. This means the AI doesn’t just produce generic content, it creates content that feels authentically you.

Key benefits for estate agents include: Brand-perfect content, on demand – Every word sounds like you, no matter who’s writing it. Endless scalability – From hundreds of listings to weekly blogs, newsletters, and social posts. Enhanced SEO and Lead Generation – Hyper-localised, optimised content to boost visibility. Empowering in-house teams – Make every team member a content creator, regardless of writing ability. Full business integration – Use it across marketing, sales, operations, training and customer support.

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Andrew Stanton CEO Proptech-PR

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