Matthew Cumber is managing director of Countrywide Surveying Services
The world continues to change at pace around us. Imagine travelling back to this date in 2020 and having the timeline for the next 12 months laid out in front of you.
It would be a terrifying prospect and you could be forgiven for thinking that it had been lifted from a Hollywood disaster movie – I’m looking at you Contagion.
The property and mortgage markets have always proved to be fast paced, but recent times have been akin to a whirlwind.
Thankfully, this is slowing somewhat, allowing the government to assess and act on two major issues which have impacted housing, valuations and surveying in recent times.
Countrywide reappointed as lead surveyor to Santander in five-year deal
By Roger Baird 14
th January 2021 3:34 pm
Countrywide has signed a five-year deal as the lead firm to provide property valuations to Santander.
The agreement builds on a venture in August 2019, which saw Santander partnered with Countrywide Surveying Services to become the first lender to offer a mortgage product for first-time buyers that included a free condition report, called HomeFact.
This digital interactive report gave customers expert advice on the condition of properties they are in the market for. The report also links through to the HomeFact portal for further information about the home’s location, listing such amenities as schools, crime rates, transport and broadband availability.
This renewal will come as a five-year agreement.
In August 2019, Santander partnered with Countrywide Surveying Services to become the first lender to offer a mortgage product for first-time buyers that included a free condition report, HomeFact.
HomeFact is a bespoke, digitally interactive report, which provides advice on the condition of a property enriched with property specific data insights.
In addition, it also links through to the HomeFact portal for further information about the location, including amenities, schools, crime rates, transport and broadband availability.
Paul Wareham, managing director of business-to-business at Countrywide, said: “This renewal represents faith in our proposition and we will continue working innovatively with Santander to deliver a consistently great service for the bank and its customers.”
In my previous article just before Christmas, I lauded the recent
Mortgage Introducer awards as being one of the most memorable events I’d virtually attended and this wasn’t just because I hadn’t touched a drop of alcohol throughout the award ceremony itself.
The continuation of such events in a variety of formats over the course of 2020 have certainly helped inspire us, as a business, to find new ways to interact and engage with our people, our clients and our lending partners during such a fragmented time.
Focusing on our recent annual conference – which was held virtually for the first time – this was a great platform to engage with all team members on a number of levels.
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