The UK home buying and selling market is on the cusp of a major shift. Over the past decade, digitalisation has take a hold – but it’s been largely vertical, with individual stakeholders—estate agents, brokers, lenders, and conveyancers—adopting digital tools to enhance their own processes. However, despite these improvements, inefficiencies persist because these systems don’t talk to each other.
Over the past decade, the UK property market has seen a significant increase in transaction times. In 2019, the average time from instruction to completion was had risen by 77% in just over 15 years. Back in the early 2000’s it was taking as little as 75 days, but now we are seeing transaction times climbing to 200 days. This prolonged timeline means that, despite individual stakeholders adopting digital tools, the end customer often experiences longer waits and increased frustration, with the anticipated benefits of digitalisation yet to be fully realised.
Now, the market is entering a new phase: Horizontal Digital Integration (HDI). This concept represents a move towards true interoperability, where systems across the property transaction process seamlessly connect, reducing duplication, improving speed, and enhancing the overall experience for clients and professionals alike. For estate agents and brokers, understanding and preparing for HDI is essential to staying competitive.
The Problem with Vertical Digitalisation
While estate agents and brokers have embraced digital tools—ranging from CRM systems to automated marketing and virtual viewings—these innovations often operate in silos. Similarly, lenders have streamlined mortgage applications, and conveyancers have digitised case management, yet the transaction journey remains fragmented.
This disjointed process leads to:
What HDI Means for Estate Agents and Brokers
HDI represents the next evolution, ensuring that digital systems used by estate agents, brokers, lenders, and conveyancers work together. Rather than each stakeholder operating in isolation, HDI enables seamless collaboration across platforms, creating a unified, real-time transaction journey.
For estate agents and brokers, HDI can bring tangible benefits:
Addressing the Risk of Transformation Fatigue
Despite its potential, many in the industry are understandably cautious. The property sector has seen waves of digital promises before, and transformation fatigue has set in. However, HDI is not another standalone tech trend—it’s the inevitable next step in the industry’s digital evolution.
Consumers now expect seamless, digital-first experiences across industries, and property transactions are no exception. The next 18 to 24 months will be crucial in determining which businesses embrace this shift and which risk being left behind.
Choosing the Right Digital Partners
To prepare for HDI, all industry players must align their technology choices towards collaboration and integration up and down the chain. When assessing digital solutions, consider:
The Future of the UK Property Market
The move towards HDI is not just about technology—it’s about transforming how the property market operates. Estate agents and brokers who embrace interoperability will improve efficiency, enhance client satisfaction, and ultimately future-proof their businesses.
The industry stands at a turning point. Those who act now to integrate horizontally will lead the way in creating a faster, more predictable, and client-friendly home buying and selling process.
The future is connected—are you ready?
Pete Gatenby is a partner at Novus Strategy – a digital advisory and delivery partner specialising in UK home buying and mortgages.
Read the orginal article: https://propertyindustryeye.com/opinion-estate-agents-need-to-pay-attention-to-horizontal-digital-integration-hdi/
