Rightmove is introducing a new school checker system on all properties listed on the website after research revealed it is the most important factor for people choosing where to live.
This feature will make Rightmove the only property site to use catchment area indicators and school inspection report details for the whole of the UK on over one million homes for sale or to rent.
Rightmove sought the opinion of several focus groups that indicated that finding the right home near the right school can be an ordeal. Until now, no portal has connected the two.
Rightmove has teamed up with School Guide, an independent source of school data.
Each property listing on Rightmove will now display a catchment area indicator using heat maps. These are based on the last available admissions figures.
The latest Ofsted/HMIe/Estyn rating will also be shown, alongside links to more information about the school from School Guide.
Head of Product Development at Rightmove, James Micklethwait, says: “This is a resource which will provide home-hunters with valuable schools information, including catchment indicators, that they cannot find anywhere else, and we hope it will help them find the right property.
“This launch has been made possible by the creation of a strong partnership with School Guide and more than 5,500 hours of design and development time.
“Rightmove customers will now be able to tell potential vendors that not only will their property be marketed to the biggest home-hunting audience, it will also include one of the most important pieces of information to help consumers decide if a location is right for them.
“We hope that agents will be able to use this feature to augment their own local expertise and help them win more instructions.”1
1 http://www.propertyindustryeye.com/rightmove-launches-new-school-checker-feature-on-all-properties/