FNB has launched FNB Property Leader, an online property tool that gives step-by-step advice and solutions to manage the property process from buying to selling.
“We have been developing the FNB Property Leader concept over the last couple of years and we are delighted to launch the site today,” says Marius Marais, CEO of FNB Home Loans.
FNB Property Leader helps users through the often emotional property process, and can be accessed anytime, anywhere.
“For many people the process of buying and selling a property can be overwhelming. This tool is a way to hold the consumer’s hand throughout the entire process from before starting to look for a first house to when it is time to sell,” says Marais.
Potential home owners can receive preapproval within seconds.
“With our preapproval process, the customer literally becomes a ‘cash buyer’ and it solves one of the biggest quandaries, ‘what is my affordability’,” says Marais. “The system checks the customer’s credit score and, depending on customer’s risk profile and affordability, automatically creates a pre-approval letter which serves as a provisional guarantee giving the buyer the necessary negotiating power.”
Once a home loan is ready to be submitted the entire process can be completed quickly and easily through the site.
“We have created a platform that accepts all the documentation and information required for a home loan application with FNB. The process is quick to log and the customer can track their home loan application through the site,” says Marais.
The site also offers free area and property reports that are pulled from a number of sources including the Deeds Office to give a comprehensive overview of a suburb or particular house.
“This type of information is invaluable to any home owner in order to make informed decisions when buying or selling. Buyers will be able to determine fair value of the property by comparing properties with others recently sold. Those looking to sell can determine a fair listing price that will speed up the selling process,” says Marais.
Area reports include details such as average house prices in the area, average increase or decrease in property prices, the types of homes and profile of the buyers.
A property report includes the last bought and sold price of the property as well as an estimated current value calculated through a model developed for the FNB Property Leader site.
Additional features such as check lists for each of the buying and selling processes, questions to ask the estate agent as well as current properties listed for sale provide users with in-depth information and advice on being a property owner.