The reason we built the PicAHome app

We built PicAHome because I believe house hunters often don’t get the full picture about a property. Sometimes the information is there, but it isn’t easy to find. Sometimes you don’t know there’s a question you should be asking in the first place.

We wanted to create an app that not only made it easy to find property listings, but also to research houses and neighbouring houses all in one place. For me, finding a home you like and understanding more about it should be part of the same process.

A slight advantage for the house hunter

We want to give the house hunter a slight advantage. I don’t mean an app that tells you what to buy or what to offer. I mean making it easier to find information that helps you ask better questions before you decide.

If the neighbour’s house sold for less, could that tell you something about the price you should be paying?

It isn’t the whole answer. The houses might be different in size or condition, or the sale might have happened at a different time. But I think it’s a useful starting point for a conversation, rather than looking at an asking price in isolation. We’ve written more about that in our guide to asking prices and sold prices.

You might love the garden, but what if there’s a Tree Preservation Order on the tree you were planning to remove to bring in more light?

That’s the sort of question I want people to think about before buying, not afterwards. If changing a tree is important to your plans, check its protection status and what permission is needed with the local council. An app isn’t a substitute for that check, or for advice from the professionals helping you buy.

The information shouldn’t be the hard part

A lot of this information is available, but people either don’t know to look for it or have to search across several different places. We wanted to make that easier.

That’s why PicAHome brings together available property information, including previous sold prices, property details, planning-related information and homes currently for sale nearby. It covers England and Wales, and what you can see depends on the information available for the home. I don’t want to suggest it gives you every answer about every property.

You can use the camera when you’re standing outside a property: take the picture there and then, because PicAHome uses your location to help identify the home. It won’t work with a picture you took earlier. If you’re researching from somewhere else, the postcode lookup is the way to search without being outside the house.

The property itself is only part of it, too. The neighbouring homes and the street can help put what you’re seeing into context. Our guide to researching an area before buying covers some of the checks worth making beyond the front door.

What I hope it helps people do

I want house hunters to feel they can look beyond the listing and ask about the things that matter to them. A lower sold price next door might prompt a question about value. A protected tree might change how you think about a garden. Neither tells you whether a house is right for you, but both could matter to your decision.

PicAHome is free to download and use. If you’re house hunting, you can try PicAHome and use it alongside viewings, conversations with estate agents and your own checks. For me, the reason we built it is simple: finding a house should also mean having a better chance of understanding it.