Regional agent offers eco-friendly viewings

A Yorkshire based agent has come up with a novel way of reducing its carbon footprint while conducting viewings with potential buyers.

Preston Baker has added a new bookings tool to its website that lets home movers arrange viewing slots on properties for sale based on the travel distance for the company’s accompanied viewers.

Using ‘ECO’ icons, the appointment times will show which slots are the most environmentally-friendly based on if an agent has a viewing nearby.

Two different icons symbolising minimum or moderate emissions will be displayed if viewings are within 10 minutes or 20 minutes travel time respectively.

The system was first introduced internally, letting Preston Baker staff book viewings for home movers while seeing the distance that an accompanied viewer would have to travel and selecting the most environmentally-friendly option.

This has now been rolled out across all online bookings, allowing home movers to choose themselves.
 

Alex Rhodes, chief technology officer for Preston Baker, says: “We are always looking at ways to reduce our impact on the environment and our carbon footprint.

“We have plug-in hybrid cars as company vehicles and we have now introduced the option for home movers booking a property viewing with us online to select the most environmentally-friendly viewing slot, based on the travel distances between viewings for our accompanied viewers.

“The system has been created through technology and mapping all our accompanied viewers’ diaries to allow home movers to book a slot with the shortest distance to travel.

“We all need to take meaningful action towards reducing carbon emissions and we feel this is another way in which we can make a positive change.”