Ruban Selvanayagam of fast home sales specialists Property Solvers speaks with Maria Harris of the Open Property Data Association (OPDA) about progress being made in digitising the UK home buying and selling process.   Maria outlines her background, including her experience in creating the UK’s first digital mortgage with Atom Bank. The conversation delves into the slow progress in digitising property transactions despite government efforts, with the average time to complete a house purchase increasing from 12 weeks in 2005 to 22 weeks in 2024.   The discussion highlights the fragmented nature of the current system, where different stakeholders operate in silos and rely on outdated, paper-based processes. Maria goes on to explain how the OPDA is focused on creating "open data" standards and a common infrastructure (namely the Property Data Trust Framework)  to enable seamless data sharing across the property industry.    She notes the involvement of major lenders like Lloyds Banking Group and Nationwide, who are beginning to adopt these standards. The government’s role - particularly through the Smart Data roadmap and the Digital Information and Smart Data Bill - is also discussed as crucial in supporting these efforts to make the property transaction process more transparent, efficient and consumer-friendly.   #OpenPropertyDataAssociation #OPDA #HouseSales #DigitisingPropertySales #SellHouse #SellHomes #BuyHomes #BuyProperty LINKS (RESOURCES) REFERRED TO IN THE PODCAST Open Property Data Association (OPDA) Follow Open Property Data Association on LinkedIn Follow Maria Harris on LinkedIn RELEVANT LINKS Property Solvers Investor Profiling Become an Auction Partner Property Solvers (Sell House Fast) Property Solvers (We Buy Any House) Property Solvers Auctions Property Auctions News How to Value Your House TIMESTAMPS 00:10 - Introduction to Maria Harris of the Open Property Data Association (OPDA)00:23 - Overview of digital transformation in property00:52 - Maria's background and career journey02:01 - Maria's role in creating a digital mortgage with Atom Bank03:00 - Challenges in home buying process digitisation04:28 - Discussion on the slow progress in digitising home buying and selling04:43 - The government's response to digital transformation05:34 - Silos in the property industry06:24 - Need for digitizing property data at source07:23 - The slow progress and compounded challenges08:32 - Open Property Data Association's role explained09:01 - Importance of seamless collaboration in the property industry09:59 - The limitations of current property data sharing methods10:52 - Expanding beyond initial property data requirements11:30 - Need for common standards in property industry12:53 - Lack of unified standards in property transactions13:43 - Efforts to create open standards and Schemas14:26 - Pilot projects and proof of concept discussed15:10 - Explanation of data Schema and its importance16:47 - How data standards enable seamless transactions17:34 - Importance of data trust and provenance18:39 - Preventing property transaction fall-throughs19:44 - Industry's openness to digital transformation20:48 - Misconceptions about digital transformation in property addressed21:49 - Cultural challenges in changing industry practices22:44 - Collaborations with major lenders like Lloyds and Nationwide23:00 - How lenders are adopting open standards24:07 - Property Data Trust Framework (PDTF) discussed24:30 - Government support for digital property initiatives25:00 - Collaboration with government departments26:00 - Role of digital identity in property transactions26:45 - Government commitment to digital transformation 27:38 - Recent progress in digital property initiatives 28:00 - How to stay updated on industry developments 29:12 - Encouraging progress in digital property efforts29:41 - Closing thoughts on speeding up property sales30:01 - Maria's goals for improving the property journey