Smart Asset
Getting onto the property ladder is probably the biggest financial commitment in a person's life. Often, unfortunately, many people can end up nearly out of pocket because they didn't set a budget, used a particularly bad agent or simply forgot about the hidden costs like closing fees.
It is this niavity that can often see people being taken advantage of. However, Smart Asset could be the tool to help users figure out their finances easily, without someone trying to dig into your pocket.
When users land on the site, they are greeted with an interactive guide to help you understand everything from what you can afford to how your taxes will change after your get your new keys. It can even break down whether it would be better to buy or rent.
When choosing an option, you are prompted to enter if you are married or single, how much you earn and whether you have any savings. Smart Asset then calculates the price of a house you can afford. However, the site doesn't restrict you to their own guidelines as you can change the price of your desired home and they will then re-calculate how it will affect your current finances.
What is great about the site is its usability. It is simple, looks good and you don't spend a second trying to figure out where to click. It is probably because of this that has led the company to receive $900,000 in seed funding, only two months after launching.
Smart Asset are in the current class of Y-Combinator and the site even made it into tech-blogger Robert Scoble's top five list of startups there, stating "It is one of the best done sites I've seen and I wish I had had this site when I purchased my house."
It appears that the site is U.S only but we believe it is only a matter of time until we can see it in the U.K, a great tool in a time where first-time buyers are struggling.