The Property Sourcing Company recently launched a new property sourcing app aimed at bringing structure, speed and transparency to the fragmented world of off‑market and below‑market‑value deals.
The Intermediary spoke to Jonny Christie and Karl McArdle, co‑founders of The Property Sourcing Company about the thinking behind the launch and where they see it going next.
What inspired you to create the app, and how did your experiences as investors shape it?
Karl McArdle (KM): We’ve been operating in property for about 20 years now, and between us we’ve bought and sold around 5,000 properties. From the buying side, we know just how hard it is to get not only good deals, but information in a format that’s actionable.
Up until now, if you’re an investor you’re juggling WhatsApp groups, email lists, auctions and portals like Rightmove. If you haven’t got the time to do that every day, it becomes almost a full‑time job.
The app came directly from that frustration. There wasn’t a structured acquisition platform that pulled everything together properly, so we built one. It’s not a pure tech play – it’s built by investors, for investors.
Jonny Christie (JC) : It’s basically the platform we wish had existed. We’ve lived and breathed this market and kept seeing the same issues – fragmented information, variable quality, and little consistency in how deals are presented. The app is our way of addressing those points in one ecosystem.
How do you source and verify the off‑market and below‑market‑value stock?
JC: A big strength is our vertically integrated supply chain. Through The Property Buying Company we have direct vendor supply, and we also work with a set of approved contracted suppliers feeding additional off‑market stock into the app.
Every deal is internally reviewed before it goes live. First, we look at the vendor’s timescales – we’re in the fast‑sale space, so everything must move quickly, typically via cash or bridging. Then we run the numbers from an investor’s perspective. For buy‑to‑lets (BTLs), that’s yield and cashflow; for BRRR‑type deals, it’s what can realistically be refinanced after costs.
The discount must reflect the speed and risk. Each deal is placed on the app with a clear idea of which strategy it fits and which investors it’s likely to suit. We never claim to replace an investor’s own due diligence, though – this is a partnership. If feedback is that a deal doesn’t stack, we’ll either re‑negotiate with the vendor or come back with further comparables.
The app offers three membership tiers. Can you walk us through the decision-making process behind this structure and how each tier addresses different investor needs?
JC: We didn’t want this to be “just another email list”. The membership model is about attracting the right investors and matching the level of support to their needs.
Standard is for people early in their journey or wanting to test the platform. They get full access to deals and core tools, so they can browse and set alerts.
Diamond targets more active investors who want to move quickly. They get access to deals 48 hours before the Standard tier, which can be the difference between getting a property and missing out.
Diamond Plus is a hands‑off concierge service. You essentially have your own sourcing team via a dedicated account manager working to your brief. It’s ideal for time‑poor professionals who have the capital but not the hours to do all the groundwork.
Those tiers are based on seven years of working with different investor profiles – from new entrants to seasoned landlords – and mapping how much support and interaction each group really needs.
With the property market facing increasing digital disruption, what gaps in the existing solutions did you see, and how does your app fill them?
JC: The biggest gap is fragmentation and a lack of trust. At the moment, information is scattered across emails, WhatsApp groups, random PDFs, and various portals. A lot of investors look at a deal and think: “I don’t really know the source of this, or whether the figures are accurate.”
We don’t believe there’s another platform that collates property information quite like ours in one unified, consistent format.
KM: Emails have served us well historically, but it has its limits. You’re lucky to get a 2% click‑through on a typical campaign, and investors are bombarded with hundreds of alerts a day. It’s very easy to miss the one deal that fits your criteria.
In‑app notifications are a different story. We’re seeing around a 45% click rate there, because they’re targeted. Investors set their own discount levels, yield thresholds, locations and price points. Once that’s done, the app does the heavy lifting and pings them only when a matching deal hits the platform. You’re no longer wading through Southampton if you only care about Manchester – the tech filters it for you.
How does the app streamline things for both newer and more experienced investors?
KM: We’ve focused on making the end‑to‑end journey as clean as possible. Investors can filter by yield, discount, price and area, save searches and set alerts. When something fits, they can dive into detailed photos and walk‑around video or Matterport to get a genuine feel for the asset without a physical viewing.
From there, everything is in‑app – messaging, offers, counter‑offers and secure reservation payments. Once a property is reserved, it’s marked as sold and no one else can access or bid on it, which removes a lot of the uncertainty and potential bidding wars.
We’ve also built a portfolio manager. Investors can upload their existing properties with key details and dates, and the app aggregates that into a clear overview – portfolio value, equity growth, yields – plus reminders for gas safety, insurance and so on. It replaces a mix of spreadsheets, phone notes and email trails with a single view.
JC: For newer investors, we’re adding more educational content – guides, podcasts, videos – especially at the Standard tier, so they can learn as they go. Seasoned investors don’t need that hand‑holding; they want clear opportunities and speed, which is where early access and concierge support come in.
For time‑poor professionals, the real benefit is being able to outsource a lot of the search and initial analysis while still having full transparency and control through the app.
How are you handling data security and regulation?
KM: Security was built in from day one. All data is encrypted in transit and at rest, and we use enterprise‑grade cloud security with row‑level controls so users can only access their own records.
On log‑ins, we check passwords against known breach databases and never expose the actual password. If someone uses a compromised password, we flag it and require a change.
We also protect sensitive information by blocking screenshots and screen recordings in key areas of the mobile app, and we monitor for potential misuse.
Legally, we’re governed by the laws of England and Wales and operate under a full framework of policies aligned with UK GDPR. We’ve integrated AML checks to verify investor identities, which is essential when you’re handling high‑value transactions.
What’s your vision for the next 2-3 years?
JC: The focus over the next 12 to 18 months is growing the supply side to match the demand we’re seeing, without compromising on quality. We’re expanding our supplier network and feeding real‑time investor demand back into that, so our partners know which areas and deal types to prioritise.
We’ll also keep improving the tools and analytics – more data, better comparables, smarter decision‑support – and building out the educational side so newer investors can move faster and more confidently.
KM: The key is scaling responsibly. We don’t want to bring on huge numbers of investors if we don’t have the stock – that’s why access is month‑to‑month. If we don’t deliver value, we don’t expect people to stay.
Longer term, we see this as the start of a new way to access off‑market, direct‑to‑vendor opportunities. If we can make the process more professional, transparent and efficient, we think we can help a lot more people build sustainable property portfolios than the current fragmented system allows.
