Former Brutonian, Roland Whyte (L91/96), has launched a new property app that is helping people buy the home of their dreams.

Having left Bruton in 1996, Roland married Kate Thompson from St Mary's School in 2000. Their shared love of beautiful homes led them to Yorkshire where they bought and renovated Saltmarshe Hall, which is now a successful hotel and wedding venue.

Professionally, Roland worked at PwC, HSBC and, most recently, held the position of Global Head Strategy & Corporate Development at wealth-tech "unicorn" FNZ.

Roland's professional experience and passion for all things property inspired him to develop Nokkel, a new app that allows users to save homes to a wishlist and notifies them if any of those properties come up for sale. It also puts potential buyers in touch with the homeowner, if both parties are interested in an off-market sale.

"There is such a small number of homes available for sale at any one time, in fact Bruton is a great example", Roland commented "many people end up settling for what is available. By enabling people to capture the homes they love when they see them, they can start the buying process at a time that suits them."

However, Roland is quick to stress that the app is not just for buyers.

"For homeowners, Nokkel helps them get a better price. Instead of putting your house on the market and waiting for an offer, you can start conversations long before that, saving money and putting you in control."

Away from tech, Roland and Kate enjoy long walks in the countryside with their three children. In fact, it was coveting a beautiful cottage on one of their walks that prompted the idea for the app.

Nokkel is completely free to use and is available from the App Store and Google Play or via Nokkel.com