Homebuyers searching for their dream home have only a few days to wait until a new property portal revolutionises their house hunt.
IOL Property will launch its new website on Monday, July 17, and promises buyers a property searching experience like no other.
When looking for a new home, buyers and tenants want to find the most up-to-date sales and rental listings available – and as soon as they hit the market. This is why property portals must offer immediate access to new listings, says IOL Property chief executive Carolyn Savage.
The internal search engines must be robust, updates must be real-time, and navigation should be easy through user-friendly interfaces. Site design should also be visually appealing and functional.
“Interactivity on a property portal is essential for users because it allows them to explore properties in more detail and make more informed decisions about their purchase.”
Furthermore, maps and advanced filters that help users quickly find the properties that match their criteria can save time and frustration, especially if they are looking for a specific property type in a particular area. Users also want to be able to share and save property searches in order to refer back to them and collate their favourites for viewing. Savage says a property portal’s content must be reliable and accurate, and that it should have the ability to function correctly and consistently without frequent outages or downtime.
“Buyers and sellers now expect to be able to do most of the home buying and selling processes online. They want to be able to search for properties, view listings, and make offers all from the comfort of their own homes.
“They are more impatient than ever before so speed of process, service, and contact feedback is very important to them.”
They also expect more transparency in the home buying and selling process, and want to be able to see all of the relevant information about a property, including the seller's motivation, the property's history, and any potential problems.
These modern demands from buyers have been the catalyst for the rise of new technologies and services that are designed to make the home buying and selling process more efficient and transparent. For example, she says, there are now online platforms that allow buyers to search for properties and make offers without ever having to step foot in a real estate office.
“There are also services that provide buyers with access to detailed property information, including historical sales data and comparable listings.”
The new IOL Property portal aims to meet these evolved needs of buyers and sellers, and is equipped with the latest technology to ensure faster loading times and improved performance. These aspects will ensure smooth and hassle-free processes for both buyers and sellers.
“Our real time updates will run throughout the day, and this will ensure relevant and updated content. We understand the importance of aesthetics, and our new portal comes with a fresh and appealing design.
“Our team has meticulously redesigned the portal to provide a modern and sleek look, and focused on user-friendliness. You will find navigating through different sections and accessing relevant information easier than before and more enjoyable.”
Just as buyers have certain expectations when it comes to searching for their right home, so too do real estate agents who are looking to list their properties. Property portals should meet their needs by offering easy upload and edit functionalities that update in real-time.
Savage says estate agents spend a significant amount of money on marketing their properties and getting the best exposure for their sellers, and property portals should therefore provide platforms to cater for this. From high-quality photos, virtual tours, and floor plans to easy contact with the agent and access to their back-end CRM system to monitor reporting data, agents require effective systems that also allow them to share feedback with their clients.
“Portals should offer transparent reporting data and stats on how often the agent's properties were displayed on the site and how many views and leads were generated, she adds.
“Transparency in this reporting is essential to measure value and spending.”
In terms of spend, Savage says IOL Property has introduced a fair and competitive pricing model designed to provide the “best value on investment”.
“We do not believe in a cost-per-lead pricing model as it is difficult to qualify a lead price based on telephone numbers and email address clicks. We are an advertising platform and charge for exposure and marketing reach, which drives agency leads. We do not charge for leads and have eliminated any special group deals, ensuring everyone receives the same fair and competitive rates.”