There are currently more than 50 property websites available to South African internet users and they can be an invaluable tool when looking for a new home. But, with that many property portals to choose from, how do you pick a suitable site?
“When entering a property website, there are a few key aspects to keep in mind.” says Johan Strydom, general manager of Propertygenie.co.za, South Africa’s biggest property listing website with more than 115 000 listings.
The speed of the site is essential; it should take no more than a few seconds to bring up a range of suitable properties using the search tools available.
“Another of the main factors when considering a website designed specifically to search for property is the size and breadth of choice that is readily available,” says Strydom.
The website needs to reflect a fair proportion of properties for sale in the South African market providing potential buyers with a sufficient range.
“A decent South African portal has in the region of 100 000 properties available for sale in the current market,” says Strydom. “A good way of measuring the range is to check if the website covers property in slightly off-beat areas such as Springbok and not merely those in the main cities.”
The information on the website should be quickly updated.
“It is unfortunately a trend of some property websites to leave sold properties on the websites to draw in potential buyers,” says Strydom. “Sold properties should never remain on the website, but should be removed at the earliest opportunity.”
While removing sold properties is important, it is just as essential to add new properties timeously. According to the First National Bank property barometer, it currently takes in the region of eight weeks to sell a property in South Africa.
“It is imperative properties are added as soon as the information becomes available so property seekers are given enough time to assess the property,” adds Strydom.
“We have direct links to over 950 real-estate agencies” he says. “The information added to their own systems is automatically updated on our website, guaranteeing the site has the most recent property listings and information available.”
Each property should be accompanied with as detailed a description as possible.
“At the very least there should be the number of bedrooms, bathrooms, price and location for every property loaded on to the system,” says Strydom. “A good selection of photographs is also invaluable.”
In response to consumer demand, Propertygenie.co.za has the capacity for 20 photographs to accompany each listing.
Other features are the tools available such as a financial calculator that quickly determines the affordability of a property. SMSing or emailing services alerting property seekers to new properties on the market are also useful.
“Finally, good websites should not only have a way of contacting estate agents, but also have a way of reporting if the agent has not been responsive,” concludes Strydom.
These tools make searching for property a simple and quick process and, along with the other features mentioned, are good markers of a trustworthy website.