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the potential reach of viewers could equal that of the established platforms. We were particularly impressed that you can select the type of buyer that is likely to be interested in the property. This feature is not available on any other internet marketing platform. “In terms of its effectiveness, Property Place
has very much helped with a three-bedroom Ramsgate property. We communicated with the potential buyers through the Facebook messaging service and felt that the process was straightforward. We received a response straight away and, as a result, had three viewings and received an offer of around £115,000 which, subject to proof of funding by the purchaser, will be accepted.”
SO WHAT SHOULD YOU DO NEXT? With the whole of Facebook at your disposal it’s
“NOBODY BUYS HOUSES ON
FACEBOOK”? Facebook’s new lifestyle applications include those selling cars, clothes and music. If users are willing to buy all these items from Facebook then why is it so farfetched for property to be included here? It is perfectly reasonable to think that today’s 30-year-old Facebook user will be glad to share their first time property wish list with their partner and friends on Facebook. Moving home can be an incredible social experience, you engage with estate agents, and ask friends and family for advice; what better place to do this than Facebook which already has all the tools that allow you communicate with others. With the availability to use private forums, property wish lists, private Q&A sessions, group viewings, faster and cheaper communication channels – plus your existing network of friends and family – it is an ideal place to organise future house purchases. Property Place customer Robert Ulph, Managing Director of Pennington Surveyors, said, “Using Facebook’s social media platform is a brilliant idea. Isn’t this what we’ve all been waiting for? Vendors, landlords and tenants all use Facebook and this is the perfect marketing tool for us.”
THE PROOF IS IN THE PUDDING As with all new forms of marketing and selling,
the real test is to see that they work and are effective. Property Place has passed the test and shown that Facebook really is a possibility for marketing properties. They have already helped agents sell and rent properties successfully Graham Kinnear, Director at Milton Ashbury, a
Kent-based estate agent, recently uploaded its properties onto Property Place after a recommendation from another agency. Kinnear said, “We were very attracted to the way that Property Place actively markets through Facebook. This seems like a superb way to reach a very good captive audience, and one that we should take part in. “The costs for Property Place are significantly less than the property portals are charging yet
probably a bit daunting on where to start. The easiest place to start is with an existing property app, you can use their service and membership to get you going. It won’t take too much effort as the property app will have an easy to use interface and will be designed for you to upload your properties easily and efficiently. The first property app on Facebook is Property Place. Since its launch, they have around ten agents signing up every day and have had agents make many successful house sales and lettings through the app. It is a tough period for the entire property sector and by giving agents an extra avenue of marketing at a reasonable cost (just £50 per month for unlimited property uploads) Property Place are hoping to help agents through this tough time.
ABOUT PROPERTY PLACE Property Place is the first property application on
Facebook that enables home owners, estate agents and landlords to advertise property for sale, rent and room-share via their Facebook profile. With nearly 30 million UK users, Facebook is the ideal place to advertise your property as it provides the added Facebook features such as sharing with friends, like buttons and commentary.
The app was launched in late January 2012
with over 400,000 properties available to search and can be found at:
http://apps.facebook.com/ propertyplace (Users without a Facebook account can use:
http://www.prop-place.com/)
ABOUT THE FOUNDER Sohail Rashid, who is still in his twenties, is an experienced
conveyancing lawyer and prior to setting up Property Place he co-founded a specialist conveyancing firm. He also has strong IT experience, and during his legal career worked with Steria International, a major global IT and data management company, to create a revolutionary legal outsourcing transactional platform.
PROPERTYdrum MARCH 2012 37
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