House hunting to rent or purchase has always been one of those dreaded activities that come with adulting, getting that nice piece of real estate with nice amenities and add ons that make life comfortable is not an easy fit. The hustle of getting a house is what made Collins Rutto a young Techprenuer come up with a solution for himself and others seeking to buy or rent property in Kenya, thus the genesis of The Property.Co.Ke
“The Property.co.ke is a B2B2C online listing space catering to real estate agents, land dealers, and landlords keen on spreading their properties to reach a wide range of potential clients as well as maximize their tenant capacity. The platform arose as a result of need after scouring the internet and visiting countless agencies with a hope of finding an ideal space that only led to losses in viewing fees and leads that were unsatisfactory, this notwithstanding; the main predicament that I faced and is very common to many people is the fact that the industry is marred by inconsistences such as up-top house photos at unimaginably cheap prices and non-genuine deals from agents that seem too good to be true.
In my instance this was after a couple of swindling attempts by individuals purporting to be trusted agents renting out one-bedroom houses in a very sort after address and demanding deposit fees upfront before settling viewing dates, this was typically my tipping point and I decided to be part of the solution by simplifying the process for both the listing agent and the customer. We currently try to do our best to ensure that properties listed are cut across the middle and high-income ranges and by genuine and verified agents.”
Despite many challenges that come with start-ups, The Property got off to a good start and has been operational for almost one year now.
“The Business is currently eight months after seven months of Development, Beta-testing, and Free trial rollouts, we are currently operational and run under a monthly subscription-based model(Pay to Advertise) allowing agents and individuals to only pay or renew the service upon a sale or results on analytics.
However, we offer a free month listing to any individual with a property on our site which after they shall be prompted to upgrade to a Ksh 200 ( 1.84$) bundle, for agencies that have more properties we offer bundles of Ksh 4,000( 36.83$) for Standard Membership and Ksh 8,500( 78.27$) for Premium Membership. We are also rolling out a free copy print listing Only classifieds magazine within Uasin Gishu come September for businesses to advertise their products and services on the issue and stand to benefit from our distribution network.”
The real estate business is one with its fair share of concerns, this industry has attracted a huge number of con artists and frauds in the name of property owners and brokers, many have fallen prey to their antics. Collins shares with us how The Property Ke is a safe space to trade void of underhands and scammers.
“With the ever-growing opportunities in the internet market space, it is almost too expected that not everyone has the best intentions online and it’s unfortunate that most tend to fall prey to such antics.
As an online property listing service providing advertising possibilities we basically offer an open platform to all to easily upload and publish properties they intend to let or sell with us, however, we have checks that enable us to maintain an attribute of care, security, and above all genuine properties, by these, we have ensured that we offer a downloadable and readable Terms & Conditions, Informational Safety Tips on each viewable listing and most importantly onboarding contacted agencies that upon provision of some requested documentation are classified as verified entities. Through this, we aspire to minimize dubious and shady listings and promote a legitimate space for both the client agent relationship folded on trust.“
How to get set up on The Property Ke
“The process is quite simple and easy to navigate, First you would have to register with us on the platform at the top right widget and fill in a few information details that shall build your profile (Name, Location, Contact, Services offered for Agencies, Social Media Handles), thereafter you would need to create a listing on your personal dashboard and upload the description & (Price, Location, SqFt, Contact) finally upload the images of the property and submit.
Upon submission our team of administrators will preview the upload and ensure that the prices and images match before approving the listing, this is done so as to mitigate errors and inconsistencies with the post.
Most importantly we recommend quality photos and detailed information, however have a downloadable navigation manual just so to ease the upload process and a technical number in case one would need any assistance.“
The Property Ke will be launching a classifieds magazine in September. To list a property on the magazine please contact Onlyclassifieds1@gmail.com or Call 0723333802
