Online property listings site, BuyRentKenya.com has invested in a huge local team to do physical visits to ensure every listing on the site exists, with it’s location and owner or property manager known to them.The phyisical verification aims to curb fraud and increase the uptake of internet use in the property industry and has seen the firm launch and send sales and customer care teams to major towns and surburbs in the country.
“We have a much larger team here in Nairobi than any of our competitors that allows us to do physical checks on the properties we list,” Jamie Pujara, CEO and Co-founder BuyRentKenya told TechMoran. “If a customer has poor experience we will immediately look into it. Our competitive advantage is our attention to detail and the overall experience we provide, which is built on our foundation of trying to make a positive difference in the Kenyan real estate market.”
Founded in 2012 with a focus on connecting the largest real estate community of buyers, sellers, brokers’, developers, landlords and tenants for both residential and commercial properties in a simple and effective way, BuyRentKenya recently raised undiclosed funds from One Africa Media to fuel their operations in Kenya. The firm says it has seen it’s monthly visitors and listings grow by almost 60%. But as growth comes, so does the need for more caution and verification.
“We meet all our clients, sign contracts with them and we build relationships with them” says Pujara. “Our competitors use tech teams in Europe or South Africa to scrape listings. I’ve heard some agents their listings have been taken without consent. Our competitors are just trying to boast numbers to show the headquarters that there’ growth.”
Earlier, Justin Clarke, Co-Founder of OAM and Founder of South Africa and Nigeria’s leading property websites PrivateProperty, said: ‘BuyRentKenya.com is by far the strongest real estate marketplace in Kenya and we’re excited about the prospects of working with a great team, and extending the reach of all our brands to Kenyan consumers. It is seldom that you come across portal founders that are really passionate about property, and completely committed to adding value to the real estate sector in Kenya and who have a long term vision.”