Founded in Kenya in 2012 by Jamie Pujara and Nicholas Adamjee, BuyRentKenya says it currently has over 150,000 people access the site every month looking for property with about a third of these from the diaspora. The firm also said it has served over $10 billion worth of property in sales and rentals through its site.
“We currently have over 150,000 people access the site every month looking for property. About a third of these people visit the website from an overseas location. In terms of visitors, agencies, listings and leads created we are by far the largest player in the market. We are moving over $10 billion worth of property in sales and rentals through our site since we started,” announced the company at a recently held seminar it had organized for its agents.
BuyRentKenya, which is heavily in competition with Rocket Internet’s Lamudi charges agents, developers or businesses interested in advertising on the site as its business model. The site has different packages for agents, developers per year or three months minimum.
After struggling for years to get people to use the internet to buy and sell or rent property, BuyRentKenya says its now focused on getting the internet to work best for its clients via great product development, new business tools, and investing in technology to help potential sellers reach more buyers in the country’s over 16 million internet users and over thirty million mobile subscribers.
The firm recently launched an upgraded site to make property search simpler and time-saving for property hunters and simpler for its clients to load properties.
“We’ve built and upgraded our website because the search for your next property should be an awesome experience. Like any move there are still stacks of boxes to unpack and a few unfinished areas but we’re working hard to settle in,” the company announced. “We seek the best for all those who connect with us and work together to stretch boundaries of what is possible. We have a professional, telephonic support team and online advice – using our social media mediums such as our blogs, newsletters, which include information written by industry experts.”
The firm had organised the event to promote networking among the developers and agents and as well as promote mentorship and professional development for both.
The co-founders say that Kenya’s property market has witnessed a boom in the last seven years, riding on a growing middle class and continued interest in the country among investors but finding property for rent or sale has not always been an easy task that’s why they are working to put Buyrentkenya at the forefront of property search in the country since their launch in May 2012.
“BuyRentKenya insists on working with and listing legitimate agents and developers only. We strive to publish awesome content, check our listings. We demand the highest standards from our listings leading estate agents, developers private sellers, landlords, etc,” a company rep tells TechMoran. “Our goal is to make the process easier for buyers and tenants to find their perfect homes, giving the very best browsing experience so you know more about a property before you need to visit it and make an informed decision.”