Private Property has just launched their awesome new app, which is a must-have for property shoppers. The new app makes it really simple to search for property and has South Africa’ first property feed!
Marc Maurel: Today, I’m chatting to Marco, the Private Property business analyst who has been responsible for project managing the build of the new app.
So Marco,why did Private Property decide to launch a new app?
Marco Torino: Howzit Marc. The old app was getting a little long in the tooth and needed a bit of a refresh. It had been around for a number of years with just a few tweaks along the way. More and more people are now using their mobile phones to find their perfect home and we wanted to give them the best possible experience when using Private Property to search for property. We think we’ve achieved that with this app.
Marc Maurel: What goes into building a new app?
Marco Torino: We start with lots and lots of research. Everything we do is with the end user in mind, so we analysed how they were using the old app – what they liked and disliked about it and what their suggestions were for making it better. We then do extensive research on global best practice and on the latest app technology out there and think about how we can incorporate that into our product. Next, we work on the UX (user experience) and look and feel, before we start coding. We keep testing and tweaking until we are 100% satisfied that we’re putting out a really great product.
Marc Maurel: Wow, that sounds like a lot of work.
So, tell me about the new app?
Marco Torino: The new app makes it really simple to search for property. It has South Africa’ first property feed, which works in a similar way to your feed on social media. A user just needs to follow the suburbs that they want to buy property in, and we will send them property listings in those areas as soon as they become available – literally as soon as those properties go live on our website. If a user sees a property they like, they can contact the agent easily via the app.
We know that our users are really busy and don’t always have the time to visit the website and search for property. The app takes away the need to do that – they don’t need to find properties, the properties will find them through the app. It’s basically property search, without the search.
Marc Maurel: That’s brilliant! I can’t wait to try it out.
Is it available for download now?
Marco Torino: Yes, absolutely. The app is available for Android and IOS now, on the Google Play store and Apple app Store.
