Reporter: For anyone who's never heard of Private Property before, what would you say, in a nutshell, is it all about?
Simon Bray: Private Property is effectively a website that empowers ordinary people to make the right property decisions. We've got thousands of property listings from all over the country, so if it's new and it's on the market, it's on our website. Estate agents, developers, private sellers, banks, they all list their properties on the platform. And you can browse, find exactly what you're looking for and connect to the agent or the seller that's marketing it.
I know, I use it personally in my own life and it has become such a popular website. Why do you think that is exactly?
I think we were blessed to be the first website of this kind in the country. I think we've just built a great consumer base that understand and know our brand. Over that period of time, we've developed, we've added innovative tools. We've added great web offerings that make it convenient to sit on your couch at home and browse for your next property. And with more and more people going online to look for property, it's just become an indispensable service to a lot of people.
But, what about somebody looking to buy or sell property, what can they expect from the website?
Buyers can obviously expect a wide selection of properties. So if you're looking for a flat, or a townhouse, or a beautiful home with a garden, you're going to find it on Private Property. Sellers, you can expect to market to a huge audience. We've got more than a million people on the site every month, and they spend time looking for their next home, but overall what we work really hard at, at Private Property is crafting the web experience. We think property and browsing for property should be an awesome experience, not a difficult one, not a painful one. So we put a lot of effort into the website that you see. If you're on any device you can use it - so smart phones, tablets, laptops, and if you're really a property addict, you can download our app and have it with you wherever you are.
I love it, I love it. Convenience is key. So for anyone looking to get into the property market, what would you say is the very first step they need to take?
Knowledge is power, and researching your local market is so important. A lot of people get quite emotional about the area that they live in and the home that they live in, but when you're looking for your next property, you absolutely have to research the local market, understand who are the right agents to use. What are the property values looking like in a particular area? What type of property should you look for, and which ones should you look out not to buy. So a lot of research is important and that's why websites and tools like ours are very, very valuable for people that are getting into the market.
So, you're taking the daunting-ness out of the actual process of buying a house?
Yeah, I think what we really intend to do is just make a lot of this information visible to people. Whether it's through advice or forums or expert Q & A, or just spending time on the site looking at various houses that are for sale. It just helps you build a sense of what to do and what not to do.
What if you're looking to sell property? What would your approach be then?
Well, marketing your property is actually easy. There's so many options, but the one thing you have to remember is how many people are online these days. It's the first port of call when people are looking to buy. In fact, over 90% of people start their search for property online. So, if you're looking to sell and you want to market through an agent or you want to market yourself, you absolutely have to be on a website like ours.
Do you have a tip of the day when it comes to selling or buying property?
Well, if we're going to wrap everything up, remember 90% of potential buyers start their search online, so make an effort to list your property online, and it can only be a successful sell.
