Hello gents & ladies,

After nine arduous months of development, we've finally created Nigeria's first dedicated real estate portal  - geeplaces.com

We need your help on ways to improve it further.

Please can you review it for us and post feedback and suggestions on the Community Forum.

Thanks a bunch
Niyi

Ah, by the way, the link is http://www.geeplaces.com

Hello people,

Does anyone have any feedback for us regarding Geeplaces?

[list]
[li]Do we need cheaper properties?[/li]
[li]Is the user interface intuitive?[/li]
[li]Does the mortgage calculator make sense?[/li]
[li]Will you like to see links to mortgage lenders?[/li]
[li]Do the properties need more images?[/li]
[li]Do the properties need more detailed descriptions?[/li]
[/list]
Any feedback will be welcome.

Thanks all.

Niyi
http://www.geeplaces.com

If this is Nigeria's first real estate portal, what about www.ip4properties.com ?

Hello mate,

How are you doing?

ip4properties is not the first dedicated real estate portal.

By portal, we mean a central point for all stakeholders in the industry to access and integrate all types of real estate resources.

Stakeholders range from end users (you and me), estate agents, new home developers, mortgage lenders, legal practitioners, and all the artisans that provide ancilliary services.

Real estate resources include property listings (sales, lettings, land, hotels and guest houses), mortgage information (lenders, rates, calculators, guides etc), classifieds, agency information (profiles, ratings, certifications etc).

Now the important distinction is that all these stakeholders and information have to be integrated comprehensively. Our distinction is that we use different software to automatically integrate everybody. For end users, we have the geeplaces.com frontend and the SMS and MMS search system. For registered agencies, they install and use a different system for integrating property portfolios and synchronizing client requests with the geeplaces and their sites simultaneously. This is the first time anything of the sort has been done. For mortgage lenders and content providers, they use another system for integrating feeds. It is the collection of these different access points that make it the first dedicated and integrated real estate portal.

What does all this mean to the end user? - The coverage of properties is larger, the link to registered agents is more direct, the search is more functional, and the overall experience a lot richer.

I think Geeplaces is a game changer and it is about time.

'portals' are over-rated. People just need a place where they can read about properties for rent or sale.

'portals' are over-rated.  People just need a place where they can read about properties for rent or sale.

It takes more than that. Anybody in the real estate industry will tell you that. Besides, the term portal is open to different semantic interpretations. It doesn't matter what you call it, it is what it does and the value it delivers that matters.

The truth is you can't just go about posting property information here and there, arbitrarily. It is ad hoc and risky.

Who is selling the property? Is the "landlord" really the owner? Is the agent really registered or authorised by the landlord? Is the property accurately described? Is the price inflated? How do you correlate it with other properties? How do you afford the property? Where are the mortgage lenders? What are their rates?

There are loads of issues mate and if we don't start creating a dedicated and integrated structure like ours, we'll still be stuck in the past with over 80% not owning their own homes, no info about mortgage facilities, people being swindled by rogue agents (u won't believe how easy it is and how often it happens - one of my close friends lost 500k to these guys).

We carried out a large local survey before we started Geeplaces and I can back my facts up because a lot of people agree with me that a big change is needed.

Hmm, I guess you have to decide whether you're serving real estate agents or people who want to buy houses.

Seun:

Hmm, I guess you have to decide whether you're serving real estate agents or people who want to buy houses.

You are correct.

Well, since you ask, we are serving the interests of everyone because what we don't do is allow shysters and other rogue agents publish information with "fantastic" deals that ultimately trick innocent people into parting away with their hard earned money.

For people that want to buy or rent houses:

We provide choice and convenience because most of these professionals work 8am - 6pm, 5 days  a week and don't have time to follow agents to view properties, some of which do not meet their needs. With Geeplaces, they can view a 50 properties in 5 minutes instead of 5 in 5 weeks. It is a lot more convenient and you'll get the best in the target location instead of the best out of what you have time to see.

For registered agents or new home developers:

What they tell us is that our system makes their work a lot more efficient because they reach a lot more people easily and effectively (by using images and detailed descriptions) and the people that contact them have already narrowed their choices thus increasing the chances of a deal.

Ultimately, you cannot discount the safety benefit that you have when working with vetted agents and developers. Money you work hard for is hard to lose. 

Trust me mate, Geeplaces is the best thing to hit the real estate industry for yonks.

Ur site looks beautiful.I have one issue though. Do house in Naija really cost that much? How can I get a 2 or 3 bedroom house for N300,000 per year or N5 - 7 million outright in Ikeja. All I see are expensive homes in Ikoyi. Abeg o, am not a politician.

Thanks for the question.

The first view that you see shows the Featured Properties. Most agents tend to showcase their choiciest properties first so that's why you see some expensive homes first. The thumbnail list at the bottom shows Featured Properties, Saved (Bookmarked) Properties and Search Results.

Having said that, when you search by typing Ikeja in the Search Bar, the system will pull out all the properties that match your criteria and show them in the Search Results area. You can narrow down the results (if any) be reducing the maximum price.

Now, Geeplaces is a new service so we are focused on signing up agents and home developers constantly. As more agents and developers partner with us, you'll see a wider range of properties on the system. Please bear with us and keep checking the site. You'll find what you need.

I can see the properties now. Thanks. Kudos to u guys, I feel this software!

Please add more properties right quick tho.

Deleski:

your site looks beautiful.I have one issue though. Do house in Naija really cost that much? How can I get a 2 or 3 bedroom house for N300,000 per year or N5 - 7 million outright in Ikeja. All I see are expensive homes in Ikoyi. Abeg o, am not a politician.

Try www.cornerstoneconstruction.com.ng they are developers and have some properties you might be interested in within your price range. You can also find their details here http://ip4properties.com/portfolio.php?se_business_BusinessID=975

DJNiyi, i found a flat thru one of the agents on ur site and am meeting up wit d agent today. thanks.

one more thing tho, i noticed a mortgage calculator on ur site. How does that work? and how do i link up with the mortgage lenders. I have sum1 who is moving back to Naija but he wants to see d rates online b4 he calls dem up.

I'm requesting for Abuja to be added. Thanks.

mandi:

I'm requesting for Abuja to be added. Thanks.

Hello mandi,

We are guilty as charged. Most of our efforts have been focused on Lagos naturally. However, we have started making contact with real estate agents in Abuja and Port Harcourt.

I'll keep you updated once a sizeable number of properties from credible agents come in.

Thanks for the support.