‘Over 1m visit our website monthly’

Three years ago you launched PrivateProperty.com.ng – what were your expectations then?When we started three years ago, we knew it would not be easy in achieving our mission to change the way property was searched and marketed in Nigeria. We expected Nigerians to adopt the internet for the use of searching for property. It has […]

Three years ago you launched PrivateProperty.com.ng – what were your expectations then?
When we started three years ago, we knew it would not be easy in achieving our mission to change the way property was searched and marketed in Nigeria. We expected Nigerians to adopt the internet for the use of searching for property. It has been slower than expected. We also assumed estate agents and developers would understand the benefits of advertising online, but this has been a major challenge, as we have had to educate them on the advantages of marketing properties on the internet.

What’s unique about PrivateProperty.com.ng compared to other property portals?
PrivateProperty is a brand that was built with the end user in mind, which is people should be able to find properties for sale and to rent easily. Every step of our process is focused on the user and our customers. I believe this sets us apart from other property portals that are springing up daily. We believe that new entrants have been inspired by the way we operate and are trying to solve the same problem.

What has been the reaction of estate agents since this came on board?
Estate agents who are technology savvy have been overwhelmingly using our website. We believe there is still a number of Estate agents and developers that are not harnessing the potentials of Online Advertising, but as we continue our drive to educate the market, we know they will move some of their marketing budget to Internet Advertising.

What is the strength of your website traffic now?
We now see over 1 million monthly visitors to our website. This is a huge growth compared to 2011 when we started with just 10,000 visitors.
How many properties are present on the website?
We have listed over 140,000 properties since inception of PrivateProperty.com.ng. At any given time, there are over 30,000 active properties on the market to browse from and then browsers contact the estate agents directly.    

Are there any changes in your services especially as the property portal market in Nigeria has received several new entrants lately?
Since our launch three years ago, we keep making changes to our website, our business processes, employment welfare and lots more. With regards to our website, we listen to our users and customers and we constantly implement whatever feedback we get from them.

What’s the most important lesson you have learned in these three years?
One major thing learnt is that when you want to change the way things are done, it will never be easy. There would be numerous challenges that will seem like setbacks, but these are things that actually spur us to carry on. This leaves me to say, persistence is very important in running a business. Many property portals started before us and are no longer operational, while some started after us and have closed down.

By your experience in three years, are have you any drive to continue in Nigeria’s real estate sector?
Since we started the business, we have grown tenfold; this alone is enough reason to continue our quest in solving the pain of property search in Nigeria. We have also helped thousands of estate agents, developers and landlords in selling and renting their properties easily and fast, saving them money wasted on other media of advertising that were expensive but ineffective.