Global property portal allows agencies to target international buyers and reduce their overheads with free property listings

• Free to list Commercial & Residential property portals now live across ​five countries​ (South Africa, UK, UAE, India & Nigeria)
• Over ​350,000 listings worldwide​ – Aiming for 1 Million by Q4 2019
• Major agents include Annenberg Property Group, Baker Street Properties, Broll, CCH, Chas Everitt and Meridian Realty
• Imminent launches planned for Mainland Europe, China and the Middle EastTwo up-and-coming global property portals Commercial People & Residential People are helping to provide a beacon of hope for real estate agents across the country with their free listings and international coverage

Currently operating operates across South Africa, the UK, UAE, India and Nigeria, Residential People (and its commercial property equivalent Commercial People) are uniquely positioned to attract both local and overseas buyers & investors interested in purchasing property throughout South Africa.

The free to list portals which will also launch across France, Germany, China and other key markets in 2019, is threatening to disrupt the Property24 & Private Property duopoly, offering support for agents across the country struggling to pay the high costs of membership with a radical free to list solution.

In just a few months since their launch, both Commercial & Residential People have attracted some of the biggest names across the property sector including the likes of Broll, CCH, Chas Everitt and more.Commercial & Residential People Co-Director Christopher May says: “We are targeting both merging and established markets alike,“Alongside South Africa, we are currently operating across the UK, UAE and India, and despite our brand infancy, we are well on the way to being one of the biggest portals in the UAE and on the way to becoming one of the largest in India as well.

”“Our USP is simple. Every agent we’ve spoken to is concerned about the rising costs of property portals; Commercial & Residential People are both a free to list global property portal that helps to eliminate some of the expenses agencies face,

”Since launching, Residential People has found that a growing number of searches on its UK site come from prospective overseas buyers looking to relocate here or investors keen to enter the market, this figure is replicated across the South African market as well, with a particular interest in Johannesburg and Cape Town

Mr May continues: “One of our key selling points is that we are international. It is a fact that thousands of properties in certain areas – especially commercial and new build apartments are not being bought by locals but international buyers.”

“In the UAE, for example, after only a few months, we have a 75% market share of all properties.”With the global reach of Residential People, any local South African estate agent can tap into the growing foreign investment across the country, gaining more exposure on their listings for free not only from potential customers in the UK but also from successful expats across the UAE, and soon China.Mr May concludes: “We want to make it abundantly clear that our aim is to work with agents and build an alternative to some of the portals that exist today. While we understand that international attention doesn’t appeal to every South African agent, our nationwide coverage can ensure increased exposure for the local market as well.“ With agents’ support, we are hoping to disrupt the status quo and give agents an alternative to the current duopoly.

Smart water management in focus at property event 

The organisers of the African Real Estate & Infrastructure Summit have announced the gold sponsorship of Utility Systems, an industry leader in the field of remote communicating electronic water control valves and STS prepayment devices. The opportunities and challenges in the South African property sector, from commercial to residential, will be in focus at the summit that returns to Sandton from 11-12 October.

Some 200 property professionals are expected to attend this award-winning real estate event.

Assisting Cape Town with water crisis
“We are involved in a number of projects in various parts of the world which impact water usage” says Darren Oxlee, Chief Technical Officer at Utility Systems, and a featured speaker at the summit on Smart Water Management. He adds: “most pertinent at this time is the City of Cape Town: we have been deeply involved in assisting the City to manage the recent water crisis by providing a flow limitation solution to reduce household water consumption. We have more than 200,000 units deployed across the City of Cape Town. The implementation of our solution has formed part of the City’s strategy.” 

According to Utility Systems’ Darren Oxlee, his vision for water management in the property sector is that: “every water consumption point should be managed and monitored with the goal of reducing non-technical losses to under 20% by 2030. At the moment it is estimated that we lose about 38% of potable water in our systems which, aside for the massive cost, unnecessarily wastes our most valuable resource.”

Darren’s full interview can read on the event website: http://www.african-real-estate-summit.com/UtilitySystems-interview

Also read: Awareness: the first step in water conservation, by Utility Systems

Property Buyer Show
During the same week as the African Real Estate & Infrastructure Summit, the award-winning Property Buyer Show also returns to Gauteng from 12-14 October at the Sandton International Convention Centre. The Property Buyer Show is a unique, proven format exhibition aimed at first-time residential property buyers or real estate investors and earlier this year won the AAXO ROAR Organiser and Exhibitor Award for the Best Consumer Exhibition 6000 sqm and under.

The African Real Estate & Infrastructure Summit was also voted Africa's best Confex (half conference, half exhibition) at the 2017 AAXO Roar Awards.

The summit and the Property Buyer Show are organised by the multi award-winning Spintelligent, well known for organising exhibitions and conferences across the continent in the infrastructure, energy, mining and agriculture sectors. Longstanding flagship events by Spintelligent include African Utility Week, Future Energy Nigeria (formerly WAPIC), Future Energy East Africa (formerly WAPIC), Agritech Expo Zambia, Kenya Mining Forum, Nigeria Mining Week, DRC Mining Week. Spintelligent is part of Clarion Events Ltd, based in the UK.

Dates and location:
African Real Estate & Infrastructure Summit: 11-12 October 2018
Property Buyer Show expo: 13-14 October 2018
Location: Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa

Websites: http://www.african-real-estate-summit.com/ & http://www.propertybuyershow.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ARES_Summit & https://twitter.com/propertyshowsa
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8518271

Media contact:
Senior communications manager:  Annemarie Roodbol
Telephone:  +27 21 700 3558
Email:  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.