Remember how you used to look for an apartment? Newspapers, ads on boards, endless calls to agencies. It takes a long time, there is little information, and an eternal feeling that you still don’t know something.
But everything has changed. Technologies have burst into this process and turned it upside down. Today, you can find housing in one evening, without leaving your home, with a cup of tea in your hands.
In this article, I will tell you how exactly technologies are changing the real estate market. And why, if you haven’t looked for an apartment for a long time, you will be pleasantly surprised.
Online platforms and marketplaces
I’ll start with the most important thing – online platforms. There are many such platforms, but it’s better to pay attention to local ones. For example, if you are looking for bungalows for sale in Sutton Coldfield, you should start your search with a local housing aggregator.
If you are not familiar with Floople yet, check it out. This is a convenient service for finding real estate, where you simply search by parameters for housing in a certain area.
You indicate the price, the number of rooms, and a list of suitable options opens in front of you. Everything is simple, clear, and intuitive.
You don’t need to call agents or write about each ad – you can contact them directly through the platform, which saves a lot of time and nerves. In addition, the information on Floople is constantly updated.
You will not be shown “outdated” apartments that have already been rented – only current data, in real time.
And you know what’s the coolest thing? You can search at any time. Night, weekend, break at work – everything works 24/7. Flexibility that is hard to overestimate. At the same time, you will not waste time watching ads, because there are none.
Thus, online platforms are the technology that has greatly simplified the search for both rental housing and real estate for purchase.
Social networks and crowdsourcing
Have you noticed how many real estate ads have started appearing on social networks? Facebook, Instagram, even TikTok — it’s no longer just about food photos and memes.
People often find interesting offers there, but it’s more difficult to search here — there are no filters like in online aggregators, so it’s more of an element of luck. One of the advantages is that you can read reviews from real residents in the comments.
Here is a short list of what you can find through social networks:
- Ads from owners without intermediaries
- Recommendations from friends and subscribers
- Real photos and videos from apartments
- Opinions about areas and houses
- Advice from bloggers and experts
This is a kind of public expertise. Useful, especially when planning to move to an unfamiliar area.
Mobility
Modern technologies have made us mobile. And this applies not only to smartphones. Many of us search for apartments on the go — in transport, in a queue, between meetings.
Online platforms like Floople.co.uk have a mobile version, and it is incredibly convenient. It has all the same functions as on the desktop. This saves time when choosing.
The interface adapts to the screen, nothing slows down. You scroll through the options, open maps, and set filters — all in a couple of clicks. And you don’t need to install anything. Just go to the browser and search.
Some aggregators release their mobile applications; this is also convenient, but someone may not want to install the program on their phone.
Integration with maps is also a plus, some companies have this feature. You can immediately see where the housing is located, how to get there, and what is nearby. All the information is in your pocket.
Big data and analytics
Now let’s talk about what happens behind the scenes. Many aggregators use big data to make our choice conscious. You see more than just an address and a photo of the apartment.
You get a map of the area, data on schools, transport, crime rates and even street noise.
You can compare dozens of apartments by parameters that no one had ever thought about before: how far to walk to the metro, what cafes are nearby, how much rent costs in this area on average.
Yes, technologies do not just show options. They help make decisions. The ability to see price analytics is especially valuable. For example, Floople will show how the rental price has changed over the past months and whether it is worth bargaining.
This turns the search for an apartment into a process similar to buying in an online store. Only much more significant and serious.
by Ivan Andriiash
Advertising feature with floople.co.uk
