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A new alert feature is the marketplace’s way of getting an edge over the competition.
Homely has introduced “Homely Alerts”, an instant notification feature aiming to give property seekers a competitive advantage in the house hunt, with co-CEO Adam Spencer also considering it as a way to get users onto the platform.
With the instant alert feature able to notify users instantly when new properties are listed, Mr Spencer acknowledges buyers often switch between major portals to get a competitive edge, but “users will need to be on Homely to stay ahead of the competition”.
Touted as capable of “trawling the listings so they (buyers) don’t have to”, Homely said what differentiates its alert capability from that of other portals is it alerts users with emails and push notifications within minutes of listings going live, rather than daily or weekly.
Luke Kenyon, the head of product at Homely, said that “with limited stock on the market, feeling up-to-date and ahead of the market with instant alerts makes all the difference to buyers”.
But its benefits aren’t just restricted to buyers, with Homely stating that it can help agents “reach the most targeted and highly engaged audience from the moment a property campaign begins”.
It’s a sentiment with which OBrien Chelsea’s owner, Stavros Ambatzidis, agrees, having stressed that “building momentum right at the beginning of a property campaign is imperative”.
Mr Kenyon said the Homely user experience is continuously evolving, with the optimisation of Homely Alerts now “one of our highest priorities”.
“We are ensuring they are fast and convenient to help users find their homes sooner.”
While the instant alerts feature is a new one, it’s already seen buyer success.
Sarah Mullan and Luke Iannello had reportedly been searching for a property for a year when Ms Mullan received a Homely Alerts notification on a Friday evening.
“This property had just hit the market, was exactly what we wanted, and had an open home the next day,” she commented.
With her and Mr Iannello already having their weekend of inspections planned out, she believes that without the notification, “we would have missed that property entirely”.
“Instead, we were the first to view and went on to buy the house within the week!”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Grace Ormsby
Grace is a journalist across Momentum property and investment brands. Grace joined Momentum Media in 2018, bringing with her a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Communication (Journalism) from the University of Newcastle. She’s passionate about delivering easy to digest information and content relevant to her key audiences and stakeholders.
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