Buy-Sell-Rent: Click!

‘Roti, kapda, makaan’: Since ages these three words have preoccupied the mental space of a common Indian. Fulfillment of the third need was his ultimate dream. Thanks to the technological boom we were finally able to place our derailed economy on a super fast growth track. Indians got rich and even an ‘aam admi’ dared to buy his very own living space. But the hunt for an ideal location was still a frustrating task. He had to haggle with a variety of brokers and negotiate at every step. The entire episode was nothing less than a headache. In fact I have been a victim of the mental harassment. It gave me nothing but sleepless nights. Now, due to the booming number of property portals; house hunting is an easy-breezy activity.

The best thing about these websites is that people can interact on an individual basis. All you need to do is just place your ad on any of these sites and within weeks, you will be flooded with calls from prospective sellers or buyers. I did the same for my Noida flat and placed a ‘to sell’ ad on one of the leading portals. I was amazed by the response and within a week I was counting the cash. I am glad that it spared me from the footwork in the torturous heat of NCR.

Of course! This option is better than placing a classified ad in the newspaper as the scope of such portals is infinite. It even reduces the time of preliminary research as you can narrow down your options and deal with a selected number of people. A few powerful players in the market- 99acres, Indiaproperty, and Magicbricks are leading portals as confirmed by Alexa. However, several new entrants are vying to get the share of the Indian real estate pie.

All said and done but the major drawback of internet based deals is the question mark on its credibility. People still doubt the authenticity of internet. Furthermore, it gets very difficult for an individual to verify the legalities. Besides, there aren’t any women-oriented section as for a single women it’s very difficult to contact clients on a one-on-one basis. Irrespective of these mindsets, the increasing demand on the real estate front combined with the increasing comfort with technology, will fuel the growth of property portals. Booming business is here to stay!