Property purchasing in South Africa is being driven by a younger generation that relies on the internet for information, bond originator ooba said on Monday.<\/p>\n
Its research showed that the average age of first-time property buyers was 33, and that of people applying for an ooba bond 37.<\/p>\n
Chief operations officer Rhys Dyer said in a statement most of this younger market had used e-mail addresses for most of their adult lives.<\/p>\n
“… [They] have used search engines over any other reference tool when they’re looking for information, have Facebook profiles, and interact with friends and brands on Twitter.<\/p>\n
“Naturally, when considering buying a house, the internet is the first place they’ll look,” Dyer said.<\/p>\n
The company’s online bond affordability calculator recorded a 28 percent increase in page views over the last year, compared with the previous year.<\/p>\n
Bond applications through ooba’s website (www.ooba.co.za) increased 48.6 percent in the first quarter of 2013, compared with the previous quarter.<\/p>\n
Dyer said this was significant growth, even when an improved property market was taken into account.<\/p>\n
“Because of this, we’ve made sure that our website offers increased visibility and navigability of the services that our clients want to access…”<\/p>\n
Since at least 39 percent of urban South Africans used their cellphones to browse the internet, ooba had created a mobile version of its website to cater for this market.<\/p>\n
Estate agents also increasingly used online services and social media to market properties.<\/p>\n
“A personal referral from a friend is still the most likely way for an estate agent to gain business, but now ‘personal’ can mean digital, and ‘friend’ can mean any of your Twitter followers who see your query.”<\/p>\n
The company offered a service where clients could chat online with home finance experts during business hours.<\/p>\n
Clients could make their home loan applications face-to-face, telephonically, or online.<\/p>\n
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