View driving agent referrals

Geelong real estate agents are beginning to see results from their industry’s new property listings website just months after its relaunch.
Real Estate Institute of Victoria is a major partner in View.com.au, launched in July as a replacement for the institute’s previous listings website but with an emphasis on driving referrals to participating agents.
The site continues to list thousands of dwellings for sale, but traffic has skyrocketed as users flock to its Property 360 tool, offering free data on more than 10,000,000 properties around Australia.
Property 360 provides current valuations based on each property’s previous sales prices and the value of nearby listings with similar features.
The tool also allows users to update property details with renovation additions, such as extra bedrooms or larger garages, to obtain revised values.
Agents subscribing to View.com.au can take advantage of Property 360’s referral option, with users’ contact details forwarded when they ask for a “local expert” to conduct an appraisal.
View.com.au’s James Strahan says Property 360 has so far generated 16 referrals in Geelong on the back of 6300-plus local visits since the relaunch just a few months ago.
The fast growth in traffic is bound to send the figures consistently higher as more users discover the free tool, he says.
View.com.au has now established itself as Australia’s third largest property website with the participation of interstate real estate institutes. The site achieved 2.2 million visits nationally in October, up around a third since the relaunch.
The site gives real estate agents a chance to take back control of their industry’s online marketing amid ongoing complaints about the two existing dominant players’ rates.
The Geelong Indy has been promoting view.com.au since the paper’s parent company, Star News Group, became a partner in the website.
Indy managing editor Tony Galpin says view.com.au has arrived at an ideal time for prospective buyers, including a recent influx of investors in the Geelong region.
“The ability to look up the prices and previous sales value of as many properties as you like for free is a real advantage,” he says.
“Market insights such as this often come from other companies at a charge per property, so it’s a great way to do your homework without accumulating big bills.”
Property 360 is also invaluable to anyone wanting to sell their home or find out the previous and current selling prices of other properties for comparison purposes, Mr Galpin said.
“Even if you’re not selling or buying it’s just a lot of fun looking up all the figures on any home you choose. It’s certainly entertaining, with useful information, too.
“And if you are in the market for a new home, view.com.au has lots of local listings and rentals as well.
“It’s a complete real estate website with the added value of Property 360.”