The property arm of carsales.com Ltd, homesales.com.au topped the 450,000* UB barrier in August this year, and in the last 12 months has more than doubled its audience.
And in recent months homesales.com.au has launched a number of new features aimed to enriching the user experience.
homesales.com.au’s latest updates include:
- New search results presentation across the For Sale, For Rent and Investor Search channels. This features responsive design which adapts the layout of the search results based on the users screen size and is an industry first for mainstream Australian real estate portals.
- A new menu bar that scrolls with the page, allowing users to easily navigate between search channels.
- Planning Application data allowing users to view current council planning applications within 2kms of the advertised property. Perfect for investors looking for subdivision opportunities.
- Tax Depreciation data and calculators within the investment search channel. Helping investors looking for negative gearing opportunities.
- Points of Interest Data within the property listing detail pages. This helps inform users of local amenities such as schools, hospitals, local shopping centres, etc.
- Find an Agent directory launched — allowing users to find their local real estate agent.
- The launch of a homesales.com.au mobile site with a strong focus on simple navigation and call to action enquiry placements.
The latest version of homesales.com.au leverages experience from a range of areas, explained carsales.com Ltd Chief Information Officer and Director of homesales.com.au, Ajay Bhatia.
“As the online and mobile marketplaces continue to grow, users are looking for a wider range of data and information at their finger tips,” Mr Bhatia explained.
“Leveraging the broader carsales.com Ltd technology base has allowed homesales.com.au to move quickly to address consumer needs and wants. homesales.com.au now offers a unique mix of data and classified content that is served contextually to users – whether they are visiting the site form their smartphone, tablet or desktop computer,” he said.
“This latest new product and data integration is another step in the right direction for homesales.com.au,” he stated.
According to Mr Bhatia, homesales.com.au users now have access to more than 175,000 properties online.
“It is an exciting time for the homesales.com.au business,” commented Rhett Dallwitz, General Manager of homesales.com.au.
“We’re very pleased to be able to bring these latest releases to market. And with more new features and agent specific products scheduled for release within the first quarter of 2013, there’s plenty to come,” he said.
^ homesales.com.au internal reporting, November 2012.
* Nielsen Site Census August 2012
** Source: Nielsen Online Market Intelligence, Automotive Information Report, November 2012 and Nielsen Online, Site Census, Mobile, November 2012
