Realestate.co.nz app hits 100,000 downloads

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Survey shows huge surge in homebuyers using mobile
as Realestate.co.nz app hits 100,000 downloads



Site launches competition for app users to find $5,000 worth of hidden prizes


AUCKLAND, 21 August 2012 – The free mobile app created by Realestate.co.nz that gives users real-time, location-aware information about homes for sale and rent has now been downloaded over 100,000 times.

The milestone – reached this week – coincides with the release today of the 2012 Nielsen Real Estate Market Report, which shows a huge surge in homebuyers using mobile property search applications on smartphones.

Realestate.co.nz CEO, Alistair Helm, says the report revealed that 27 per cent of homebuyers who responded to the survey have used a property search mobile app in the last year, jumping up significantly from just 7 per cent recorded in 2011.

Helm says the report also revealed that seven out of ten of those homebuyers are using the Realestate.co.nz app.

“The significance of these two factors can’t be understated. It shows the app is truly changing the way New Zealand home shoppers look for and view homes, and how they interact with property and agents whilst on the go.”

The Realestate.co.nz app gives home shoppers a birds-eye view of any area in New Zealand, showing properties that are for sale or rent. By simply tapping on the ‘Near Me’ button, browsers are taken to a street map that shows properties within a one kilometre radius of their current location.

Helm says the app – available on both iOS for the iPhone and iPad as well as Android devices – has become an essential accessory for Kiwis searching for local properties for sale or rent. He is aware of several buyers who have found and purchased their home for sale solely through using the mobile app.

“Agents tell us that people are turning up to open homes guided by the app with a schedule fully planned of where they are going and what they are going to check out,” says Helm.

“It is a growing trend that is going to have significant ramifications for property marketing in New Zealand.”

To celebrate the GPS-enabled app reaching the 100,000 downloads milestone this week, Realestate.co.nz is running a nationwide treasure hunt through the app, where users can win $5,000 worth of prizes.

Three golden pins will be hidden on national Realestate.co.nz’s listing map at a variety of locations throughout the country. Clues to the locations will be given during the competition on the Realestate.co.nz Facebook page and Twitter feed.

The first person to find one of the pins wins a new iPad. Each person that uncovers pins thereafter will go into a random prize draw with mobile phones and hundreds of dollars worth of vouchers to be won.

For more information on the ‘Golden Pins’ competition, visit: http://competition.realestate.co.nz

To get the hints for the competition, follow Realestate.co.nz on Facebook www.facebook.com/realestate.co.nz, and Twitter on @realestateconz

For more information on the Realestate.co.nz smartphone app, visit: http://www.realestate.co.nz/apps

NOTE: The Nielsen Real Estate Market Report is based on a site-intercept survey on New Zealand real estate websites conducted during May and June 2012 with a sample size of 1,349 respondents and margin of error of 2.72 percent.

ENDS

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