theSun Property October 2015

2 / 5

ON FRIDAY OCTOBER 9, 2015
Email your feedback and
queries to: propertyqs@
X
I was
established in 2003. Leveraging
technology and internet scope
and dynamism, it was set up to
facilitate property sector data,
knowledge and insights. Offering
innovative “products” and
supported by a teamof young (and
young at heart), enthusiastic and
spirited individuals, iProperty
became a public listed company in
2007 with offices in six Asian
countries – Thailand, Hong Kong-
Macau, Indonesia, the Philippines,
Singapore andMalaysia.
Visibility and dynamismof the
“iProperty brand” caught the
attention of the REAGroup, the
Australianmedia conglomerate,
which inter alia, owns television
stations, news portals and dailies.
REAGroup bought into the
business and as the largest
shareholder, took iProperty to
greater heights.
Today, is
arguably themost prominent and
reputed online real estate
company in Southeast Asia.
Staffed by 380 employees, it is
increasingly gainingmore
momentumand driving opinion
and thought leadership in the
property arena. As more people
come into themiddle class, PMEB
and opulent sectors, it will
postulatemore buyers and
investors, further driving and
expanding the property industry.
iProperty is thus operating in
consistent-growth sector.
Georg Chmiel, who has been on
the board of directors since 2011,
formally took hold of the reins as
regional managing director and
CEOof iProperty Group in 2014.
IPROPERTY PLUS POINTS
1) People and facilitation
Driving a successful regional
business in today’s world requires
a combination of talented
personnel and appropriate use of
the internet. Companies without
capable, committed staff and lack
of “online leverage” are unlikely to
feature among the top players in
any industry.
“For us, the key is real estate
advertising. Making it more
efficient and convenient for the
industry, allowing buyers and
investors to find the properties
theywant easily, for vendors to
touch basewith agents … in general,
better outcomes for the sale of
properties. On the other hand, we
also look into the developers’
concerns and help them sell their
products ... faster,” Chmiel informs.
The CEO also shares that the
customer is always inmindwhen
the company designs new features
and products. “We always ask
ourselves who is the person
“searching”? Is the person...
an investor?
a first home buyer?
an up-grader?
an empty nester?
“Based on these factors, we
segment the properties and
information on our website to
around 15 different categories. This
will facilitate the users’ search.”
iProperty is now a well-
established brand and
automatically attracts people to its
website. “Our portal is accessible to
everyone. Besides helping youwith
the data and categorisation, it
guides and facilitates your search,”
Chmiel adds.
2) Easy accessibility
Besides its dynamic and forward-
thinking workforce (a relatively
young team, averagely aged below
30), iProperty can also shout about
its strongest point, its “core
product” – powerful, updated
knowledge and insights on
propertymarkets – readily
accessible 24/7, worldwide on the
internet via .
Online leverage is among
themost
important
tools for any
company
today,
particularly
in connecting
buyers and
sellers.
“We’ve also
revamped
the website
using new
technology, on
how a search is
conducted and how
properties are being
displayed. It’s having an impact as
people can find things more easily
now. We’ve also refreshed the
content and nowhave a separate
news section specifically for
property news – iPropertyFocus –
via . The
website works much quicker
empowering easier and faster
access to desired information.
“We have also segregated
properties according to certain
buckets of similarities. Further
providing potential associative
links ‘… if you like this, youmay
also like these ones’. The company
has simultaneously also developed
X
X
X
X
developments to
Malaysian buyers,
assisting and guiding
thembefore theymake a
purchasing decision. “A
lot of data can be
amassed from the
searches …we are
planning on providing
certain key information
to developers so they can
buildwhat people are
looking for … and of
course insights to
support the agents as
well,” said Chmiel.
4) New innovative
products
Around four months ago,
iProperty developed
some newproducts to
assist developers, home
buyers and investors.
“Barely half a year and
it is already gaining
momentumand has the
industry talking. Many
developers are already realising the
effectiveness of iGoggles and how
it can help themby involving us at
an early stage, not just at the
advertising phase, but at the
planning feasibility stage,” Chmiel
informs. Like a virtual showroom,
iGoggles bridges the gap between
the developer and the buyer/
investor. Besides the viewer being
able to see a development in a
three-dimensional space, the
“goggles” comes in handy as it is
compact and portable. iGoggles has
not just widened iProperty’s buyer
base, it has allowed amuch greater
degree of people to be aware of its
“customer’s” projects, local as well
as international.
iRealtor is also an iProperty
app but for mobile phone
users. “When one wants to
do a new residential
listing for example – a
house for sale/rent,
with number of
rooms and
description,
et cetera –
all one
needs to do
is fill in the
information
required on our
website, snap pictures and
upload them. We’ve also put in
place a couple of buttons to report
the quality of listings, to report
abuse or misuse and such,” Chmiel
adds.
5) Agents and peoples’ choice
awards
“After a very successful start last
year, iProperty is conducting the
second “Agents Awards”. This has
nowbecome an important event
for the property agent community.
The prestigious Peoples’ Choice
Awards this year is scheduled for
earlyNovember. This is among the
rare property awards where the
preference and opinion of
consumers, property buyers,
purchasers, developers and even
agents, is recorded and considered
by a panel of eminent judges.
The number of award categories
has been increased to 15 this year,
besides including international
developments. We have already
received 111 entries and numbers
have been screened and narrowed
down to 84. “This year we have five
judges. Public votingwill
continue till Oct 13. Anyone living
inMalaysia can put in their vote,”
informs Chmiel
“Besides these awards we also
regularly organise ‘developer and
agent mingling nights’. We often
execute surveys, connecting with
consumers and property buyers,
collating insights gleaned from
their aspirations, budgets, practical
desires and expectations in the
propertymarket. We believe in
spending time with our customers
and talking to them, understanding
their sentiments and helping them
to disseminate information from
and via our portals.”
VIEWONMALAYSIAN
MARKET
“Many felt that the GST and
downward slide of the ringgit
would destroy themarket but it
hasn’t. They have actuallymade it
more attractive. In fact, Malaysians
with capital and disposable income
apparently suggest that they are
more interested in buying now than
theywere sixmonths ago. After all,
most countries have GST. Like
when the eurowas introduced (in
2002), prices rose and things were
quiet for a while … it’ll all be back
to normal.
“Actually, despite the temporary
downturn and the tanking of the
ringgit, themarket potential and
confidence are still very high.
Confidence is driven by facts
and perception in everymarket.
The underlying verity is that
Malaysia, the 34th biggest country
in the world, has a relatively stable
socio-economic foundation
comparedwith other countries. So,
people are willing to
invest.
Moreover, we
are a
growing,
young
population.
Factoring all that
helps drive the
confidence in this
market,” Chmiel
states.
Affordability is
another key factor in the
market. “Anything up to
RM500,00 is very high in
demand. Anything up to
RM800,000 to RM1 million is
still very strongly in demand.
Above that, it really depends on
which segment you’re in. But we
definitely see a demand in Johor,”
informs Chmiel and culls some
relevant insights gleaned from a
recent survey conducted by
iProperty in Johor.
Chmiel also reiterates that
Penang has always been among
the top threemarkets inMalaysia,
especiallywhere upcoming areas
are concerned. “There is still a
high demand for property in
Penang. Many of our survey
respondents outside of Selangor
still choose Penang as their
top-priority destination for
purchasing property.”
theSun exclusive interviewwith
Georg Chmiel, regional managing
director and CEOof iProperty
Groupwas conducted by
Michele Theseira and PrashunDutt.
a strong online experience for
mobile apps andmobile websites,
not just for consumers, but also for
agents,” Chmiel informs.
3) Valuable data
“On we empower
our site-users with readily available
data for potential property
buyers and investors. It’s
not just about advertising.
We also utilise the insights
and experience provided
by the people executing the
searches,” Chmiel says.
By analysing the wide
range of searches executed
by all interested
parties,
iProperty.
com is
able to
provide
updated information
plus insights about themarket’s
wants, needs and trends. “If you log
into our website, youwill note that
we also have data gleaned from
tracking the search patterns – from
house types to locations, city-
centres and suburbs, price range
and configurations. We can also
predict what people are looking for
at any appointed time, in a certain
suburb, inwhich price range, even
preferred configurations. This
information postulates really
powerful insights for developers
and sellers,” states Chmiel.
There is also an international
sectionwhere iProperty presents
information about overseas
Investing inproperty
THIS Sunday, from 2pm to 4pm, those interested in investing in
the propertymarket are invited to a talk hosted by Agile Real
Estate Development (M) Sdn Bhd at Mont Kiara Sales Gallery.
At the event, author of the book ‘The Strategic Property Investor”
Ahyat Isyakwill share valuable insights on “Buying property in
times of uncertainty”.
Ahyat, a name that is renowned in the property industry here,
is also founder of the “Property Investor” programme. He will
also share howhe became amillionaire before the age of 30,
through property investments. Hear howhe has helped other
Malaysians increase their wealth by replicating his successful
property investment strategies, along with snippets of
information on the life of theman himself and his rise to success.
Why invest in shares which are an “index”, on companies
that come and gowhen property is tangible and here to stay?
Moreover, as land becomes scarce with time, prices will
appreciate. For enquiries and registration, log on to
> Empowering access to propertymarket knowledge and data for purchasers, sellers and industry analysts
Driving knowledge & opinion leadership
Georg Chmiel.