Author’s Blurb: I don’t think I’d be buying a home anytime soon, but the rate at which the proptech industry is now innovating makes me look forward to it. The home-buying process used to look so archaic and hard-to-understand, but many startups are addressing its issues and making it more accessible.
Speak to a proptech startup and more than likely, they’d all cite similar issues in the property industry that they’re seeking to solve.
However, they have their own methods. At the moment, with the property industry being vast and many of its issues still unsolved, I’d say there’s still room for more players.
Think about the standard way we still view and buy property. First, you’d have to manually sift through a bunch of listings (often with fragmented, messy information or repeated listings), and then you’d have to contact the agent or seller in question. Not the most efficient methods.
So, what Nextsix, a new proptech app aims to do is instead allow homebuyers to use GPS to search for properties in the area, and then contact the agents online instantaneously.
This could be for acquiring more information, arranging an appointment or immediate viewing, or to seek further advice on the property.
Traditional Advertisement Listings Don’t Cut It
Nextsix targets homebuyers who are looking to buy/rent properties or contact agents online in nearby areas with its “GPS Your Agent” feature.
Users can also search for properties through classified listings equipped with more tools like a direct video link or a 3D home tour link.
Rather than just putting up boring old advertisement listings, Nextsix emphasises that the better way is to connect homebuyers directly to agents focused on particular areas.
It’s important because real estate agents are the main sources of information, not just for buyers, but for sellers too.
“This is more so true for secondary property market (aka subsale market), as each and every property is unique,” Sai Yien, IT Director of Nextsix explained to Vulcan Post.
Dictionary Time: Subsale properties refer to properties that are available to purchase from an existing owner, like a family that’s moving out and putting up their home for sale.
Hence, the homebuyer’s property search experience will be greatly improved, as they have a higher chance to connect with an agent that’s actually experienced with properties in the area for better insights and recommendations.
“Any agent that registers with Nextsix will be verified through information provided by Board of Valuers, Appraisers and Estate Agents Malaysia, or validation with the registered agency,” Sai Yien assured us of their vetting process.
Better Information Gained = Better Decisions Made
No tool on the market is able to give you 100% assurance that you’re getting the best deal in town on a piece of property, and Nextsix can’t promise the same either.
But by providing users with all the information they need, they’re hoping it’ll help buyers come to a sound analysis. After that, it’s up to themselves to make better, well informed decisions.
Currently, Nextsix is free to use for all parties, which will no doubt be a very inviting offer to draw in users and agents alike.
Like many online advertising platforms in various industries, Nextsix will then gradually ease into a future monetisation model based on advertisement placements with higher exposure.
“We foresee that the move to start monetising will only happen when Nextsix has created enough value for our stakeholders, that it becomes feasible to charge a premium for willing clients,” Sai Yien told us.
Homing In On Opportunities
Though Nextsix has just launched, they’ve ambitiously planned out features to enhance the ecosystem already.
They’ll be:
- HomeMall, that will offer real estate related products like furniture, lighting, bedding, curtains, kitchenware, etc. that customers can buy,
- HomePro, that will offer real estate related services, such as access to lawyers, bankers, interior designers, renovators, internet services, plumbing, repair services, and more.
“These are products and services that most buyers/tenants will definitely need, after purchasing/renting a property,” Sai Yien explained.
Once it’s developed into a one-stop platform, users can just use it for anything home-related with confidence as HomeMall and HomePro will have a validated rating system for all service providers and merchants.
To kick off their start, Nextsix is hosting a lucky draw campaign with T&Cs here, where they’re giving out prizes worth a total of RM300,000, with prizes like The Makeover Guys vouchers worth RM12,888 and RM8,888.
There are 6 steps to participating, which you can view in detail here. In a nutshell, buying or renting a property through Nextsix’s app will automatically have you in the running to win.
The lucky draw begins on December 1, 2020 and will last until May 31, 2021.
As of now, they have approximately 1,500 agents on the platform, and aren’t slowing down in their search for more.
You’d find that most of them are within Klang Valley, while there are some from Penang, Johor, Sabah, and Sarawak too.
“By end of 2021, we aim to achieve a total of 5,000 property agents onboard, employing the Nextsix app to reach out to potential customers,” Sai Yien concluded.
Bottom Line: While Nextsix’s solution doesn’t sound unfamiliar to me, it’s still different enough from what I’ve seen on the market, and I look forward to seeing real use cases of it. The one-stop platform goal is also a great value add for users. It’s time that we see more improvements to the property industry, and Nextsix’s efforts will not go unnoticed.
- You can learn more about Nextsix here and the lucky draw here.
- You can read about other proptech related articles here.
Featured Image Credit: Nextsix
