Not that long ago there were only two ways to house-hunt – pouring over the property section published in the weekend newspapers or looking at local estate agencies’ window displays.

However, in the past decade, a technological evolution has completely changed how consumers acquire just about everything in their lives from travel packages to retail therapy solutions. How they find their dream homes has not escaped modern life’s pervasive digital migration either.

These days, at least 80 per cent of property buyers do extensive online research before making their final purchase and, with just a few mouse clicks, they can filter their wish lists to exclude property types and features that are unsuitable before even making contact with an agent.

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“As Smartphone users, we’re subconsciously sucked into digesting social conversation and, for many, social platforms are also their main sources of news and community information,” said Graham Knoop, digital marketing expert and specialist realtor for Lew Geffen Sotheby’s International Realty’s southern suburbs office in Cape Town.

“No other form of media in history has made as deep an impact on property as digital marketing.”

One of the biggest changes is the convenience of being able to do most of the initial ‘legwork’ without actually leaving home, and the sheer volume of information means consumers can equate locations and value with comparative asking prices on a scale that would have been impossible in the age when print was king.

Lew Geffen, chairman of Lew Geffen Sotheby’s International Realty said, “Social media is also a great place to source information about new and trending apps because nowadays the most innovation appears to be happening in these small tech marvels. There seems to be an app for everything, and searching for property is no different.”

One of the most technologically advanced ‘new kids on the block’ is Propscan, an app which provides South African realtors with the technology, and consumers with a simple interface platform, to showcase and view properties in 3D.

Propscan founder, JP van der Bergh said 3D technology gives realtors’ clients the edge over other residences marketed with more conventional tools.

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According to Van der Bergh, the platform is competitively priced at a set rate without hidden monthly charges and, because the app is being widely promoted to consumers as a free search tool with many unique features, property professionals reach their target audiences.

With properties showcased in 3D on Propscan, a simple twist of the viewing device will allow buyers to view features such as floor coverings, fittings and finishes in far greater detail than previously possible with still photographs.

“An agent with the correct digital support and knowledge will achieve the best possible price for your home in the shortest possible time,” concluded Knoop.

Edited by Stacey Woensdregt

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