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FINDING a property or a house and lot these days is just one click of a mouse, in this Age of the Internet. Thailand is a popular real estate destinations from people all over the world and before coming here, people from Europe and the US usually first check the Internet to look for a good deal or an agent.
“If one is seriously buying a land and home in Thailand and they’re really looking and browsing, they know must know 1Rai.com,” says James Ransby, 5Phase general manager.
1Rai.com has by far the largest selection of properties on Koh Samui (currently with over 1,600 active listings just on Samui) as well as Pattaya, Phuket, Hua Hin, Chiangmai and Bangkok. Property listings on 1Rai.com are added and managed, live and in real time, by the marketing agent, ensuring that potential buyers always receive accurate and up-to-date information.
The website is managed and designed by software company 5Phase Asia Pacific, which specializes in Enterprise Information Systems to Government, Corporate and Not for Profit sectors.
Mr. Ransby believes that the Internet is becoming a more and more important medium for marketing property within Thailand.
“Already proving itself as the preferred and most utilized method of property sales in Internet-savvy cultures, the high foreign demand for Thai property and ever-increasing number of Web visitors to Thailand makes the Internet the premier marketplace for Thailand real estate. Whether for their own home or investment, foreign purchasers of property in Thailand are becoming more discerning and, quite simply, now expect the convenience of a single location to research accurate property information both before and during their visit to Thailand,” Ransby says.
The 1Rai.com public property portal offers a wide range of property for sale all over Thailand. 1Rai.com’s “one search” feature enables consumers from around the world to search a comprehensive and accurate list of Thailand properties from one site. Attracting ever-increasing levels of web traffic, July 2007 saw 1Rai.com visitor levels crack the 50,000 mark and, according to Alexa.com independent web traffic survey figures in September, 1Rai.com became the most visited real estate-specific web portal in Thailand. They have 450 listings in Phuket, 906 homes and 696 plots of lands for sale on Koh Samui.
“Real estate does or doesn’t sell due to one of two factors: price and exposure. Providing buyers with easy and convenient access dramatically increases a property’s potential for discovery; and real inquiry leads to real sales. ... Listings on 1Rai.com is seen by a large audience of property customers from all over the world. Since our launch in August 2005, 1Rai.com property listings have been viewed by 164 countries,” says Ransby.
While he is quick to point out the advantages of Internet marketing, he agrees that a single source of advertising is not the key to success in the property game.
Ransby states, “Buying property, along with getting married, is one of the two statistically most stressful times of a person’s life.
Because of this, a buyer wants to use someone whom they can trust to facilitate the purchase and this is the value of developing a quality brand.
This should be done in two ways—local presence, which is typically made up of local magazine and newspaper advertising and signage, and international presence, which includes web marketing, international real estate magazines and property exhibitions.
Obviously, if more people get exposed to a property, there is a higher chance that it will get sold.
And if the agency has developed an awareness and reputation among its customers, their rate of sales will be significantly higher per lead than those who haven’t.”
Koh Samui Properties’ property manager Andreas Pfiffner says, “I must say that it (1Rai.com) is an extremely easy and well-done process. Furthermore, suggestions are taken into account and you can feel that they try to make their website one of the leaders in its field.”
Stuart Evans, managing director of Koh Samui Land & Homes, echoes Mr. Pfiffner: “Following the launch of 1Rai.com, we have found a significant rise in e-mail inquiries from a cross of purchasers from a wide range of countries, each commenting on how convenient it was to search for Thai property via one source.”—Blanca Aquino
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