A former estate agent turned property feed supplier has launched a website that lets users search for nearby properties for sale on a satellite map.
The web app, called Virtual Signz, uses the web address RightmoveRighthere.com, and displays virtual for sale or for rent boards in the selected region.
Buyers, sellers, agents or just the ‘plain curious’ let the website access their location and they will then be able to see homes for sale or rent within a half mile radius through Google Maps. You can expand the search by zooming out of the map.
Users can click on the virtual signs and will be directed to the Rightmove listing.
The site is free to use but agents can pay to have the virtual boards display their own branding.
Virtual Signz (VSignz) is the brainchild of Corin Ashbee-Waugh, who has previously worked for agents such as Chancellors as well as running his own firm.
He also runs property feed provider XML2U.
Ashbee-Waugh told EYE there are no copyright issues with Rightmove as traffic is being directed to the portal and no data is being stored.
He said: “We’ve launched this facility to make it quicker and easier for people to see which properties are available in a given location, and to address the shortcomings of the physical for sale and to let boards.
“Naturally, agents will continue to want to use physical boards because they provide great local advertising, but they are only seen by those people who are in that neighbourhood, they fall over in anything above a gentle breeze (or a vandal), some councils ban their use, they’re not cheap, and not every home owner allows them.
“Speed of access is paramount and one click gets the user to what they want to see. The app also allows the user to switch location and even to see the changing variety of available properties on the go.
“Right from the start, users can see the price and the number of bedrooms for each property, and one click accesses the full details.
“From an agent’s perspective their applicants will find it really useful in both identifying suitable options and finding their way to them, and the agents can increase their brand awareness by electing to have the generic vSignz customised with their own logos.”
Rightmove did not respond to requests for comment.
Comments (7)
Decent idea, either but not brilliantly executed, or (as I suspect) slightly underdeveloped
No opportunity (as I could see) to choose where you search, you just see the properties around where you are now.
And it would be great – not to mention a revenue gainer – to have each agent’s “virtual board” at the property, rather than that of the website.
I can see RM and Z jumping straight onto this with the above corrections. OTM might follow in a couple of millennia
Hello LordElpus56,
I think we’ve already covered your points –
1. To search in a different place, move the map around (zooming out makes this easier) and double tap on your chosen location. A new selection of property vSignz will appear.
2. Agents can brand their vSignz by subscribing for £5 a month per branch (Agent link in the Menu), although we are planning to make this free at least until the user volume has developed to a worthwhile level. Feel free to let me know if anything else occurs to you.
Please try again.
Thanks for the positive reaction. For Property Pundit, linking to the Rightmove listings means we can provide the user with by far the largest selection in the simplest way. Of course there may come a time when that might not be the case in which case we will look to linking to other data sources.
Surely it would be much better to drive traffic to the agent’s own website rather than some third party?
Nice idea. Likely to be bought by Rightmove / Zoopla and integrated?
Amazing out of the box never thought of before idea . This may just replace Rightmoves “show properties on a map” feature where you can see all the properties on a map
“Amazing out of the box never thought of before idea .”
Erm… I would respectfully beg to differ on that. The idea has been thought of… built… tested… better tested… boxed… wrapped…
…and then?
I dunno – maybe someone mentioned it to this guy.