4) After a property is listed for two months, reminders are sent to the advertiser, who has to respond, failing which the entry is removed from the website.
Property search tools:
1) There isn’t much difference in the quick and the advanced search options on 99acres. It broadly allows for search on the basis of the price, advertiser—who could be a broker, builder or an individual—and rent-paying capacity of people looking to lease space.
2) The individual property listings do not give all the details about the property that has been advertised, but one can contact or email the advertiser.
Value add-ons:
1) The only prominent research tool on this website is the home finance tool. It allows visitors to apply for a home loan, has a few calculators and carries content such as property news and tips, which are outsourced from other websites such as Moneycontrol.com.
2) The data on property prices is sourced from Cushman & Wakefield (India) Pvt. Ltd and may not be current.
The cost:
The website allows free listing of property by individuals for an initial period of 15 days, after which the fee is Rs500 per listing for a two-month period.
Other features:
Key projects in nine cities and a list of developers get prominent display.
1) You have to navigate the whole website to locate research tools.
2) The quick and the advanced search options on 99acres are similar.
3) The only research tool on this website is the home finance tool.
Magicbricks.com
Promoted by Times Business Solutions, a division of Bennet, Coleman & Co. Ltd, it carries about 600,000 property listings from more than 100 cities and says it gets 18 million page views in a month. Magicbricks has 300,000 registered users and is staffed by 120 people.
Features:
1) With advertisements of builders and brokers popping up from everywhere, the home page looks busy, but it’s the most comprehensive website in terms of property listings, search tools and additional information.
2) The home page is divided according to user categories—developers, prime properties and key agents in various cities. There are separate sections for those who want to look for property and for those who want to put up their property for sale. Registration is required for these services.
Property search tools:
1) Magicbricks has an option for a quick search where one just needs to give specs of the kind of property one is looking for and the location. The advanced search provides the option to select the property on the basis of the price, area and availability of pictures.
2) A separate tool allows a search of builders, agents and buyers. It also allows a person to zero in on individually listed property or a broker- or builder-listed property, but one cannot search for paying guest accommodation.
3) The portal provides a map of the area where the property is located and, in some cases, a virtual tour of the property.
Value add-ons: