Manila, JANUARY 2015 — ZipMatch.com, a real estate portal based in Taguig, Philippines, has recently released a platform known as “Explore.” This is so named because it allows interested home buyers to get a detailed look at property developments across the Philippines, all from the convenience of their personal computer, laptop, or mobile phone.
ZipMatch has since released “Explore Taguig” and “Explore Makati,” and plans to roll out more “Explore” platforms for other major cities and municipalities over the coming year.
ZipMatch was founded in 2012 by Chow Paredes and John Dang. Paredes, a veteran real estate broker and currently serving as the startup’s Chief Revenue Officer (CRO), believes that the value of “Explore” is having all of the right information they need to be confident in buying a home.
“Finding a home in the Philippines is very challenging. Before, you had to scramble all over the Internet to find out everything that you want to know about a property. And even then, you aren’t sure if the information is reliable.”
Paredes continued, “Explore’ is our attempt to address this problem. By collating everything a home buyer would possibly need to know about a property into a single location and vetting its accuracy through our scout team, we are providing the tools Filipinos need to make smart and confident choices.”
The “Explore” platform is made up of several key features, each of which is integral in giving home buyers everything they need to know about a particular property.
These include:
- Property overview – Users can read about the property’s key details, such as what amenities it has, and what policies the building implements.
- Property reviews – Users can read reviews written by ZipMatch’s scout team, as well as those left by other reviewers. Users can also add their own reviews about the property.
- 360° Virtual Tour – Users can take a Google Maps-style tour of the major areas of a property, such as its lobby and amenities.
- Unit listings – Users can see which units in the property are available for either sale or for rent.
- Location overview – Users can see points of interest (groceries, malls, hospitals) and how far they are in relation to the property on our special map.
- Developer overview – Users can read about the developer’s background and history in real estate.
Paredes said that “Explore” also encourages users, especially former tenants or visitors, to provide information that is normally not available on real estate ads or brochures.
“We want to begin a conversation. As such, current residents, sales agents, brokers, potential buyers can create the most accurate picture of a property in the form of property reviews,” Paredes said.
The startup, which is backed by investment firms IMJ Fenox, 500Startups, Ideaspace Foundation, and Hatchd Digital, is made up of a team of experts in IT and software engineering, sales, and business development, to SEO, 360 photography, and digital content marketing. The team’s goal is to make the home buying process – from scouting, home loan financing to closing – in the Philippines easier and smarter.