Portal claims 40 new agency sign-ups since start of 2...

A locally-owned property portal called Propertynews says it’s signed up over 40 more agents to list properties since New Year.

More than 400 agents in total now list their properties on Propertynews, 150 more than when GCD Technologies bought and began investing in the site in October 2021.

As a result, Propertynews now has more residential properties listed for sale and rent in Northern Ireland than any other portal.

Visits are up 47 per cent since the start of 2024 and the number of enquiries being sent to agents is up 94% compared to the corresponding period in 2023.

Managing director Emma Kerr says the owners put in place a growth strategy, including significant investment in technology.

“We have invested very significantly in Propertynews in recent years, in terms of our technology, our brand and our positioning, and this is really paying off as more and more agents continue to opt to list their properties … and house hunters continue to visit us in greater numbers,” she says.

“As an example, we recently launched our bespoke AI property assistant, Liv, which has proven popular with users and agents, and is one important factor in the growth that we are experiencing.

“The housing market continues to perform well, with homebuyers increasingly active in the market and the number of sales continuing to increase. I am confident that we can continue to provide agents with the best platform to showcase their properties and house hunters with the very best experience when seeking to buy or rent their dream home.”

Propertynews is owned by local business GCD Technologies and says over 1.5m users have visited the site within the past 6 months.