The easier it gets, the more difficult we find it! This amusing yet contradictory conclusion made by a frustrated house seller is not as far from the truth as it may appear.
Today we have an enormous choice of websites and portals that profess to be the perfect choice for property buyers and sellers. But as in any industry the claims often do not live up to the reality. So what is it that makes for a highly functional and user friendly property classifieds website?
We looked in detail at one of the new upstarts that claims to be the next best thing the on the digital Real Estate market. These are our findings about Khusan:
Khusan – This is the new international kid on the block and features a very user friendly interface. Focus is on ‘For Sale by Owner’ and is certainly simplistic in its approach but incorporates an advanced search that is quite ingenious. Khusan does not only have free classifieds for ‘offered’ Real Estate but also ‘wanted’ listings. So why doesn’t Khusan feature in the best portal compilations?
Everything is in a name. The name Khusan sounds like something you might say when someone sneezes. Khusan is actually the derivation of the word ‘house’. O.E. Hus “dwelling, shelter, house,” from P.Gmc. *khusan (cf. O.N., O.Fris. hus, Du. Huis, Ger. Haus), of unknown origin, perhaps connected to the root of hide (v.). (Source: http://www.etymonline.com/). Yes, very original!
The Khusan home page is simply too… simple. Yes, often a little means a lot – but this homepage doesn’t give you many choices at all. Create an Ad or Search for Property. I can’t help but feel that Khusan is just too similar to another site that also does not feature in the top Property Classified Portals… Google!
User friendliness is one of the major success factors of any website. Property buyers like to wade through different pages and get a feel for a classifieds website. They like to dig down into listings and then climb back out again. This is certainly where Khusan does not stick to convention. With Khusan you can get to any property listing in 2 clicks. This just takes the fun out of surfing. We do not believe this will motivate anyone to return to the portal nor will it create a new trend. Web surfing is not about jumping on a surfboard only to find that you are already on the beach.
The individual property listing page is probably where we have to draw a line and say ‘there is no such thing as a free dinner”. Property details are attractively displayed on one single page. They include the owner contact details, a generous description, property features, a photo gallery with up to 8 images and to conclude the page a Google map is incorporated showing the exact location (if required). All this and it’s allegedly FREE? The owners of Khusan maintain the listings are completely free and will remain so. In my experience, when you ‘pay’ to advertise a property and get this kind of professional service – it feels good and you know you are getting value for money. But when it’s free – it just kinda makes me feel something is not quite right.
In conclusion we have to agree that Khusan does not belong in the list of best Real Estate and Property Classifieds Portals. Why are they offering more and more classifieds each and every day? Why are people form all around the world deciding to advertise their properties with Khusan? Obviously, it’s because Khusan is new and going through that ‘curiosity’ phase. It seems too good to be true so people are using it. But let’s face it – we’ve seen all this happen before. Kind of reminds me of Google!
