Casas de Santo Antão is a brand new real estate development that was recently completed and will be inaugurated next week by the President of Madeira island.

The attractive estate of semi-detached and detached one family homes is located in a tranquil, scenic area of Arco da Calheta with wonderful views over the ocean and surrounding countryside.

The site has been developed by full service digital marketing, development and web design agency Navega Bem. Crafted around the award winning CMS platform Joomla, the site will allow staff at AFA Imobiliária to manage the complete site themselves without any requirement for external help.

Visit the new site of Casas de Santo Antão here.

DEMO SITE (Real Estate Management Tool) http://www.cms-realestate.net is built with Joomla!

Utilizing Joomla! 1.5 as the framework of your web site in conjunction with our ‘CMS Real Estate’ component, you can run a multilingual CMS Real Estate Agency website that you can manage from anywhere in the world. All you need is an internet connection and a standard browser.

We provide a complete, ready to launch website that includes a unique design (we don’t use templates), initial search engine optimization and pre-launch marketing. All you have to do is add or import your properties and off you go. It’s that easy!

‘Navega Bem – Web Design’ provides not only an incredible Real Estate Agency Site that has more integrated features than most of the other solutions put together – we also provide the complete package for a considerably lower cost than our competitors. And there are no license fees, no monthly fees, no maintenance fees or set-up fees.

The complete Property site is managed through just one back office! Our new Joomla 1.5 component (‘CMS Real Estate’) has been developed from the ground up with a complete new architecture and outperforms our original Joomla 1.0 version with ease.

In just 1 hours online training with our remote software we can train you to confidently manage your complete website. We are Joomla specialists and our focus as developers is on user friendly and search engine friendly web sites that work.

See how it works the back-office visit the follow link:
Back-Office Administration – CMS Real Estate Agent Demonstration Site

‘CMS Real Estate’ not only gives you the power to manage your properties but also your complete client database.

Home in Brussels is the new property rental portal that was launched this week to accommodate the requirements of Euro MPs looking for quality furnished apartments within the Brussels area.

Home in Brussels is by no means a new company and have a polished reputation as market leaders for the rental & management of furnished apartments in Brussels.

Day-to-day they manage 500 units, from studios to director’s residences to family accommodation. All are situated in top locations around Brussels: Woluwé-St Pierre & St Lambert, Etterbeek, Brussels, Ixelles, Evere, Uccle, Boitsfort…

The portal was designed and developed by a leading Portuguese full service digital marketing and web design agency: Navega bem – Web Design.

Chris Szabo, MD and Creative Director explained “This is much more than just a website to view potential rental properties. Tenants can pay their rent online, manage their technical or maintenance problems, as well as services such as ordering a welcome food pack.”

“We chose to develop the portal around the Drupal CMS framework as it allows for total flexibility and simple but innovative management tools for the site administrator.”

Visit the Home in Brussels property portal here.

Eine komplette Lösung für Ihre Immobilie

Wir investierten viel Zeit in die Forschung und Entwicklung einer Lösung für Immobilien. Was zunächst lediglich als Projekt für einen einzigen Kunden startete, wandelte sich in eine Obsession für uns – wir studierten vollständig den Markt mit Bezug auf den Verkauf von Immobilien und entwickelten ein Produkt, das den Wettbewerb maximal möglichst direkt hinter uns hinterlässt!

Mit dem Eisatz von Joomla 1.5 als Rückgrat der Website können wir Ihnen eine CMS-Lösung mit Bezug auf Immobilien mehrsprachig, so dass jeder Teil der Welt angesprochen werden könnte, anbieten. Alles, was Sie brauchen, ist nur über die Internetverbindung und einen beliebigen Browser (z.B.: Firefox, Internet Explorer etc.) zu verfügen. Besuchen Sie unsere Website auf den CMS-Immobilien.

Navega Bem ist eine renommierte Firma für Webseitendesign und -entwicklung mit Sitz in Madeira, Portugal. Wir sind Drupal und Joomla-CMS-Spezialisten.

On June 14th 2010 – The Free International Real Estate classifieds listings portal Khusan was launched to cater for both the merchant (house owner, Realtor, travel agent, etc.) and the consumer (all those wanting real estate) to place their advertisements.

Khusan.com’s primary target group is the property owners who sell their realty privately using the ‘For Sale By Owner’ method. However, it is definitely not limited to this target group. No one is excluded from advertising their property or their requirements on Khusan.com. Adverts include comprehensive info about properties and Google Map positioning. Ads are free of charge and it is a refreshing way to create free classified ads within the property market.

Khusan has now added a valuable service for advertisers who would like to see their properties appear at the top of the listings pages. In addition to placing Free ads, an advertiser can now opt in to pay a small fee that will feature his classified ad as a ‘Top Listing’.

Top Listings will appear above free ads and therefore draw considerably more interest from site visitors. This is a highly attractive advantage in a portal that displays thousands of properties. However, the Top Listings segment will be limited to just 4 properties on each page. Therefore free listings which form the very substance of the site, will continue to appear with well positioned ads.

User friendliness is one of the major success factors of any website. With Khusan you can get to any property listing in 2 clicks. 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). Khusan does not only have free classifieds for ‘offered’ Real Estate but also ‘wanted’ listings.

Visit Khusan – The International Real Estate Classifieds Portal here.

Based in Porto, Portugal – the Invictus Group operate in the area of purchasing property for resale in the national Real Estate market.
The Group have now launched their brand new Property website. The site has been developed by Joomla CMS Specialists ‘Navega Bem – Web Design‘.

Chris Szabo, MD of Navega Bem explained “The Grupo Invictus property website has been developed using our own proprietary Real Estate component. Over the last 3 years we have been able to developed a highly competitive solution for Realtors. Probably the biggest advantage is that we do not charge a license fee, maintenance fee, monthly fee or set-up fee.
The sites are skilfully crafted around the Joomla CMS framework. This gives Real Estate agencies total independence. They manage their own sites and are not tied to us in any way. Of course, if they require help, they have our full support.”

Visit the new Grupo Invictus Real Estate website.

Full service digital marketing, development and web design agency Navega Bem, based on Madeira island, Portugal – have won a contract to implement  a Social media marketing campaign for the Palheiro Estate Group.

The group comprises of several premium level web sites and blogs and together serve content to several thousand visitors daily.

The Palheiro Estate Group encompasses the renowned Palheiro Estate website which markets luxury properties, Casa Velha – the luxury country house hotel, Palheiro Golf – Madeira islands premiere golf course, Palheiro Rentals – which offers the rental of luxury Villas and Apartments in the stunning Palheiro Village complex, Balancal – which operates Sport Fishing, Cruising, Whale and Doplhin watching – as well as the soon to be launched Palheiro Real Estate website which will focus on the marketing of luxury properties and allow the current Palheiro Estate portal to become the hub of the entire group.

Navega Bem are now running successful Social Media marketing campaigns for 3 companies. Chris Szabo, MD of the company explained “We are very happy to have the opportunity to work with the Palheiro Estate Group in this area of marketing. Most people are aware of the growing impact of Twitter, Facebook and blogs. We have become specialized in the the working of these and other new technologies to reach a targeted audience, generate revenue and create a positive image for a business.”

“It used to be a long and laborious task building a network of quality links. Also, standard print advertising and paid internet advertising are costly ways to market a brand.  Today’s new Social Media is free and reaches more people in more places and certainly on a much deeper and personal level than ever before. In fact, if it is done correctly, your potential customers will seek you out!”

“Probably the most important aspect of our marketing is we recognize that Social Media unlike other forms of online marketing is a two-way form of communication. Most companies are not yet using Social Media and the majority of those that do will simply narrowcast their wares to no-one in particular. We focus on building communities to interact with and create good quality content. This really is about ‘Quality’ and not ‘Quantity’. 200 interactive connections can be much more powerful than 200.000 one way connections.”

Lisete Gonçalves, Project Director and Administrator of Navega Bem explained why in-house Social Media marketing is not always the best option. “We encourage all our clients to setup and run their own Twitter and Facebook accounts. But of course it requires a dedicated approach. In much the same way that a company needs a professional website to create a credible relationship with its customers and communicate a competent approach,  it also needs to exhibit that same professionalism with its Social Media. So, if you don’t have the experience or the time to run your social marketing internally – we are here to help.”

The Free Real Estate classifieds portal Khusan which is both for property sellers and property buyers has been voted ‘best property site of the year’ by Madeira island based full service digital marketing, development and web design agency Navega Bem – Web Design.

Navega Bem, which is the company that actually developed the Khusan project ran an in-depth analysis of the sites it has produced this year and took into consideration the  marketing effectiveness, clients comments, user comments, traffic and search engine visibility.

Chris Szabo, MD of Navega Bem explained “We simply wanted to understand how our websites have performed and what our clients have actually gained from their new web presence.”

“This has not been an analysis of any sites other than those we have produced ourselves. We have a very effective after sales service. We certainly do not abandon our clients once a project is completed and we know it is in our interest to make a site as successful as it can possibly be. If our clients have success – we will have success. To this end we run comprehensive Social Media campaigns after each site launch.”

“The Khusan Real Estate Classifieds portal was one of the most challenging projects we have developed in terms of the enormous number of competitive sites that already exist in this field. Our analysis results have been conclusive – Khusan is the best Real Estate site we have developed – not only of 2010, but of all time. We also feel that the private self-catering holiday portal ‘Easy Holiday Rentals‘ is certainly of equal stature in terms of design – but it was just a hairs width behind in terms of marketing effectiveness.”

Local internet guru Liam Gonçalves finds the whole thing very suspicious and states “Navega Bem are actually voting for a site that they have developed themselves and are only comparing it with their own sites! So whatever, the outcome they would have a website that was voted best Real Estate site of the year.”

It looks as though Liam has hit the nail on the head. Certainly ‘Khusan’ don’t seem to mind, as they have for sometime believed that they have one of best Real Estate Classifieds sites on the whole world wide web.

Khusan is the brainchild of a company in Amsterdam with a high level of know how in the realty market and is tipped to be the new google of property classifieds with an innovative and super fast real estate portal that offers free ad placement to anyone searching for or wanting to advertise their property online.

The Khusan portal is developed around the Drupal CMS framework. Visit Khusan – The International Real Estate Classifieds Portal here.

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!

After a successful launch on June 14th 2010, Khusan has attained many positive comments from within both the Property Market and Web Development circles.

Khusan is a new and refreshing way to create free classified ads within the property market. The site offers a clean and inviting interface and allows fast user registration and advertisement placements.

The concept is based on the ‘For Sale by Owner’ premise where property owners can advertise at no cost and users interested in a property contact the owner directly. Khusan, as the portal owner has no intermediary role between buyers and sellers.

‘Navega Bem – Web Design‘ were commissioned to develop the project after they were found through a Google search for ‘Real Estate CMS Websites’. Having studied the Navega Bem website and the Portfolio, Jan Schouten – Khusan Project Director was confident he had found the perfect web developers for the job.

Jan explained “One of the most important assets of any website is its ability to be found in search engines. Whilst looking for a company to develop Khusan we were impressed at how well the Navega Bem website performed in the search engines. The proof is in the pudding as they say and Navega Bem showed their professionalism and know how through the performance of their own website”.

Chris Szabo, MD of Navega Bem was responsible for the corporate identity and layout of the web portal. “In a market saturated with websites trying to attract property advertisers, we were very aware that the portal needed to reflect a fresh, lively and highly user friendly concept. We chose modern colour compliments and designed the logo to gel with that feeling of simplicity. The complete interface is easy to use and is inspired in part by the Google search interface. Khusan wants to allow users to advertise Real Estate and search for Real Estate, with as little interference or distraction as possible.”

The launch of the Khusan -Property Trading Place Portal was targeted to specific geographical regions as part of the build-up phase. The Property markets in London, New York, Panama, Shanghai were amongst the main destinations specifically addressed. Further areas are now being introduced into the marketing strategy.
However, Khusan remains an ‘International’ Real Estate Classifieds Portal and initial indications show that properties from all corners of the globe are being introduced into the websites listings.

The website has been developed around the Drupal open source content management platform. Further post launch development will focus on additional user functionality. Visit the Portal at www.khusan.com