Private Property was founded in 1998. The site started as a ‘for sale by owner website, where people could sell their own properties. They were the first online websites of this kind in South Africa. Private Property assists people with buying properties, selling properties, as well as renting properties. Private Property has grown immensely over the years and has won awards for best website, design, and UX.
Why Use Private Property in South Africa?
Private Property has many property listings and a whole section with advice for sellers, buyers, tenants, and landlords. The website also allows you to find an agent to assist with selling your house, find a rental agent, and find an attorney.
In the Buy section, you can find the following resources:
- Buyer’s guide
- Property developer guide
- Property flipping guide
- Buy to let guide
In the Rent section, you can find the following resources:
- Renters guide
- Buy to let guide
- Student letting guide
In the Sell section, you can find the following resources:
- Seller’s guide
- Property flipping guide
- Property developer guide
Private Property South Africa has many people visiting the site, and a lot of them aren’t in the market to rent or buy property. They’re simply there to window shop. The site is great for people to look at what type of houses they want, and to be able to see the layouts of various houses, as well as the costs in different areas.
Private Property also has a fantastic app that is super useful for anybody wanting to browse properties. With the app, you’re able to get instant notifications when a new property becomes available in the suburbs of your choice. You can view the same details on the app that you can view on the website, including detailed property descriptions, high-quality images of the property, and video walkthroughs of the property. If you decide you want to view the property in person, or need more information, then you’re able to contact the agent directly through the app. Another great feature is that you can share your favourite properties with your friends and family. You’re able to share properties via message, WhatsApp, email, or social media.
How to Search for A House on Private Property
Searching for a house on Private Property is easy, and with the number of filters they offer, it’s actually quite fun and very accurate.
The home page has a search bar that allows you to input a suburb, and you can choose from ‘Buy’, ‘Rent’, or ‘Development’. Typing in an area or suburb brings up a list with various options for you to pick from. For example, typing in ‘Cape Town’ brings up a list with 8 options that have ‘Cape Town’ or ‘Cape’ in it.
Once you have chosen your suburb and clicked on the search icon, you will be shown a list of available properties. The properties shown depend on whether you picked buy, rent or development on the initial page.
On this page, you can do the following:
- Choose your price range from any to any, or from a specific amount to a specific amount
- Choose the type of property such as houses, flats and apartments, townhouse and clusters, land, and farms and smallholdings
- Choose how many bedrooms you’d like, ranging from any to 5+
- Choose how many bathrooms you’d like, ranging from any to 5+
- Choose how many garages you’d like, ranging from any to 5+
- Choose how many parking spots you’d like, ranging from any to 5+
- Choose the type of security such as alarm, access gate, electric fencing, intercom, and security post
- Choose which amenities you’d like such as pool, pet-friendly, staff quarters, sea view, or flatlet/garden cottage
Once you apply your desired filters, you’ll be able to sort your property listings by the following options:
- Featured
- Newest
- Lowest Price
- Highest Price
There’s a list of nearby suburbs on the left-hand side of the page, and you can click on any one of them and filter things the same way. You can also find featured agents for the specific area that you’re searching in.
For rentals, the above applies with some differences. You’re able to sort your listings by ‘Available From’ to enable you to be able to choose when you’d like to rent from. There are also a few different filter options, such as the option of choosing a garden cottage as a property type and some different amenities such as whether the property has a patio or balcony, whether the property is furnished, and if water and electricity are included.
One of the best things about searching for property on Private Property is that you’re able to search for properties in a specific suburb, or you can broaden your search to include a bigger area such as the southern suburbs, or even the whole of the Western Cape. Their online site is extremely useful, and it’s definitely one of the top recommendations to use when you’re searching for your next house.