Property Fox Case Study

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It’s a no-brainer – an overwhelming number of people still prefer the services of real estate agents when buying or selling a home. Homeowners cannot be blamed for following this route, as the marketing, selling and negotiation skills of agents is still the big allure. But it seems like the traditional way of selling a home through an estate agent is in for a shake-up, if 33-year old Crispin Inglis and 23-year old Ashley James had their way. The two young entrepreneurs are challenging the status quo through Property Fox, a start-up technology company that allows people to buy and sell properties online. Just like app-based ride service Uber challenged the cumbersome process of booking a meter cab, Property Fox’s ambition is to provide …show more content…

Most estate agents charge between 5.5% and 7.5% plus VAT. The founders of Property Fox believe sellers can save, in some cases, 80% through their platform, which essentially cuts out the middleman (the estate agent). Although Inglis and James are not realtors, who are armed with years of real estate experience and slick in talking up homes-for-sale, both have in recent years dabbled in the entrepreneurship realm. James, a Capetonian who ran a sushi delivery service while completing his three-year long Bachelor of Commerce Degree in Financial Management at (the institution and year), discussed the Property Fox with one of the business’s shareholder. In (can you fill in the year), the shareholder then connected James to the KwaZulu-Natal-born Inglis, who started a sushi and wine bar in Cape Town and later carved out a career in radio and television broadcasting, which he subsequently ditched to further his studies (can you insert the actual qualification) at Cornel University in New York. Upon Inglis’ return to South Africa in (can you insert the year), the ground work began and Property Fox was launched in …show more content…

In the five months that Property Fox has been running, 234 properties across all nine provinces have been listed on its website, collectively valued at R660 million. So far, 12 properties with property values ranging from R500 000 to R35 million have been sold. “Through our low commission, we have saved South Africans R2.5 million. If we had to sell all the properties on our books, we could save South Africans R36.3 million.” Inglis says the response to Property Fox so far is indicative to the simplicity of the offering. Sellers sign up with Property Fox online, after which 60 professional photographers in its network will visit their homes to take pictures of the interior and exterior. Co-founder James says sellers are introduced to potential buyers in the process of viewing house. “There’s a traditional rule in real estate to not introduce a buyer to the seller, as it can ruin the sale. We thought, no one has tried it, let’s turn that golden rule on its head and introduce the buyers to the sellers,” says

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