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Simon Parker
A listings website published in Mandarin featuring properties from across the globe – including Australia – that targets mainland China is a great idea, although there’s much more for agents to consider, a Sydney-based principal has said.
“It sounds like a very clever idea,” Alison Beveridge, principal at Breakfast Point Realty, in inner-Sydney, told Real Estate Business, in relation to the news about the Juwai.com listings website.
Co-founder of Juwai.com, Andrew Taylor, said earlier this week it’s no longer enough to list properties in English.
“Chinese will be the dominant language on the Internet by 2015, and Chinese are among the fastest growing group of property buyers around the world,” he said.
“We want to help agents’ market property to Chinese buyers, wherever located.”
The idea of listing in Mandarin is great, Ms Beveridge said, although what’s critical is having someone in your own office that can ensure the translations made by the website are accurate.
Moreover, Ms Beveridge, whose agency recently won REINSW’s small residential agency of the year award for 2011, said it’s imperative that an agency has someone who can handle the Mandarin-based enquiries that may come in afterwards.
Ms Beveridge recently employed a Mandarin-speaking team member who is able to assist all our clients who prefer to communicate in Mandarin, which means her Chinese clients feel more comfortable dealing with her company.
Yet listing properties in Mandarin doesn’t replace the need for personal interaction. “They’re very big on personal relationships,” she said, so listings are only a part of the overall communication strategy an agent needs to implement if they’re seeking business from China.
Mr Taylor said Juwai.com draws on nearly two years of "extensive research" into its target consumers and property agents. “Chinese consumers have three criteria: abundant listings, unbiased information and trustworthiness,” he said.
“Agents around the world want an easy way to access the China market, and help communicating throughout the sales process. We’ve designed Juwai.com with both of these users in mind.”
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