Pararius innovates with new way of searching for homes

Pararius, known as the largest rental housing site in the Netherlands, is working on a new and innovative housing platform for rental and owner-occupied housing. The goal is to make the housing market clear and transparent by introducing a new way of searching. Today the first step is taken: Pararius is launching a new Smart Map for the For Sale section, which allows house hunters to find out much more about amenities in the neighborhood.

Insight removes possible doubt
Pararius focuses on providing accurate and complete information to the house hunter. According to Jasper de Groot, director of Pararius, this is crucial in the current market. In many areas the demand is significantly greater than the supply, causing many home seekers to miss out. The pressure to make quick choices is high, which increases the risk of ill-considered decisions. And yet a house is one of the biggest expenses in your life. According to De Groot, it is important to make house hunters aware of this. “We can’t solve the housing shortage, but we can inform people well, remove ambiguities, make data transparent and show the most complete range possible,” says de Groot. “That way people go into the market well-informed and can make decisions with a secure feeling. I think we can play a better role in that as an online housing platform.”

Data is the driving force
Pararius therefore wants to provide house seekers with all the information they need to find a home. This goes beyond just explaining housing market-related terms. “It’s mainly about transparency,” says De Groot. According to him, this is currently lacking. “All information must be available in one place. Moreover, the discerning home seeker is increasingly looking beyond just the house. As a housing platform, in the future you will no longer be able to get away with only showing housing supply.” Pararius responds to this by answering questions such as: “Are the facilities that I find important in the neighborhood? How long will it take me to get to work? Is this neighborhood suitable for children? The first step in this direction has been taken with the new Smart Map: house hunters can see at a glance where public transport stations, schools, child care facilities and supermarkets are located. The distance to various facilities is also shown for each house for sale. Early next year, visitors can also calculate travel times to locations relevant to them, such as work or the children’s school. The same functionalities are also being developed for the rental housing section and will come online in 2018.

Thinking further, living wiser
Pararius also wants to broaden the horizon of house hunters. According to De Groot, many people focus on a particular place, district or neighborhood, with the risk of missing out on a great home. Pararius will also create an innovative solution for this in 2018. “We give people tools with which they can make the best choice for themselves. In the end, everyone lives better from that,” explains De Groot. In the course of 2018 it will be known exactly what this solution entails.

Fair cooperation with all brokers
In May of this year, Pararius launched its new buying platform in a beta version. “It is essential to listen to the market. By doing so, we discovered a growing need for innovation, especially among brokers,” says De Groot. That listening to and working with real estate agents is something Pararius has been doing for over a decade now, with independence always being the focal point. “In recent months we have worked hard to connect sales brokers to our platform. There are more and more of them. With us, home seekers can be sure that, in addition to the most pleasant search experience, they will see a complete and transparent housing offering.”