When it comes to buying a home, there are more challenges than just saving up enough for a down payment and applying for loans. Skimming through the number of marketplaces that are available to you on the net is a pain in and of itself. Then, once you decide on a marketplace, there's the agents who you then have to deal with.
Then there’s the whole aspect of looking for painters and renovators, plus the hassle of engaging with lawyers and banks and what have you. In short, it’s not a stroll in the park.
The whole process is not likely to change, though it should at least get easier and smoother. This is an area primed for a makeover with the help of technology, and one Singapore-based startup is working on just that. They are called Ohmyhome, and they have just made Malaysia their second home.
Ohmyhome is changing the real estate marketplace scene in two ways: by allowing homeowners to list their own property for sale without the need to engage an agent, and by serving as a one-stop shop for home transactions.
The proptech company has been a success since its 2016 start in Singapore. To date, about 2,500 home units have been transacted through Ohmyhome, to a combined value of US$724.9 million (RM3 billion).
Coming to Malaysia is a natural progression for chief executive officer and co-founder Rhonda Wong (pic). She, with her sister (and co-founder) Race, are Malaysia-born. “It’s a natural step for us,” Wong tells Digital News Asia.
“We didn’t choose to start here first because we were living in Singapore; and with Singapore being a service-based nation with very high standards for things they are paying for, we decided that it was a good market to start with to ensure that our service standards are good and strong.”
Ohmyhome started off with a focus on government housing in Singapore – within four months of launch, they became the top app for the HDB (Housing and Development Board) sector.
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