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Homes247.in Tech-Enabled, Streamlined Home Buying For All

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Priyatham Kumar,Founder & CEO

Priyatham Kumar

Founder & CEO

The Indian real estate sector is making its way out of a sevenyear slump and is witnessing an exponential rise in the number of residential properties being sold. The biggest winner however has been the Bangalore market which witnessed an 80 percent increase in sales in the first quarter of 2019 as opposed to the same period in 2017. With the young IT workforce becoming economically stable and gaining trust in the real estate sector, owing to several regulatory changes being put in place, the IT city’s residential real estate sector is slated to maintain this growth momentum in the years to come.

While the picture on the buyer and seller’s sides of the coin seems encouraging and positive, the real estate industry has not appraised itself with the tech evolution that the buyers have undergone. As more and more people hop on the online route to initiate their real estate buying journey, it is imperative for property consultants to update their skills as well. Even with several online real estate ventures having come into play, the mode of functioning ultimately boilsdown to the traditional model of working, which leaves a lot to be desired. Motivated to disrupt the market with the pertinent usage of technology is Homes247.in, a premier tech driven property or real estate portal. A premier home buyer’s online platform that specializes in rendering ‘online to offline’ real estate services, the company’s wide range of services include assistance for home buying, home loans, interiors, tenants and property management.

“I believe that technology will play a key role in rendering customers with the best possible customer service in a service industry, more so in the real estate segment. Therefore, I wanted to introduce extensive usage of technology in order to streamline the process and find the right fit for the customer,” explains Priyatham Kumar, Founder & CEO, Homes247.in. His vision turned into reality in 2017 when he founded Homes247.in, a bootstrapped venture from day-1 without any external funding. Under Priyatham’s astute leadership and owing to the firm’s sheer focus on customer service quality, Homes247.in went-on to become profitable and selfsustained within less than a year. Since then, it has transformed into a technology driven company in under two years and covers all stacks of a futuristic business model.

The young firm has risen like a phoenix amidst unfavorable conditions and has successfully served over 800+ customers. It has been awarded as the highest business contributor by reputed developers like Sobha, Purvankara, Century Group, Vaishnavi Group, Assetz Group, Concorde, Frontier and Ahad Builders. Homes247. in has also received the industry’s nod of approval in the form of various prestigious accolades such as Emerging Realty Marketing Portal of the Year 2018-19 by Quikr Homes and Real Estate Website of the Year 2018-2019 by CommonFloor. Progressing ahead with strategic vigor, Homes247.in has become synonymous with trustworthiness and client satisfaction.

When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going

Priyatham, who has received an MBA from Alliance University, is a strong believer in the power of destiny, and he believes that it was fate that brought him to the world of sales. The first few years of his professional career saw him work his way up across various reputed MNCs such as Standard Chartered and Eureka Forbes, to name a few. After having established himself as a strong team builder and sales professional, he entered the world of real estate in 2011 as the Business Unit Head for IndiaHomes.com. He spent three and a half years fulfilling a critical role before moving on to Propfinder India as the Regional Head, where he spent another three years. In 2017, Priyatham moved to a new real estate organization at a crucial position. However, things did not pan out as he had hoped and he encountered some unpleasant situations.

When push came to shove, the astute professional decided to embark on the entrepreneurial path and thus founded Homes247.in upon the principles of ethics and professionalism. “My experience over the years made me realize that although there were several players in the real estate sector, there was the need for a professional organization that would serve the clients and employees well. Upon deliberation, I named the organization Homes247, which showcased my desire to be available to clients at any given time of the day throughout all their needs,” narrates Priyatham.

Owing to demonetization and implementation of acts such as RERA, buyer morale was at an all-time low in 2017 and it was not the most opportune time to enter the real estate industry. However, Priyatham’s industry expertise lent him the understanding
that this indeed was the best time to invest in real estate. Moved by his conviction, he set-out on his own and clocked a net revenue of Rs.2 crore within the very first year. As the team grew in numbers and reached 35, Homes247.in increased its net revenue by a whopping 150 percent in the second year. There has been no looking back since, as the firm grows from strength-to-strength in terms of manpower, services and technology.

All Encompassing Professional Services

Any entrepreneur worth his salt understands that the bedrock of any successful organization is professional and personalized services. “Over the years, I have witnessed the workings of several organizations rather closely. It became evident to me that most organizations could not deal with clients in a professional manner. Also, there was a lack of personal touch, since most players communicated with clients over the phone,” says Priyatham. Homes247.in decided to take a separate route through its ‘online to offline’ model. Any query made by a prospective home buyer online is ultimately converted into an offline experience by the firm’s expert team of professionals. The field executive gets in touch with the buyers and holds an in-depth conversation to gauge their needs and requirements. The team then makes use of its proprietary analytical technology such as advanced knowledge learning algorithms to find the best properties based on the customer’s requirement, search pattern and behavior. The buyer is then escorted to inspect every property physically, while the details about the properties have already been shared with them beforehand. This helps save time, effort and avoids any scope of confusion.

While most companies end their services at this point, Homes 247.in walks the buyer through the entire procedure right until they move into the property. Aiding clients through the home financing step, the firm has established tie-ups with most reputed financial institutions such as HDFC, SBI, and ICICI, to name a few. Additionally, Homes247.in also helps clients find the right interior firm and has working relationship with various reputed interior design firms such as Homelane, Livspace and DesignCafe, to name a few. The firm’s only priority is to ensure that the client’s journey to finding their dream home is hassle-free and positive.

A Team with a Difference

In a world where most people believe in toeing the line, Priyatham is one business professional who marches to the beat of his own drum. Running a bootstrapped organization, unlike other players who would invest in expanding their sales team, Priyatham has invested his resources in developing a staunch technical and support team, which has made all the difference. “Given the current scenario, a technically strong organization will hold a clear advantage in the market. Therefore, my sales team is much smaller than my technical and support team,” expounds Priyatham. The Homes247.in technical team now comprises of dynamic and dedicated developers, designers, content writers, SEO experts and digital marketing experts.

Another gamble played by Priyatham that has paid-off rather well is his decision to not hire field executives from the real estate domain. He brought corporate executives on board who did not come along with pre-conceived notions, and thus infused a fresh perspective into the otherwise traditional and unstructured way of working of the real estate sector. The entire team has been the front of the organization and has scripted thousands of customer success stories.

A clincher in most of these success stories has been Homes247.in’s tech foot forward. From the word go, Priyatham was big on leveraging the best of technology in his venture. Thus, he insisted on building a strong and advanced web portal leveraging the latest web technologies to ensure a smooth and safe experience to the user. The web portal encompasses robust backend analytics represented in the simplest and most userfriendly manner.

Homes247.in also employs a proprietary CRM, tailor made and developed in-house with online-to-offline business process as its primary focus. This ensures in providing an exemplary service to the customer by tracking every single step from Enquiry-to-Closure. The firm has also put in place an in-house pre-sales and enquiry fulfilment call centre which is equipped with state-of-the-art GSM gateways and software tools to provide unmatched customer support service and a quick turn-around time.

Next Growth Phase

What differentiates a successful entrepreneur from an entrepreneur is his approach towards challenges. Priyatham believes that more challenges bring more opportunities. “Tough circumstances are often a blessing in disguise, as they help weed-out the unworthy competition. Only people with the right skills will remain, and then they hold the potential to gain phenomenal success,” says the wise leader. The Indian real estate industry thus holds immense potential in spite of the various challenges strewn across the path. Developers today are more fraught to sell their inventory, making it tougher for buyers to make the right choice. Homes247.in intends to act as the head on the shoulders for its clients by suggesting the best properties to buy. The firm has an unwavering focus on the Bangalore market that it wants to conquer before moving-on to other cities. In a bid to diversify its business model, the team is now working on developing a fully online real estate renting, buying & reselling portal which includes commercial properties, co-working spaces, and property management under a different brand name ‘IndiaEstates.in’, which also facilitates the customers to list their own properties or requirements as well. This would also put safe and secure payments right at their finger tips.

The young firm has risen like a phoenix amidst unfavorable conditions and has successfully served over 800+ customers



The company is also a strong believer in the power of technology to revolutionize the real estate sector. Therefore, Homes247.in’s next growth phase will emphasize on escalating its technical prowess and manpower, a winning combination in the game. The firm is now working on innovative social friendly concepts such as a solution that would allow differently abled users with vision impairments to be able to find the best suitable home for themselves. Priyatham is on the lookout for like-minded partners who can fuel his vision to consolidate Homes247.in’s stronghold in the pan India market.

While scripting aggressive growth plans on one hand, Priyatham remains a son of the soil and thus intends to give back to the society. The firm has initiated an endeavor where they provide hygiene products to underprivileged and orphaned girls. Homes247.in celebrated its second anniversary amidst the warmth of orphaned children and provided them with food and clothing. Looking to increase its contribution socially in the years to come, the company has pledged five percent of its net profit to uplift the needy. With a strong team, a strategic growth plan and high aspiring goals in place, Homes247.in’s next growth phase will be an exciting journey to watch.