Gabari Blog

Some say that the days are coming that the property market gets a long needed shake-up, and that it should be dragged into the modern day. Real Estate Techies (or Proptechies in our jargon) spotted this opportunity. They use technology to influence the client’s behavior and to improve professional processes. Some say that this is something to be very excited about. So are we.

Digital transformation is a movement that questions existing business models and processes in function of the availability and affordability of digital technology, aiming for more efficient acquisition en retention of clients. This needs the implication of the total organization because these new technologies demand fundamental change.
There are a number of reasons why an organization should change, but the most probable one is: because it has to. It’s just a matter of survival. Quoting IDC : “A third of all top-20 companies throughout all segments will be threatened by new competitors, resulting in an ‘adapt or perish’ situation”. IDC also mentions that “70 percent of all digital transformation initiatives will fail in the end, as a consequence of bad cooperation, integration, outsourcing or project management”.

GDPR, or the General Data Protection Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2016/679), is a regulation by which the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union and the European Commission strengthen and unify data protection for all individuals within the European Union. This regulation has a big impact on how companies should treat data : as from May 25th, 2018 they should be able to prove how their private data are gathered, how they are used and how they are protected (whether in their own data centers or in a ‘cloud’ outside of the EU).

Taking history into account, the typical office lay-out has evolved from small family-like surfaces, over a chicken battery approach, to a ‘no-spot-for-you, dear‘ concept.
For years, this evolution was stated as a win-win : more heads per surface, and in return non-seclusion for employees. But it turns out to be a win-lose.
This of course is no problem from the winner’s point of view. A first sight, that is.
Because unhappy and distracted employees produce less. It’s a fact.
It’s not only psychology, it has become irrefutable reality. Some companies already grasped this reality and are taking measures.

We’re always enthusiastic about what we do for our clients, but now even more. And this time not only for them, but also for ourselves.
Why? Well, this week we said farewell to our old crib and moved into a new one. Even though we liked our former spot, the Keizershoevestraat just became too cramped for our team. More importantly, new approaches ask for new paths and a fresh spot that we can call ‘home’. So it was time to move on.

Email marketing is far from a new trend, but even if it’s considered to be an old skool approach, it still has a lot of advantages. Especially in these mobile times. Data show that it is still one of the most efficient strategies to obtain a healthy ROI. So those that say that email marketing doesn’t work, just aren’t using it as should. This communication technique is designed to offer relevant, valuable and useful information (think DIY guides, links to blogs, industry relevant news, etc). It is not designed to shove sales talk through consumers’ throats…

The days when buyers would just open a newspaper to find properties for sale or to look up real estate agents in a phonebook are long gone. Today, everybody is looking online. It’s as simple as that. That’s why the use of social media has become so important. Each and every social media channel has its own pros and cons, and while opening a Facebook or Instagram account might seem easy, it’s not that easy to use them as a tool to send the right message to the right people at the right time. Here’s how we do it.

Of course, you know as well as us that the real estate market permanently goes through ups and downs and is dependent on factors such as interest rates, economic conditions, whether job growth, etc.
Regardless of how the market behaves currently, you can apply many strategies that can boost your business and projects.
So here are tips & tricks to check out.

In the beginning, there is nothing. Nobody knows you, and therefore nobody can find you. More even, it is very well possible that nobody is interested in you.
At that stage, your target groups find themselves in the first phase of their ‘buying process’ : denial. There’s no reason whatsoever to try selling your product in that phase.
But what you cán do, is trying to get their attention for your product. How? Well, to convert every of their problems into an opportunity for yourself.
There it is : the first step into the buyers funnel.

There are at least 2 reasons (and some say more) why somebody starts or has started his own business : to market and to commercialise a personal passion, or to fill a gap in the market, thus taking advantage of a market opportunity.
Both are of course valid. In the first case because passion is a powerful driver, and in the latter case because the business idea harvests on a market need by definition.
One question arises though : what happens on the long term? Will that passion last. Won’t it be outgrown by the effort? Did others discover that opportunity you spotted?

So what distinguishes these bright new kids on the block from the previous generations? We could talk hours about this, but allow us to keep it short and sweet this week.
So please have a look at the this distinguished guy’s argumentation below and, above all, watch it until the end. It might take 15 minutes, but they’re really worth your while.

It’s the story of the chicken and the egg. One difference, though : this time the egg is more important. In other, maybe more simple words, the main question is would you not rather concentrate on selling what your target group thinks he needs than or do you sell him something yóu think he needs. Compare it to a company that still would try to sell coal to heat homes. It has a product, but no market for it. This is what we call outside-in vs. inside-out : adapt your product to your market vs. trying to get the market to adapt to you. The optimal approach is as plain as a nose on a face, no?

Every architect dreams of designing architectural treasures, whether for residential, for office space, for assisted living, … His distinguishing signature has to be found in every line that has been drawn, in all used materials and in every detail that he likes to put in the spotlight.
The initiators of each project -quid the developers- have to make the tough decisions to get the right permits, to find ample funding and to get the approval of the general public. Their dream is to build and sell.
We at Gabari make both dreams become a reality, not only for the designers and initiators but above all for people that are on the outlook for a new home. We bring real estate alive to tell potential buyers/renters a story that makes them buy.