Where're your keez at?

You don’t always have to look overseas for awesome apps, websites and services.

In many cases, local apps offer all the functionality of their foreign counterparts with the added benefit of understanding our very unique Jamaican experience. This is, as they say, their competitive advantage. And we shouldn’t ignore it.

One such app is Keez.

Location, location, location

Keez touts itself as “Jamaica’s first and largest digital real estate platform.” In practice, it is a one-stop-shop to buy and rent property on the island.

The three-year-old site provides a comprehensive listing of broker properties available for sale, lease or rent. The cross-platform service is available on iOS and Android, or you can just use the website if you’re tired of downloading more apps.

Both the mobile and desktop platforms are clean and responsive with a modern interface and intuitive navigation.

Importantly, the site is powered by certified real estate broker listings, not crowdsourced. To me, this is significant. Though the ability to find property for rent or sale by unlicensed individuals or companies (such as "for sale by owner") has its place, broker listed properties come with a certain level of protection for the consumer. Brokers are trained, physically inspect the property, verify the true owner and can provide practical guidance on the entire process.

Conversely, crowdsourced real estate services - sites or apps that allow anyone to post a listing - may sometimes contain bogus listings. Let’s not get me started on all the things that can go wrong. We’d be here for days.

Let’s get back to Keez.

The www.getkeez.com website is a great alternative to the app

Bells and whistles

Search for a home, an office or land. Search the whole site or narrow your search by adding a few parameters. In the case of a residential search, you could specify the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, the parish and community, and the price range along with other variables that suit your fancy.

The site will populate with a few options complete with multiple photos and additional information, including a map to the locations. All this makes armchair comparisons easy. Drill down on a few properties you really like, then request a site visit to help you make your final decision.

Looking to buy a home? Keez offers a distinct advantage over comparable options. Keez gives you the estimated mortgage costs and has a convenient link to request pre-qualification via reputable lenders like VMBS, NCB and Sagicor. You can even compare lender mortgage interest rates without leaving the site or the comfort of your home. If you have ever tried to get a pre-approval for the mortgage in Jamaica, you know what a time and hassle saver this is.

Think global, shop local

Allow me to reiterate, local online services offer local advantages that foreign-based apps just can’t. Congrats to local app developers that get it right.

The RJRGleaner Communications Group is an investor in SiFi Studios Jamaica Limited (“KEEZ”).