Fadekemi Ajakaiye
Zama, a real estate company that is focused on tech solution for the Nigerian and international real estate market introduces Zama app.
The Zama app was recently launched at the Workstation office in Victoria Island, Lagos.
Mr. Abdulhakeem Sadiq, the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Zama stated that Zama app was built to provide consumers with data and analytics that can help them make better decisions in the real estate space.
The application was developed using very unique tools and system, one of which was the Google map. We basically understand that all properties are featured on the map, but what the app is trying to do, is trying to see how we can basically be able to provide the user with an immediate accurate location for them to find any property that they are looking for anywhere in the world, he said.
“We reached out to Google to grant us access to a back-end API to edit their map and integrate to our platform to literally put properties on the map. It was an investment we knew was necessary for the market and subscribed for it,” he said.
He stated that the platform is currently focused on Lagos, with the goal to launch in other local markets in Nigeria and the rest of West Africa.
A user is a unique tool known as geotarget, this enables us to be able to pinpoint exactly where a particular address or property is, and use that geotagging to also geo-locate the user that is looking for that property, and easily connect them to the property, so, think of it sort of the way Uber works, but for Real estate, he said.
“We are looking for all users, first time home owners to first time home users also that are looking to rent, or own a particular property. We are also personal-end people focused because we understand that most people would buy property only one time in their lives, so it is a very sentimental and serious decision, and a lot has to go into the process of being able to make the right decision, so people have to make sure that they find the right property that meets their needs, that they can go into as a family. Understanding the sensitivities involved, gave rise to creating a detailed process or tool that can help you in that particular turn,” he said.
Sadiq stated that Zama would be partnering with Landwey, a real estate agency. “It is clear that industry professionals in Nigeria are looking for affordable and efficient solutions to attract and retain clients. With Zama, we are putting the power in the hands of professional agents, using technology to offer Real estate solutions,” he said.
Landwey has proven track record in transacting in the local market and are growing to launch fantastic development projects in the coming months. Our partnership is driven by a mutual desire to simplify the home buying process and empower brokers with tools that can help them work smarter, he said.
Through this strategic partnership with Zama, all Landwey agents and brokers will benefit from a data driven platform that empowers them with data and inspiration to advise clients and market their portfolios in a more professional manner. The platform can further help guarantee listing exclusivity and a more efficient system of interconnecting agents with geotagged properties and investors, he said.
“At Zama, we are very selective to make sure that we are working with people who can give value. Recently we have an agreement with the Nigerian Mortgage Refinancing Company, NMRC, which is also seeing the vision in which Zama is trying to change the Nigerian market space. With this, we are to integrate a mortgage angle to how people can also acquire property that they may not necessarily have all the capital to acquire. So NMRC gives us the option for users to acquire and subscribe for mortgage facilities that can help them acquire the property with a long term payment plan,” he said.
He stated that at Zama, they are careful to work with legitimate professionals, as a lot of people take it very personal and seriously because it is also very capital intensive.
“For agents who want to appear on our platform, will go through a very stringent vetting process to make sure that there is an engagement notice between and the property owner, to instruct you to sell the property, because our platform also will not allow you to duplicate property. So, once a property has been geotagged on the Google, it’s dedicated to the owner of that property and can’t be listed by another agent again, we deal with only serious and legitimate investor,” he said.
