With more people in the UAE buying their first homes and tenants looking for attractive deals in more spacious homes, one of the primary concerns users have reported is the difficulty to find authentic listings, a report said.

More than 33% of property seekers in the UAE reported that the presence of inaccurate property listings has been the biggest challenge when it comes to online property search, confirming that authenticity remains a priority, according to a recent analytical study conducted by Bayut, a leading property portal in the region.

To help property seekers instantly understand the authenticity of listings and enjoy a much more seamless search experience, Bayut had launched TruCheck, their exclusive property authentication solution a few months before the pandemic hit the world. When TruCheck was launched, early reports had shown that listings validated with this advanced solution, received up to 5 times more leads and 20 times more impressions.

In 2020, a year into the launch of the feature on Bayut, the team decided to compile real-time data to understand the significance of this property validation tool in the overall property search experience. This study was conducted between two of Dubai’s real estate agencies, Agency A and Agency B respectively.

Agency A had twice the number of property listings as Agency B, but only a few properties of these were validated with a TruCheck badge. The findings:

•    Agency B had 10,845 leads while Agency A had a significantly lower 3,584 leads
•    Agency B had 16,532,460 impressions while Agency A had 2,959,074 impressions.

In other words, Agency B had 202% more leads and 459% higher impressions than Agency A.

On taking a closer look, it was observed that Agency B had 93x more TruCheck badges on their property listings, which is the main driver behind this performance.

“Our study has shown consumers are looking for evidence of validity and authenticity, and when a property seeker spots the TruCheck on a listing, they feel like it is of higher quality than the others. Knowing that the property has been validated makes the search easier for them too,” said Caroline Tinkle, Senior Industry and Training Manager at Bayut & dubizzle.

According to the study, it is evident that listings with the TruCheck badge have an edge. At a time when Covid 19 restrictions made it harder to go for property viewings, TruCheck simplified the process and helped active property seekers to avoid any inconvenience because of inaccurate listings.

Users find the TruCheck badge as a symbol of the property being ‘real’ and available on the market, a concern which several property seekers in the UAE have, when looking up listings online.

Agents can validate their listings and get the TruCheck badge in two steps: first by uploading the required documentation and receiving a Checked badge on their listings. Following this, the agents have to use the BayutPro app at the property and share photographic proof that the property is available and accurate. Other than building trust with their potential clients, agents also have the added benefit of showcasing their properties higher on Bayut’s search pages, attracting more impressions resulting in more leads and business with Bayut.

Khurrum Farooq the CEO of AZCO Real Estate said: "Thanks to Bayut’s TruCheck our clients at AZCO feel more comfortable and secure. It has helped us to generate more business as clients instantly trust listings which have been validated with TruCheck."- TradeArabia News Service