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Tag: Rahul Yadav

  • Puri’s Anarock hires Housing’s Rahul Yadav

    MUMBAI: Anarock Property Consultants, which the real estate expert Anuj Puri launched last month, has appointed Housing.com’s co-founder and ex-CEO Rahul Yadav as the chief product & technology officer. Before joining Anarock, Rahul also advised Lodha Group for a brief period.

    Anarock chairman Puri said: “This appointment is in line with Anarock’s highly technology-driven orientation and business model for its residential advisory services.”

    “The online real estate business is still in its fledgling stage in India and we are taking the lead on boosting it into maturity. So far, the real estate sector has not been able to emulate the success of ecommerce for consumer durables and services. We intend to change that, and Rahul Yadav’s experience in harnessing the consumer housing market at via technology will add the key element. The cutting-edge and highly consumer-focused technology platform and support infrastructure we will build here will bring in a complete transformation of the residential property business.”

    Indeed, real estate in India continues to see most of its success as an offline business, with very little technological innovation happening to speed up its adoption as a viable online business model. Real estate advisories, online property listing aggregators and even developers have made some headway, but this field nevertheless remains underserved because of lack of integration with credible expert offline advisory and transaction support. In short, the continued challenge lies in successful sales conversion in a manner which also places the customer’s interests first.

    “Indian residential buyers and investors will not embrace an ecommerce model of property purchase unless they get a seamless experience from online selection to offline advisory and transaction closure,” says Puri. “We have already pioneered this model in the Indian real estate space and will now back it with a robust technology infrastructure, in the building of which Rahul Yadav will now be instrumental. Backed by our firm business philosophy of ethics, integrity and values over value, we are now taking the online real estate business in India to the final level.”

    Rahul Yadav has demonstrated outstanding success in setting up of a real estate search portal wherein prospective buyers can conduct housing searches based on geography, unit size and various other key factors. He has pioneered the verified listings and data approach to the online real estate business in India. As the brain behind a highly successful, technology-intensive platform, Rahul Yadav’s credentials are well-established.

  • Housing.com bets on advertising dollars from the real estate industry

    Housing.com bets on advertising dollars from the real estate industry

    MUMBAI: Earlier in May, real estate portal Housing.com had stirred up the market after announcing a 200 percent revenue growth month-on-month with a target to hit USD 10 million by the end of this financial year. For those who have been following the company’s progress since its inception in 2012, the figures show a great improvement since the start-up’s nationwide launch in 2015.

    After co-founder Rahul Yadav’s exit from the company made several headlines last year, a cloud of uncertainty was hanging over the real estate tech giant. Acting quickly to counter this and wave away any doubts from investors, the company made a slew of upper management changes – right from the CEO to the CMO of the company.

    Along with this came a sharp shift in the company’s business strategy. Housing.com users could no longer look apartments for rent on the site; it was solely dedicated to buying and selling of properties.

    “We never thought of ourselves as a classifieds company or a mere listings aggregator. We are much more than just a search and discovery platform. We are a true product and tech company which is using technology to solve the real estate buying and selling problem in India,” clarified its chief marketing officer Nikhil Rungta, who joined Housing.com in November last year.

    This new focus on buying and selling strengthened the portal’s opportunity to monetize itself through advertising. With close to 4 million visits per month, Housing.com is now one of the largest online platforms in India. If the figures shared by the company are to be believed, Housing.com has a larger reach than many English dailies in the country. So naturally there is an opportunity for the real estate companies to use this platform to promote their brand and their projects amongst a target audience, which has a very high intent towards buying property.

    The company launched a series of digital advertising products for developers and brokers to provide maximum customer exposure and return on investment for their home sales efforts.

    The new strategy seemed to have clicked for the company, to churn out 200 per cent growth in revenues each month. “We are delighted with the response we are seeing in the market and are confident about the company’s revenue position in the future. To achieve such a strong performance when the real estate sector is going through tough times is a testament to the value that Housing.com as a company and platform is delivering to stakeholders,” said Housing.com CEO Jason Kothari.

    Divulging on the types of different products Housing.com has to offer to its client, Rungta shared, “From products which help in brand building to performance products which drive leads and sales. For example, we recently launched India’s first ‘Privilege Price Card’ (PPC) for the real estate sector. It is a unique product that helps buyers get access to some of the best deals and special prices on properties across India enabling them to buy their dream home. We believe that the PPC has the potential to transform the way homes will be bought and sold in India, both, for homebuyers and developers.”

    In addition, the company offered customized digital marketing services to large developers to more effectively and efficiently drive home sales and build developer brand equity. There are also new innovative products being piloted that are slated to launch next quarter.

    “Our builder and broker partners get access to high intent homebuyer audience on Housing.com. This makes their marketing very targeted and helps build the brand consideration amongst people who are relevant and are looking to buy or sell a home,” Rungta added.

    The CMO also pointed that a shift in the mind set the otherwise traditional real estate industry has also helped Housing.com to penetrate further into the market.

    “While the industry is traditional but the mind-sets are becoming very modern. Builders and brokers have realized the importance and role of digital in the homebuyer’s journey and they do not want to miss out on this key touch point. Even Google pointed out recently that over 50 percent of the prospective buyers start their search online,” he shared.

    While Housing.com is busy finding advertising solutions for its clients, it hasn’t been farsighted about its own marketing strategy. Earlier heavily visible through OOH medium, the portal launched its first TVC, which was later continued on the digital platforms as well.

    “We recently launched a set of video stories called ‘Yeh ghar meri jaan’ stories. 70 percent of our budget is directed towards Digital, 20 percent towards traditional media and 10 percent is for experimentation on new / emerging media,” explained Rungta on the breakup of its advertising budget.

    With the ambitious target of USD 10 million, Rungta assured that Housing.com will continue to pay keen attention to three core areas while marketing, namely: attracting the right and high intent audience, Engaging them with relevant products and listings, and retaining them by becoming their trusted partner in their journey of buying a home.

  • Housing.com bets on advertising dollars from the real estate industry

    Housing.com bets on advertising dollars from the real estate industry

    MUMBAI: Earlier in May, real estate portal Housing.com had stirred up the market after announcing a 200 percent revenue growth month-on-month with a target to hit USD 10 million by the end of this financial year. For those who have been following the company’s progress since its inception in 2012, the figures show a great improvement since the start-up’s nationwide launch in 2015.

    After co-founder Rahul Yadav’s exit from the company made several headlines last year, a cloud of uncertainty was hanging over the real estate tech giant. Acting quickly to counter this and wave away any doubts from investors, the company made a slew of upper management changes – right from the CEO to the CMO of the company.

    Along with this came a sharp shift in the company’s business strategy. Housing.com users could no longer look apartments for rent on the site; it was solely dedicated to buying and selling of properties.

    “We never thought of ourselves as a classifieds company or a mere listings aggregator. We are much more than just a search and discovery platform. We are a true product and tech company which is using technology to solve the real estate buying and selling problem in India,” clarified its chief marketing officer Nikhil Rungta, who joined Housing.com in November last year.

    This new focus on buying and selling strengthened the portal’s opportunity to monetize itself through advertising. With close to 4 million visits per month, Housing.com is now one of the largest online platforms in India. If the figures shared by the company are to be believed, Housing.com has a larger reach than many English dailies in the country. So naturally there is an opportunity for the real estate companies to use this platform to promote their brand and their projects amongst a target audience, which has a very high intent towards buying property.

    The company launched a series of digital advertising products for developers and brokers to provide maximum customer exposure and return on investment for their home sales efforts.

    The new strategy seemed to have clicked for the company, to churn out 200 per cent growth in revenues each month. “We are delighted with the response we are seeing in the market and are confident about the company’s revenue position in the future. To achieve such a strong performance when the real estate sector is going through tough times is a testament to the value that Housing.com as a company and platform is delivering to stakeholders,” said Housing.com CEO Jason Kothari.

    Divulging on the types of different products Housing.com has to offer to its client, Rungta shared, “From products which help in brand building to performance products which drive leads and sales. For example, we recently launched India’s first ‘Privilege Price Card’ (PPC) for the real estate sector. It is a unique product that helps buyers get access to some of the best deals and special prices on properties across India enabling them to buy their dream home. We believe that the PPC has the potential to transform the way homes will be bought and sold in India, both, for homebuyers and developers.”

    In addition, the company offered customized digital marketing services to large developers to more effectively and efficiently drive home sales and build developer brand equity. There are also new innovative products being piloted that are slated to launch next quarter.

    “Our builder and broker partners get access to high intent homebuyer audience on Housing.com. This makes their marketing very targeted and helps build the brand consideration amongst people who are relevant and are looking to buy or sell a home,” Rungta added.

    The CMO also pointed that a shift in the mind set the otherwise traditional real estate industry has also helped Housing.com to penetrate further into the market.

    “While the industry is traditional but the mind-sets are becoming very modern. Builders and brokers have realized the importance and role of digital in the homebuyer’s journey and they do not want to miss out on this key touch point. Even Google pointed out recently that over 50 percent of the prospective buyers start their search online,” he shared.

    While Housing.com is busy finding advertising solutions for its clients, it hasn’t been farsighted about its own marketing strategy. Earlier heavily visible through OOH medium, the portal launched its first TVC, which was later continued on the digital platforms as well.

    “We recently launched a set of video stories called ‘Yeh ghar meri jaan’ stories. 70 percent of our budget is directed towards Digital, 20 percent towards traditional media and 10 percent is for experimentation on new / emerging media,” explained Rungta on the breakup of its advertising budget.

    With the ambitious target of USD 10 million, Rungta assured that Housing.com will continue to pay keen attention to three core areas while marketing, namely: attracting the right and high intent audience, Engaging them with relevant products and listings, and retaining them by becoming their trusted partner in their journey of buying a home.

  • Housing.com ups Jason Kothari as CEO

    Housing.com ups Jason Kothari as CEO

    MUMBAI: After much speculation over who would replace Rahul Yadav as the CEO of Housing.com, after his controversial exit earlier this year, the company has found one of its own to fill up the position. 

     

    Housing.com has named Jason Kothari as the new CEO. Kothari joined the company as chief business officer in August this year.

     

    The company’s board unanimously appointed him to the new post on Thursday.

     

    “Housing.com is one of those rare companies that have the potential to impact millions of people in their journey of buying, selling and renting homes. I am honoured that the Board has entrusted me with the responsibility of leading this dynamic company. We have built a world-class product and highly talented team, and it’s now time to rapidly progress towards our mission to build a world-class company,” said Kothari.

     

    Prior to joining Housing.com, Kothari was Valiant Entertainment co-founder and CEO, where he led the successful acquisition and turnaround of former $65 million unit of video game company Acclaim Entertainment, which owns and controls a library of popular entertainment characters, resulting in a 50x company value increase and global media recognition calling the company “Marvel 2.0.”

     

    Since August, Kothari has played an instrumental role on a number of key initiatives, including establishing a strong senior management team for the company by hiring chief financial officer Mani Rangarajan, general counsel Nandini Mehta, and the recently appointed CMO Nikhil Rungta.

  • Housing.com fires CEO Rahul Yadav

    Housing.com fires CEO Rahul Yadav

    MUMBAI: Mumbai based online realty platform, Housing.com has released its CEO Rahul Yadav, with immediate effect, after a regular board meeting, held earlier on 1 July. Yadav who is also the co-founder of the company, will no longer be an employee of Housing.com and be associated with the company in any manner, going forward.

     

    The Housing board, unanimously agreed to bring Yadav’s tenure to a close, with reference to his behaviour towards investors, ecosystem and the media. The board believed that his behaviour is not befitting of a CEO and is detrimental to the company, known for its innovative approach to product development, market expansion and brand building.

     

    While the search for an interim CEO is underway, a transition plan has been put in place. The current senior executives of Housing.com will continue to run the operations on a daily basis, and ensure its continued smooth functioning. The board and the operating committee will remain closely involved with all key decisions.   

     

    Through an official statement the company said. “The Housing.com board, investors, management team and employees are keen to see Housing maximise its huge potential in India and beyond, as well as run in professional and world class manner. This is part of our larger commitment to India and the start-up ecosystem, which together remains unaffected and as strong as ever.”  

  • Housing.com CEO Rahul Yadav apologises; withdraws resignation

    Housing.com CEO Rahul Yadav apologises; withdraws resignation

    MUMBAI: It was on Tuesday morning that the news of Housing.com CEO Rahul Yadav resignation started making rounds. The reports had excerpts from the resignation letter written by the 26-year-old CEO on 30 April to the board members and investors, which denigrated their “intellectual capability.”

     

    The letter said, “I don’t think you guys are intellectually capable enough to have any sensible discussion anymore. This is something, which I not just believe but can prove on your faces also.”

     

    If media reports are to be believed, the investors of Housing were considering removal of Yadav due to concerns over strategy and his conduct.

     

    The board met later in the day to discuss the resignation and also chart a new plan for the newly launched company. During the meeting, the Housing.com board reconstituted to include all the main shareholder representatives. Post the meeting, through an official statement, Housing.com said, “After some good conversations the board has reaffirmed its faith in Rahul Yadav’s vision at Housing.”

     

    Yadav, who has now withdrawn his resignation, said, “After some frank and healthy discussions with the board I have agreed to withdraw my resignation and I apologise for my unacceptable comments about the board members. I look forward to staying on at Housing as CEO and building an even greater company, while working in full harmony with the board.”

  • Housing unveils its new symbol of Optimism

    Housing unveils its new symbol of Optimism

    MUMBAI:  Housing.com, an online real estate platform today unveiled its new and refreshing brand identity with a new logo along with a revamped website and technologically superior mobile application.  It will enhance consumer experience and will set a new benchmark for the online real estate market.

     

    Summed up in two words ‘Look Up’, Housing’s new futuristic logo looks like an upward arrow, with sharp outer edges that direct towards the future, while the softer edges symbolize a nurturing shelter. The ‘Look Up’ symbol is elegantly embedded into the letter ‘H’ of the Housing logotype. These shared characteristics successfully unite to form the brandmark.

                   

    In its new avatar, Housing’s new vibrant colour palette in the new logo and wordmark is based on four key brand colours that make life look brighter and embody the spirit of optimism. Christened as Housing Pink, Yellow, Purple and Green, the new brand colours play a key role in the new identity, personifying Housing as optimistic, game-changing and uncompromising.

     

    To launch Housing’s new brand identity, the company partnered with Moving Brands, a global creative company – considered to be among the best independent creative outfits working with the world’s best brands. Over the last 12 months, their London studio worked tirelessly with the Housing team to ideate and develop the new brand identity that reflects Housing’s global vision.

     

    Commenting on the new brand identity, Housing CEO and co-founder Rahul Yadav said that its aim and belief is to innovate and use technology to make things simpler, quicker and clearer.

     

    “We don’t stop at success, we strive to improve, explore and ask ourselves ‘what next?’ so we can set new benchmarks, change the game and make every customer experience 10X. In short, we Out See, Out Think and Out Do for our customers so that they can look up to us and to a better life. Our new identity is a reflection of this belief system. Life is better when you Look Up.”

     

    According to Housing CMO Pratik Seal the company wants to make its consumer’s journey a memorable, enjoyable and an unforgettable experience. “When a consumer decides to buy, sell, rent or invest; facts, figures, product and logic play an important part. But the real story is an emotional one. Finding a home not just impact consumer’s life but also lives of those around him; this isn’t boring stuff, this is the stuff of life. ‘Look up’ is the essence of our optimistic Vision.”

     

    Housing came at a time when consumer was dealing with too many challenges while buying or renting a house. It was with the objective of helping consumers overcome these hurdles, that Housing created a revolutionary map-based platform with 100 per cent verified listings and real photos. The company’s vision is to help the world to live with ambition and aspiration for a better life by changing everything to do with real estate.