A worldwide pandemic hasn’t stopped an East Yorkshire based business from launching the UK’s first online, unique property development search portal, revolutionising the way investment property developers search and sell online.
What started out as a property development hobby for business partners Jonathan Barker and IT expert Alex Appelbe, soon turned into a gem of an idea to make searching for and selling properties easier and more cost effective.
They joined forces in 2018, and after lots of trial and error, Truffull was ready to launch in 2020. No-one could have foreseen the impact Coronovirus would have on every element of modern life, not least on the property sector, with house moves and property developments either shelved or postponed.
Truffull decided to launch anyway, with the view that social distancing restrictions, and increased demand once lockdown was over, would fuel the need for a more advanced and intuitive way to search for properties.
In light of Coronovirus restrictions on viewings and personal interactions, Truffull is hoping their new portal will appeal to users who are struggling to visit and find investment properties. And whilst the property market is seeing an upturn in business recently, they feel it is the perfect time to offer an online service which is truly built around the needs of users today.
Property developers are reporting an upturn in enquiries, which they believe comes from a pent up demand to get things moving now restrictions are lifting. Investors with extra time on their hands to rethink their portfolios, and access to some of the cheapest borrowing for decades, are fuelling this upturn. Either way, looking for the right property development is still hard work, a problem that Truffull is eager to elevate.
Jonathan Barker says:
“In 2015, whilst working for a firm of Chartered Surveyors, I started on my first property development project. I became increasingly frustrated by the lack of relevant and genuine opportunities whilst trawling through Rightmove and Zoopla, and wondered why there was not a property portal suited to my needs as an investor/developer”.
“I wanted to stop the endless wasted time and energy for both property developers and buyers in a cost effective way. It’s the number one frustration for the industry, and we have built our portal to give qualified and vetted leads with no ‘spray and pray’ approach so the process is simple and effective. Early indications are that people are relieved that there is a solution to this problem and a way to easily market and sell their investment properties in one place”.
Alex Appelbe says:
“We’ve spent a lot of time getting the Truffull technical offering just right. We wanted to make it simple to use, so property developers, estate agents and property sellers who want to market their properties could do so quickly and efficiently, and all in one place. We plan to save our customers thousands on advertising and agency fees, hopefully helping the property market to recover and go from strength-to-strength sooner rather than later”.
“I don’t think there is any other platform out there which provides on and off-market opportunities like we do, and one which gives users such relevant and up to date information then what we’ve built at Truffull, we’re all really excited about the launch”.
Truffull is also creating a helpful community of property investors, sellers and developers, who are coming together to market their properties in these challenging market conditions, and has already had positive feedback from users of the new platform.
Rob Smallbone, Property Sourcing Specialist and Investor says:
“Truffull is a fantastic and easy to use website. From a property searching point of view, it’s very simplistic and straight forward to make enquiries about properties, and to book viewings as well. The platform is simple, functional and effective, I would highly recommend this portal for any property investor”.
Truffull hopes to expand their business in the coming years to service overseas markets, and to continue to employ staff throughout the UK as it grows.
