Meravista’s exclusive focus on the region is winning over agents, property sellers and buyers alike. Its latest figures report that one third of local Algarve property agents now have listings on the site.
Algarve property portal Meravista reports strong growth after its first eight months in business and now has more than 14,000 properties listed on the site.
Meravista’s exclusive focus on the region is winning over agents, property sellers and buyers alike. Its latest figures report that one third of local Algarve property agents now have listings on the site.
With page visits growing by almost a third in the last month alone, Meravista is seeing fast growth in market share over its online competitors. It now has over 3,000 more properties than Rightmove and a faster-loading map than all of the other leading property websites.
Its unique property map allows potential buyers to compare properties and search by location, providing a single screen view of property images alongside their locations pinpointed on the map.
The property search portal includes detailed information on regions in the Algarve ranging from types of properties to local food, festivals and lifestyles. Site visitors can search for houses, apartments, land or commercial properties to buy or rent.
The blog and information sections provide visitors with tips on buying property abroad and on what to expect from a move to Portugal.
Meravista is also set to launch the Portuguese language version of the website, with four further European languages – French, Dutch, German and Spanish – to follow. This will increase its market share across the European continent, helping the site to appeal to more buyers. Most property portals do not offer a multi-language service, limiting their reach across Europe.
The Algarve has a vibrant expat community and is popular among Brits both for holiday homes and as a retirement destination. In addition, since the financial crisis in Europe, property prices have dipped and the Algarve remains very affordable. Buyers across Europe are looking to pick up a bargain while they still can – both key contributing factors to Meravista’s early success.
“We are very happy with the results as we approach the end of our third quarter. Visits to the site are increasing day by day,” said Meravista founder Anita van Huson. “Meravista is committed to providing our users – agents, property owners and potential buyers – not only with the best property listings in the Algarve, but also with a community where they can share information and learn about life here. We recognise that buying a property is as much an emotional decision as a financial one, and our site aims to reflect this. Our growth figures suggest that the model is working.”
Anita concluded: “There are two reasons we chose the name Meravista. In Latin, the word ‘mera’ means pure. In colloquial Spanish, ‘la mera’ is sort of a bragging term meaning ‘The one’ or ‘The best’. And that’s what we aim to provide – the best search experience for Algarve property.”
Tatiana is the news coordinator for TravelDailyNews Media Network (traveldailynews.gr, traveldailynews.com and traveldailynews.asia). Her role includes monitoring the hundreds of news sources of TravelDailyNews Media Network and skimming the most important according to our strategy.
She holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication & Mass Media from Panteion University of Political & Social Studies of Athens and she has been editor and editor-in-chief in various economic magazines and newspapers.
