June 2019
Data Finder – Accessible Intelligence
Data Finder, a real estate data platform, is a new product launched under the Property Finder Group to provide the market with the most comprehensive data set and analysis of the real estate market.
May 2019
BIGGER MARKET SHARE
Property Finder acquired its UAE competitor JRD Group, which operates JustProperty.com and broker technology platform Propspace.com, thus expanding its market share.
April 2019
DIVERSIFYING INVESTMENT
Property Finder increases its stake in Turkish property marketing website Zingat to almost 40% from 17% in a bid to expand its operations in the MENAT region.
November 2018
MORE ACQUISITIONS
Property Finder acquired Bahrain Property World. The UAE’s leading real estate portal has been operating in Bahrain since 2013 through propertyfinder.bh
November 2018
MORE FUND RAISING
Property Finder raised $120 million from US private equity firm General Atlantic to primarily invest in product and technology development.
September 2018
Revealed!
An important milestone for Property Finder – our Rebrand. Our new identity is a reflection of what we stand for, and what we thrive to deliver to all house hunters in the region.
November 2017
propertyfinder.ae hits 1,000 clients
A decade in the making, the largest property portal in the UAE has 1,000brokerages and developers listing their properties to Property Finder.
October 2017
300
The Group hits 300 employees strong across MENA.
September 2017
Property Finder goes to Turkey
The company announces it bought a 16.95% stake in Zingat, a Turkish property portal that is one of the fastest growing in the world, with over 6 million monthly visitors and more than 18,000 real estate agents.
September 2016
Series B Equity Funding
Sweden-listed investment firm Vostok New Ventures buys a 10% stake for $20 million USD. The deal, which gives Property Finder a $200m valuation, allows the company to invest big in tech, data science, and further develop myCRM for clients.
September 2014
The beginning of a beautiful relationship
Property Finder launches its listings portal in Morocco, sarouty.ma, and acquires eSimsar.com – the top property portal in Saudi Arabia. This brings to 7 the number of markets Property Finder Group operates in.
September 2014
On the move
Introduction of Property Finder iPhone, iPad and Android apps for UAE, allowing users to search for their new home on the go.
September 2014
MYCRM
Property Finder launches myCRM, an intuitive real estate CRM solution for agents.
September 2013
Expansion & Acquisition
Property Finder acquires realestate.com.lb, the #1 property portal in Lebanon and expands into Bahrain and Egypt, with the launches of propertyfinder.bh and propertyfinder.eg. Egypt is home to one of the fastest growing real estate markets in Northern Africa. propertyfinder.eghas listings from Cairo, down the coast of the Red Sea, and beyond.
September 2013
Series A
Dubai-based BECO Capital leads a round of financing and Dany Farha, Founder & CEO of the MENA-focused VC fund, takes a seat on the board.
September 2012
Beyond the UAE
Property Finder Group launches it’s first international site, propertyfinder.qa in Qatar, becoming the first-mover real estate portal in the nation.
June 2012
Strategic partnership
propertyfinder.ae and Internet portal Yahoo! Maktoob enter strategic partnership making propertyfinder.ae the exclusive real estate partner of Yahoo! Maktoob
2012
Fast growth
propertyfinder.ae wins at the Arabia Fast Growth 500 awards and two other regional awards in 2012. Prestige Magazine, a tailor-made luxury property publication, is born.
2010
The Great Recession is felt across global markets.
Majority shareholder REA Group reduces its scope to focus on its core market in Australia. Real estate prices drop in the UAE 50-60%. propertyfinder.ae CEO Michael Lahyani buys back REA Group’s stake in propertyfinder.ae, along with co-founder Renan Bourdeau, Together they own 100% of the shares.
October 2007
Australia’s REA Group Ltd. acquires 51% of AlBabWorld.com.
Realizing it wasn’t very clever to have a half-Arabic, half-English brand name, Al Bab World rebrands to propertyfinder.ae, and the entire business is moved online. The first, the original, propertyfinder.ae is the #1 property portal in the UAE, with over 1000 clients and thousands of listings each month.
June 2005
The Start
Michael Lahyani moves from his hometown of Geneva, Switzerland to Dubai. His plan: to start the first printed real estate classified in the UAE. Al Bab World, a property print magazine launches in the UAE. With the objective of generating leads for agents. 70,000 copies of Al Bab World is delivered for free every two weeks