Dubizzle buys two companies to beef up property listings

Dubizzle, the UAE classifieds platform, said yesterday it had bought two Dubai-based companies, its first acquisitions, to help improve its real estate listings, which currently exceed 150,000 properties.

Dubizzle’s property division acquired Masterkey, a Dubai software platform set up in 2004, and Airlist, which connects real estate professionals. It did not disclose a value for the deals.

“Masterkey and Airlist are world-class products and we are proud to invest in their people, technology and future,” said Samer Abdin, the general manager of dubizzle Property. “These acquisitions are a testament to our drive to be the No 1 property platform in the UAE and puts us at the forefront of market innovation.”

Dubizzle property receives more than 3.7 million visits per month and 3.2 million searches per quarter.

Dubizzle is owned by OLX Group, a unit of South Africa’s e-commerce company Naspers.

The company competes with other property listing websites, including propertyfinder.com

“We are excited to announce this collaboration with dubizzle, bringing together the immense knowledge and experience of all three companies to deliver an unrivaled property service to the UAE,” said Daniel Hart, the chief executive at Masterkey and founder of Airlist.

“The mission of Masterkey has always been to equip the industry with technology that unlocks the real estate potential in the market. This partnership will allow our teams to continue to grow our innovative solutions which our clients have trusted for over 14 years, now secured by the backing of the largest property platform in the UAE.”