How is your platform contributing to the digital transformation of India’s real estate ecosystem?
We have evolved from a property brokerage into a global full-stack PropTech and fintech platform, now present in 100+ cities across 9 countries. In case of India, homebuying journey is long, fragmented, and often overwhelming. Most platforms have historically addressed just the discovery layer, which frankly is the easiest 5% of the journey. What we’ve tried to do at is go deeper – streamlining the messy middle and the critical last mile. We’ve built a fully integrated platform that covers everything – from real-time inventory selection and digital escrows to document e-signing and instant loan sanctions. That means a customer can now go from browsing to booking a home, all digitally, without friction. What’s equally important is that we’ve built this stack with an India-first lens, keeping in mind the gaps in transparency, trust, and service fragmentation that have historically plagued the market.
What role do you see real estate marketplaces playing beyond property discovery in the PropTech value chain?
In today’s context, discovery is just the beginning. A real estate marketplace must play an enabling role throughout the lifecycle of a transaction – from consideration and financing to closing and even post-sale services. We view ourselves as an integrated transaction ecosystem. Beyond showcasing properties, we help buyers conduct research, secure financing, complete documentation, and even coordinate legal and home service needs. For sellers and developers, we provide digital tools that help manage and optimize sales strategies. The goal is to create a seamless, end-to-end environment where data, technology, and human expertise come together to reduce friction. Real estate is a high-involvement, high-trust category – and marketplaces like ours are evolving into infrastructure layers that support trust, compliance, and long-term engagement.
What cutting-edge technologies (such as AI, AR/VR, ML, or chatbots) have you integrated to improve the buyer or renter experience? How have innovations like virtual tours, digital documentation, or loan integrations impacted your platform’s traction?
We’ve integrated a suite of advanced technologies – AI, ML, AR/VR, and geospatial intelligence – to fundamentally reshape the property search and transaction experience. These tools are deeply embedded into the platform experience, not just layered on top. From AI-powered recommendation engines and personalized journeys to virtual reality-based walkthroughs, 3D visualizations, and real-time video-enabled showings, we’ve built a seamless digital path for buyers and renters. One of our most transformative innovations is the creation of digital twins of cities using satellite imagery and photogrammetry, allowing users to explore properties within a real-world metaverse-like environment. These innovations have had a measurable impact on platform traction and user engagement. Virtual tours and 3D walkthroughs have eliminated the need for frequent site visits, saving time and speeding up decision-making. Integrated features like digital documentation, secure e-signatures, and loan approvals remove traditional friction points – enabling users to move from discovery to transaction without ever leaving their homes. As a result, squareyards.com now hosts over 1 million listings and 100,000+ projects from 2,000+ developers, attracting 8 million monthly users. These users aren’t just browsing – they’re shortlisting properties, comparing options, securing financing, and closing deals end-to-end. With 16 global patents filed and 5 awarded, our innovations haven’t just increased traction – they’ve redefined what users expect from a digital real estate experience.
What new features or services have you introduced recently to simplify the property search, comparison, and decision-making process for buyers?
We’ve doubled down on simplifying decisions with data and AI. Users now get AI-driven valuations and property suggestions that adjust to their preferences. Chatbots handle queries instantly, keeping the experience smooth. Our new project analytics dashboards bring in market data, price trends, and comparisons – all visualized simply. Buyers can assess location pros and cons, compare similar listings, and even run negotiation simulations. These tools cut through the clutter and give homebuyers more control. It’s not about adding more features; it’s about removing uncertainty. Whether someone’s exploring homes for the first time or narrowing down two final choices, the platform now acts like a smart assistant. That’s what buyers need today – context, clarity, and confidence.”
How does your platform support developers and brokers in marketing and managing their property portfolios digitally?
We’ve designed tools that let developers and brokers manage inventory, track leads, and close sales more efficiently. AI runs across our sales stack to help with lead scoring, automated follow-ups, and conversion predictions. This has boosted sales efficiency by 40%, and we expect another 60% improvement as we scale these systems further. The impact shows: while our market share is ~2%, we contribute 2–5% of sales for the developers we partner with. Our strategy is focused – not wide. Around 85% of our business comes from repeat developer relationships. We go deep, aligning with internal sales teams, helping with training, and co-building outreach strategies. That same long-term approach shapes our banking partnerships too. It’s not just about tools; it’s about building systems that align with how our partners work.
What are the current search patterns or market trends you are observing across Tier I, II, and III cities?
We’re seeing a broader shift in how users approach real estate – across tiers. In Tier I cities, there’s a clear tilt toward premium housing, with buyers valuing amenities, digital convenience, and location connectivity. In Tier II & III cities, aspirations are rising fast. Users are far more research-driven now and engage deeply with content, walkthroughs, and data before making a decision. We’ve seen more users from these regions interacting with AI-powered tools and seeking assistance on loans and documentation. What’s common across all markets is this: users want control, clarity, and convenience. Whether it’s a big city or a smaller town, the platform experience now needs to match user expectations – smart, responsive, and deeply local.
How do you leverage your data to advise or inform developers, investors, and homebuyers?
At the core of our offering is data – collected, cleaned, and structured for action. We’ve built India’s largest property registration database, and that fuels everything from price benchmarking to trend forecasting. Developers use our data tools for launch strategies, pricing decisions, and even site selection. Investors rely on it to assess micro-market performance, rental yields, and risk signals. For homebuyers, the impact is immediate. They get more accurate price estimates, property valuation, alerts on good deals, and negotiation support backed by actual transaction records. It’s not about throwing data at users – it’s about using it to reduce guesswork. And when that data is integrated with our digital transaction tools, users move from uncertainty to action faster. That’s how data becomes a strategic advantage – not just a backend asset.
What were some major roadblocks in digitising property processes — especially in markets that still rely heavily on physical site visits?
The early days were tough. The PropTech space was still forming, and real estate as a sector wasn’t seen as tech-ready. We dealt with receivables issues, talent gaps, and a sales culture that was offline by default. Tech adoption wasn’t the only hurdle – mindset was. India’s real estate services market was a USD ~120 billion unorganised space, with no single developer holding more than 1% share. There were over a million small brokers, no unified regulator, and a general lack of trust or transparency. Building digital workflows in that environment took constant iteration. While these challenges were tough, they have ultimately strengthened our market foothold. What’s helped is staying adaptable – learning from failures, evolving with the market, and pushing the limits of what a platform can deliver.
How have user behaviours and expectations changed post-pandemic?
The pandemic was a pivot point. Homebuyers became far more tech-comfortable – and far more demanding. Budget is no longer the only consideration. People wanted bigger homes, better amenities, and a seamless digital experience. The expectation now is that you can view, shortlist, and even transact – all without leaving your home. Users don’t just browse -they compare, analyse, and come prepared. The bar for service has gone up. Even if real estate is a high-involvement category, people now expect responsiveness, clarity, and convenience at every step. That’s influenced how we build – whether it’s chatbot responsiveness or AI-led personalization. Post-pandemic, people are not just buying homes, they’re buying into experiences. The digital layer isn’t just support – it’s now the main interface.
What’s your vision for the evolution of real estate platforms in the next 3–5 years?
We’ve already made strong progress in AI-driven sales tools, and the next step is scaling those from beta to full rollouts. For instance, one of the key products in the pipeline is a Sales Copilot – built to assist field agents with real-time recommendations, faster decision support, and smoother deal closures. There are no aggressive expansion plans, but we’re exploring secondary transactions more closely. Long-term, we envision becoming the most integrated, tech-powered real estate and financial services platform in the country, with a product suite that touches every aspect of a customer’s homeownership journey – from discovery to financing, from interiors to rentals – under one intelligent ecosystem.
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