New Experimental Property Search Engine

A new UK property search engine, gartoo.co.uk, which launched today is promoting its innovative “semantic search” functionality.

The company defines semantic search as advanced technology which disseminates search according to words entered by the user to find the most accurate fit. So gartoo.co.uk uses text entries to find the most suitable match rather than traditional drop-down filter menus.

gartoo.co.uk is the sister website of UK property search engine nestoria.co.uk, and both are backed by parent company Lokku Ltd.

This means that visitors to gartoo.co.uk can surf data sourced from most leading UK property portals, as well as nestoria.co.uk.

Users can enter key word searches on gartoo.co.uk such as “easy access Heathrow and Gatwick” or “in need of renovation Kent”. Semantic search creates a tailored property search experience. Lokku Ltd argue that the extremely simple interface of the search engine and the size and quality of its database make gartoo.co.uk unique.

In a press release about the launch, Lokku’s marketing director, Rubén Martínez, said:

“Gartoo is solely about property search, so visitors only see what they’re actually interested in. Full text search capabilities are not new in property search, but our specially-developed search technology will take users deeper into available data than previously possible. We hope to learn exactly what our users expect from the engine and how best adapt to the semantic complexities of their queries.”

Lokku also quote Clive Longbottom of analyst group Quocirca, as saying that in an increasingly sophisticated online market, a property search engine based on intelligent semantic search on large databases could be an attractive proposition for house hunters:

“As the presence of houses for sale and rent online improves in quality, the need to be able to more efficiently search for properties that meet a person’s needs becomes more important. Rather than filling in reams of tick-boxes across many sites, the capability to input natural language searches in a single site that will then aggregate possible matches will be of interest to many.”

gartoo.co.uk aims to allow precise searches to online home hunters, covering virtually every street, borough and town in the UK. The company says its mission for gartoo.co.uk is to experiment with all available Internet technologies, including natural language processing and usability, to try to understand how users can find their homes for sale or to rent efficiently and quickly.

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