Have you been dreaming of finding the perfect apartment or studio in Korea. Perhaps near a specific subway station or in a cool neighborhood? Maybe you’ve heard about the Zigbang Real Estate App, often touted as the 1st-ranked real estate app in Korea.
It promises a one-shot solution for finding rentals like studio apartments, one-bedroom flats, or two-bedroom flats. But what’s it really like to use it, and can you trust the listings? Let’s dive in.
What is the Zigbang Real Estate App?
At its core, Zigbang Real Estate App is designed to help you find rental properties in Korea. It’s been around for a while, even winning awards like the 2015 Best of the Best Brand Awards and the 2014 Korea Mobile App Award.
The app aims to show you listings directly on a map and lets you filter properties based on things like subway station, area, price, and house layout.
You can also view photo slides of the properties, which they say provide vivid images. Sounds promising, right?
Why Finding a Place in Korea Can Be Tricky
Finding a place to live anywhere can have its challenges. Suggest there are unique hurdles when renting in Korea, even with popular apps.
Users share experiences of searching for listings that seem perfect online, only to find reality is quite different when they visit.
This seems to be a common frustration, leading to wasted time and energy visiting real estate offices where the advertised listing is no longer available or the details were misleading.
Zigbang Real Estate App Promise: A Clean Campaign
Zigbang is aware of these potential issues in the real estate market and says it runs a Reliable Zigbang’s clean campaign.
This campaign includes features like getting user feedback on conversations with real estate agents.
They also compensate users with cash and cleaning tools if the users are misled by inaccurate information.
Furthermore, Zigbang states they have Zigbang agents who check images and even go out to take pictures themselves to provide truthful contents. This campaign sounds like a direct effort to combat the very problems users report.
User Experiences: Hopes vs. Reality
Here’s where the plot thickens. While the Zigbang Real Estate App presents itself with robust features and a clean listing campaign. Some user reviews paint a different picture.
One user in 2020 reported that despite visiting three different real estate offices after seeing listings on the app. None of the rooms shown were the actual rooms from the app.
They found the listings to be All fake, different room, different or less facilities, location & lies about what the 관리비 is included & it turned more expensive. Agents reportedly made excuses like it’s old photo/camera makes it bigger/etc.
Another user in 2020 felt that the majority of posts were just ads to make you visit their office. And the listings shown were always no longer available upon arrival. These experiences directly challenge the effectiveness of the Clean Campaign from a user perspective.
The Real Problem with Listings
According to user feedback, seems to lie with how real estate agents interact with the platform.
One review suggests that because listings change several times a day, agents can’t update them quickly enough. Instead, they simply post the best-looking ones and leave them online, like ads.
This implies the issue might be less about the app’s concept itself. Which a user found fine, and more about the agent’s practices leading to outdated or intentionally misleading information remaining visible to attract potential renters.
Wasted Time and Energy Searching for Apartments
The consequence of misleading listings is clear: wasted time and energy for the people searching for a home. Users describe disappointment upon visiting offices and finding the advertised room isn’t available or doesn’t match the description.
The advice from an experienced user is to ALWAYS ask call and ask for the listing before you visit.
This highlights that relying solely on the app’s visual listings might not be enough to avoid frustrating, fruitless trips to real estate agencies.
So, if you’re using the Zigbang Real Estate App to find a studio apartment or one-bedroom flat in Korea, what should you do?
Based on the user feedback, a key step is to call the real estate agent before visiting to confirm the specific listing you are interested in is actually available and matches the details.
While the app offers photo slides and filters, the reviews suggest verification beyond the app is crucial. Utilize the app’s filters to narrow down options by subway station, area, and price. But use the listings as a starting point, not a final guarantee.
Useful Zigbang Real Estate App Features
Despite the issues with listing accuracy reported by some users, the app does offer features designed to help your search. You can search for specific property types like studio apartments, one-bedroom, or two-bedroom flats.
The map view is intended to instantly show you available rentals. Filters for location (like subway station), area, price, and layout can help you refine your search.
There are also photo slides to view images. And for apartments, they offer VR home tours, according to a developer response. The app is rated for 3+ and has over 10M+ downloads, suggesting it’s a widely used platform.
The Developer’s Perspective
In response to user feedback, Zigbang has acknowledged some points. For instance, regarding the desire for English support and interior photos/VR. The developer responded in 2018 stating they didn’t support languages other than Korean at the time but hoped to in the future.
They also pointed out that users could see rooms through pictures for villas and one-rooms and VR tours for apartments.
This suggests the developer is aware of some user needs. Although the core issue of misleading listings persists according to later reviews.
The app also collects certain data types like personal info, app activity, and device IDs, and may share some app info/performance and device IDs with third parties, though data is encrypted in transit and deletion requests can be made.
Final Thoughts
The Zigbang Real Estate App is clearly a dominant force in the Korean rental market. Being the 1st-ranked app with a map interface and useful filters.
However, the experience of using it, particularly concerning listing accuracy. Can be frustrating due to potential issues with how listings are managed by agents.
While Zigbang has a Clean Campaign and compensation system, user reviews suggest these don’t entirely eliminate the problem of encountering fake or outdated listings.
To maximize your chances of success and minimize wasted trips, combine the app’s search capabilities with direct communication (calling the agent) before visiting any property.
It’s a powerful tool, but navigate it with a healthy dose of caution and independent verification.
