Meet the neighbours before you buy: The real estate portal taking buyers behind the scenes
Co-founder of Homely, Jason Spencer, discusses how his own experience of a failed property purchase led to a lightbulb moment, and the birth of a new property platform
5 min
Jason Spencer is passionate about technology, but not for the sake of it. Instead, Spencer’s focus is the kind of ‘life changing’ technologies that make a difference in the way we live and do business. His most recent obsession is Homely, a real estate platform with a difference, offering reviews of suburbs and streets — by the people who live there. Founded with Adam Spencer, it’s the kind of game changer Jason wished was around when he was on his home buying journey, tapping into a desire from buyers to take a deep dive before purchasing, as well as giving locals the opportunity to share what they love about their area. The Homely story starts with a very personal experience, as Jason Spencer explains.
Kanebridge News: The Homely story comes out of your personal experience of moving to a suburb in inner Melbourne. What happened? Why did you hate it?
Jason Spencer: Homely was created out of my own frustrations with real estate. After buying my home in a nice leafy suburb in Melbourne, I quickly realised that the street wasn’t for me. Almost immediately after we moved in, we had all sorts of issues. First it was the neighbours, who we didn’t get along with, then it was the cut-through traffic and noise, the flooding and — the final straw—the swarms of bats that flew over our house each night, settling in our backyard! One night I remember saying to my co-founder, “If only I knew about this street before I bought the house”. And that was the lightbulb moment. That was when Homely was born.
KN: What would you have liked to have known before buying?
JS: The inspiration for Homely was the truth that “finding the right neighbourhood is just as important as finding the right home.” I’d like to have known what the locals thought, not just of suburbs but of individual streets as well. Before Homely, the majority of people would rely on generic suburb information available on Google and if lucky they’d find a static local guide page, census data or Wikipedia entry. To address this gap, we established a forum and community where real locals could openly share their experiences, insights, and history about their streets, suburbs, and towns. This kind of information is invaluable for making an informed decision about property, especially considering it’s one of the most significant decisions someone can make.
KN: Did you move? If so, what did you do differently the next time you were in the property market?
JS: Yes I did. I moved to something a little further out from the city but with more land and a bigger home for a similar price. This time, I did a lot more research on Homely and by asking locals what they thought. People were more than happy to share what they loved about their home suburb and streets, which is why we have the wealth of content on Homely we do.
KN: How did that personal experience spur you and Adam on to found Homely?
JS: For most of us, finding a home is one of the most difficult and stressful decisions we can make. As founders, we felt the combination of useful local information written by those that live in the neighbourhood combined with the access and utility of a real estate portal would make for a very unique way to find a home online. We wanted to create for real estate what sites like TripAdvisor had done to travel.
KN: You’re starting to build a substantial database of suburb reviews now. Where are the reviewers drawn from?
JS: Our reviews come from all over Australia. When we launched the site, we received some great media coverage, which generated an initial base of content. This encouraged locals to have their say about areas they knew well, which in turn created a sense of community on the Homely platform that grew, along with relevant property listings from all over Australia. We have seen some intense debate about suburbs, which is always interesting!
KN: What has surprised you, if anything, about the reviews?
JS: The amount of information (and passion) that locals are prepared to share about where they live. People love to talk about the great schools in a suburb, the best restaurants and shopping. Of course, crime and safety are always hot topics.
KN: What can a review on Homely give a buyer that a visit to a suburb cannot?
JS: Homely gives you immediate access to reach out to a community and unlock secrets and truths about the neighbourhood that you just can’t do easily by visiting the suburb. You can also ask questions and join local forums. We’ve had feedback that Homely reviews have saved people time and money, as they’ve been able to refine their property search and time spent on inspections.
KN: How specific can reviews get? Is it possible to read a street review?
JS: We pride ourselves on being the first in Australia to offer reviews down to the street level, delivering “hyperlocal” content that even includes vendors reviewing their own streets to give potential buyers a sense of what drew them to the area initially.
KN: What have buyers said about the value of the reviews?
JS: Buyers consistently tell us that Homely is a great starting point to the home buying journey. Whether they’re investors seeking information to bolster their decisions, or families searching for the perfect suburb, Homely reviews often serve as a first stop, offering valuable information they can’t get anywhere else. We find many buyers land on our street and suburb reviews via Google after searching for a specific location. While reviews can be diverse it’s the nuggets of information contained within the reviews that really help buyers.
KN: You’ve been in property for 25 years. What still excites you about the residential market?
JS: The untapped opportunities for innovation in the proptech space and the property seeking journey are what excites me most. From the birth of the first property websites in the early 2000s, to the innovations that Web 2.0 and Google Maps brought to portals in 2007, to the role of smartphone technology in the search experience, I’m now very excited to be a part of how AI and blockchain can enhance the home search experience.
KN: What’s next for Homely?
JS: We have a strong pipeline of innovations to make the home search experience better for every consumer. We are looking forward to a big 2024 with an increase in residential listings hitting the market and a forecast record number of home buyers and renters looking on Homely to discover their next perfect place to call home.
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Award-winning landscape designer Jamie Durie has completed “Growing Home,” an eco-focused residence that balances sustainability, comfort and style.
2 min
Award-winning landscape designer and television host Jamie Durie has completed building his eco-friendly dream home on Sydney’s northern beaches.
Over a three-year journey, Durie and his partner Ameka Jane created what they call “Growing Home,” designed to prove that sustainability doesn’t have to mean sacrificing comfort or style.
The five-level residence includes five bedrooms, a gym, an office, landscaped gardens and an infinity swimming pool.
“The house is full of eco-innovation like our state-of-the-art geothermal heating and cooling system, this combined with our Solar system gives us the ability to be ‘grid independent’,” Durie said.
“Every element in this house has been engineered to serve a purpose – whether it’s saving energy, providing healthier air, or a greater connection to nature, the house was designed to be healthy for our family and the environment.”
Set on a steep 37-degree slope surrounded by native spotted gums, the home’s design responds closely to its environment.
“Building on a site like this means every decision has to respect the landscape,” Durie said. “It’s not just about fitting the house onto the land, but making sure the land feels part of the home.”
Large windows and open-plan spaces encourage airflow and blur the boundary between indoors and outdoors.
“We wanted the house to feel connected to the landscape through natural materials, textures, and light,” he added. “It’s about creating a calm, grounded space where we can grow as a family.”
Durie chose Bradford Gold High Performance insulation to help maintain stable temperatures, reducing reliance on artificial heating and cooling.
“Every detail in the home needed to elevate our quality of life and respect the environment,” he said. “With Bradford’s products, we’re able to create spaces that are peaceful, energy-efficient, and functional without sacrificing style.”
Other features include Luxaflex Duette Shades, crafted from 95% recycled materials, designed to regulate temperature while adding comfort and privacy.
“It’s not just about insulation,” Durie explained, “but about creating spaces that feel cosy and considered, no matter the time of year.”
Curved interior walls made possible with Gyprock Flexible add flow between spaces, while high-density Gyprock was used to reduce sound transmission.
“It’s all about layering softness and light,” Durie said of the use of Luxaflex® sheer curtains throughout the home. “The sheers run like waves along the track, wrapping the room in a way that feels both open and intimate.”
Outdoor living was another focus, with a patio leading to the pool and shaded by motorised Luxaflex Nordic Folding Arm Awnings.
“We knew we’d be spending a lot of time outside,” Durie said, “so it was important to have a solution that could handle Australia’s unpredictable weather.”
Durie describes the project as more than just a build, but an example of sustainable design in action.
“This project is about showing that sustainable design isn’t just possible – it’s beautiful,” he said.
“It’s about how thoughtful design and innovative products can make a house not just a home, but a legacy. Building smarter, creating homes that feel good to live in, and respecting the environment along the way.”
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