Graham Paterson ‘Co-founder and CEO of Jitty’

Who are you and what does it say on your business card?

Graham Paterson. If I had a business card it would probably say ‘Co-founder and CEO of Jitty’.

What is ‘Jitty’ and what does it do?

Jitty is a search engine for people to find their next home. Finding things online has gotten so much better over the last decade - whether that’s information, a book, a perfect holiday spot, a partner. But finding your next home hasn’t moved with the times, so we’re working on building that.

What services do you offer and in what ways do you work with estate and letting agents?

With agents we’re extremely simple for now: We’ll promote your homes, for free, forever. No catch. We need a data feed to make sure that we have the most accurate information, and we also index the web similar to Google as a backup.

What makes your product different and how does it benefit agents?

We’re different mainly in that we don’t charge agents to list properties. And because we don’t charge, we can do things that others can’t. For example, we let people connect directly with estate agents through their own website. And we link through to agents' websites to help them win more instructions.
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What is your greatest achievement in your current role and what made it so special?

After our fundraise was announced, we were flooded with messages from estate agents wanting to sign up to our platform. Many of them ask how they could help us on our mission:  not for personal gain, they believe the online housing market should be different and want to help. That was a really big moment for us, and made me proud of what we’re doing.

What is the most satisfying part of your job?

Helping people. Technology is powerful, in that it can help people for incredibly low cost. If we can help people find the right home, and help estate agents to find the right buyer, then we can genuinely change lives. That’s a really powerful feeling.

What do you see as the biggest challenge facing estate and letting agents at the moment?

When we ask them what they’d change if they could, they always mention the fees of the main portals. Especially in uncertain times, having fees increase is always a tough place to be. That’s what we’re hearing.

Country house or city apartment?

Definitely a country house. I like peace and quiet.

Trendy roof terrace or traditional English garden?

English garden all the way. My Mum is a great gardener, so I grew up surrounded by flowers. The pandemic taught us just how much we value having a nice outdoor area. I like the space to cook outdoors, and my cat likes to think she can hunt.

Would you rather be a free-moving tenant or settled owner occupier?

I’m settled now, which suits me very well. I like to put work into a home and see it  constantly evolve.

What is your favourite room in your home?

I love my office! Probably because I’ve never had one before. But also it’s got my guitars, books, speakers and a big monitor. It’s a great creative space that I really appreciate.

Interested estate agents can find more information and get in touch here >  jitty.com/agents