Agent Advice

Fuzzy Search

Private Property South Africa
Pieter Oosthuizen |
Fuzzy Search

On the new Private Property website you will see a very prominent search box, in more technical terms it’s referred to as a “fuzzy search” and we are very excited about it as we believe it will drastically enhance the sites usability.

Its purpose is to get you to what you are looking for as quickly and easily as possible.

The term “fuzzy search” refers to an exact or inexact search term typed in by the user, where the website responds by taking or showing the user the most relevant results matching the searched data.

We have seen a few implementations of a “fuzzy search” on various websites, and the correct formula is still a debate, our feeling is that there should be a good balance between the free format component and structured component i.e. a free format search that takes you to a page where you can refine your search using the current filter sets.

The fuzzy search will always be a work in progress, and our current implementation allows for a suburb, home-type, bedroom and a variable price range search term, here are a few examples.

e.g. [3 bed duplex in bellville between 700k and 1000000]

e.g. [4 bed house camps bay > 4mil]

e.g. [elardus park less than 500k]

As we improve the search it we be more of an “English language search” and you would be able to get results for complex and street searches and “points of interest”, here is an example of what you might type.

3 bedroom houses near Wynberg Boys' High School

Why not go to www.privateproperty.co.za and try some searches out.

Related Articles

What to know before short-term letting your home
Private Property Reporter | 03 Feb 2026

What to know before short-term letting your home

What homeowners should know about legal, financial, and practical considerations before listing a property for short-term letting.

Interest rate - February 2026 - remains unchanged
Private Property Reporter | 30 Jan 2026

Interest rate - February 2026 - remains unchanged

Industry commentators provide their take on the MPC’s decision to keep the prime interest lending rate at 10,25%.

Be prepared for climate-induced States of Emergency
Private Property Reporter | 29 Jan 2026

Be prepared for climate-induced States of Emergency

As climate change escalates, it is important to know how we can each play a role in reducing risks and staying safe.

sample image of property alerts

Get instant property alerts

Be the first to see new properties for sale.
;