Its research showed that the average age of first-time property buyers was 33, and that of people applying for an ooba bond 37.

Chief operations officer Rhys Dyer said in a statement most of this younger market had used e-mail addresses for most of their adult lives.

“… [They] have used search engines over any other reference tool when they’re looking for information, have Facebook profiles, and interact with friends and brands on Twitter.

“Naturally, when considering buying a house, the internet is the first place they’ll look,” Dyer said.

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