Sethebe Manake is improving how Botswanians access property value by making real estate data simple, fast, and affordable through her PropTech platform, Gosmartvalue.
Property is one of the most valuable assets anyone can own. But when people can’t access credible information, the system disappoints them through failed deals, stalled investments, and financial losses. Gosmartvalue is fixing that by replacing guesswork with data and turning a costly, exclusive process into something accessible and user-friendly.
The big idea
When Sethebe Manake founded Gosmartvalue in 2020, she was addressing a problem she had observed for years. Property valuation in Botswana was slow, costly, and inconsistent. As a chartered surveyor with over 14 years of experience, she understood how crucial valuations were for home buyers, banks, developers, and even widows trying to transfer land titles. However, the process was overly manual, the data was too ambiguous, and the pricing was extremely inconsistent. What the industry lacked was reliable, centralised data. Therefore, she developed a solution.
The core idea behind Gosmartvalue
Gosmartvalue is a PropTech platform in Gaborone that offers automated property valuations, detailed reports, and real estate analytics. Its algorithm is trained on over 50,000 transactions, including sales prices, land rates, crime statistics, amenities, demographics, and lending trends.
Users can obtain instant valuations based on the sales comparison method or request custom reports prepared by certified professionals. It serves a range of users, including buyers and sellers who seek quick, affordable insights; banks, which use it to assess risk more accurately; valuers who digitise and expand their services; and local councils that use it to streamline property rate payments. Everything is fully digital, available 24/7, and registration is free, with no card details required.
The value it adds
Digitising property valuation was good, but Sethebe Manake wanted to make it transparent, consistent, and affordable. Gosmartvalue has achieved just that. Valuation costs have decreased by over 50%, and turnaround times have reduced from days to minutes. The company replaces vague estimates with data-driven insights.
This shift has transformed the way people negotiate. Buyers can identify overpriced listings. Sellers engage in deals with data-backed confidence. Developers tailor pricing strategies to reflect actual trends. Banks modify risk assessments based on localised insights. Valuers now assist more clients with less manual effort.
Gosmartvalue has revolutionised property valuation from a slow, cumbersome process into a fast, flexible, and data-driven experience.
Built for scale. Built for Africa.
Though Gosmartvalue was born in Botswana, it is built for scale. Manake’s long-term vision is to expand across Africa, starting with countries facing the same fragmented data and outdated systems that once held Botswana’s market back.
