Indiaproperties.com currently features over 2000 properties in 45 Indian cities and has tie-ups with prominent builders and real estate firms including Rahejas, Godrej Properties, CIDCO and Knight Frank. It has also tied up with ICICI for providing housing finance for buyers and getting property pre-approved for sellers.

"Our objective is to enable a person anywhere in the world to get free detailed information on properties for sale or lease which match specific needs in any city or town in India," Modak said at a press conference on Monday. The site, which went live in Januarythis year, already has an average of 2 million hits a month, he claimed.

Buyers can access the database free of cost and search based on four criteria -- city, sub-area, type, price and size. Listing property for sale will cost individuals Rs 2,500, brokers Rs 2,500 for five listings and Rs 500 for any additional listings, and builders Rs 2,500 per project.

The site allows payment of the listing fee through credit card and has taken Reserve Bank of India permission for NRI payments through this mode. It features links to RBI for frequently asked questions by NRIs, ICICI and Federation of Accommodation Industry of India.