Want to add a point. I think the common trait you mentioned in the post that you find in all our current batch mates is passion. I can just sense how everyone is so passionate in their own ways.
People who are passionate are more likely to stick it out to the end. It is something I think that's pretty hard to fake.
The power the brokers have over landlords' is very limited, even in hot rental markets like Boston and NYC. The landlords set the price, and the brokers try to rent them (first hand experience). Unlike sales, typically, there is no exclusivity in rentals, it's first come first serve. Whoever rents the apartments get the prize. Which creates tremendous competition among brokers.
It is in the brokers' best interest that the landlords lower their price and pay a finder's fee. This makes the apartment easy to rent. The idea that somehow brokers bound together to control the price is simply untrue (this notion is somewhat true in sales). Landlords control the price based on supply / demand.
Everyone tend to think that brokers themselves represent market inefficiency, which is also debatable. Everyone knows Craigslist, and if they wanted to be on it, they can. Now, why do landlords go through brokers at all, knowing there is Craigslist?
Last but not least. The reason that renting is such a unpleasant experience lies in the nature of the business, and also what I call the Craigslist's dilema. If you are interested, I'd be happy to write another article to further elaborate on this point.
Very thoughtful response. I really appreciate your feedback. We have our reasons for that price, and might very likely change it in the future. Startups have to change or die.
As with the US real estate suck, that I 100% agree. There are many many reasons why that is the case, and many startups try to solve this problem with no one succeeding.
We are looking to be the one that eventually solves this hard problem, but as I said in the other post, it's an uphill battle.
A good alternative is PadMapper.com. Somehow, they are able to cut out a ton of crap from the over postings. Worth a shot if you are looking for an apartment.
Thanks for the comment. Your point is certainly well taken and not alone. Unfortunately, one of the things we do is to help brokers and agents "spam", but it's a supply / demand thing. Landlords are well aware of Craigslist's existence, and if they wanted to be on there themselves, they would, right?
We ultimately are trying to tackle this issue and make it better for the renters and buyers. Yet, going against the market force will not help. Brokers will do what makes them money, that's that. Many startups came before us trying to cut out the brokers have failed utterly.
I believe companies like us in the long run will actually improve this situation. As software like ours become the standard toolset that brokers and landlords use, then we'll be able to improve the actually renting / buying experiences. It's an uphill battle.
We are looking for our help too! If you are a developer and looking for work, or want to join a start up. Email us, and join us as the 1st employee, and perhaps more. We are pretty open minded.
I think this is a very bad move by Google to get into these types of pointless arguments. Google being in the market leader position, there is nothing Google can gain from doing this. Google won't convert Bing users over with these acquisitions, all Google doing is raising awareness for Bing. If anything, Google would lose users to Bing for doing this.
If anyone from Google reading this. This is not a smart move, and should be ended asap.
I would actually agree with this to some extend. The cool part is that YC started out as an experiment, and they are continuing to experiment and pushing the boundaries. If anything, this will give YC team more data and knowledge.
Another point is that YC startups have changed since the beginning. More and more teams are semi-established joining the program. To them, this is no doubt a great help.
It's a very legitimate concern. From my personal experience, I think "being starved" is an important part of the experience, it prepares you for the long grind (unless your are the lucky few that grow gangbusters out of the door). I think the right amount of money is the key.
I agree would agree with this based on our experiences dealing with local real estate businesses. However, local small businesses are sector specific, a pizza shop has different needs than a hair salon than a real estate agency, etc.
In order to break into this, I think it needs a combined effort of different sector specific providers + companies like yours and weebly.