Each year, startup companies introduce their products to consumers with a goal of becoming a consumer favorite. As a digital agency that has the pleasure of working with brands and startups, we at Supercool help similar companies present their products to target audiences through creative mediums such as digital marketing or social media management. While working with clients, we continue to stay on trend of upcoming startup companies and their latest products. One of the most innovative companies that found a creative way to solve a common issue is Zumper.com.
Zumper is an apartment rental website that proclaims it is “the easiest way to find an apartment rental”. Jumping into the beta world as of 2012, Zumper solves problems most renters have: from finding a desired unit at a reasonable price to knowing the unit’s neighborhood. As the site develops its current listings in New York, Chicago, and San Francisco, it is in the process of adding major cities across the country. If you’re looking to see how a startup can make major improvements to its industry, then here are a few reasons why Zumper is leading the way when it comes to apartment hunting.
Google Mapping and Listing View
The free to search and list site is an easy-to-use and aesthetically pleasing website. When searching for your own apartment, all you have to do is set your parameters (number of rooms, price, etc.) and Google Maps charts all available listings. Colorful bubbles pop up showing users the number of available units, the price, and the exact location of a future apartment. An alternate method to search for apartments can be done by city listing. Searching for vacant units in an entire city, such as Downtown San Francisco, allows you to locate an apartment you want in an area you love.
Curated Listings
What sets Zumper apart from similar sites is that their listings are personally curated and constantly updated, instead of being aggregated and out-of-date. All Zumper listings have been scouted, relationships have been developed, and available units are presented to you from the city’s top brokers and landlords. This means that when you visit Zumper.com to find an apartment, the listings are current and true to the description and the property manager is a real person. Goodbye to duplicate postings, fake images, and a seller currently overseas who needs you to transfer the first and last month’s rent into a Western Union account. Dodged a bullet there!
Direct Communication to Sellers
Not interested in messaging a seller via a long email address composed of letters, numbers, and hieroglyphics? You don’t have to with Zumper. Since the company works directly with brokers and property managers, they let you communicate with the sellers as if you’re part of the team. The website lists a direct phone number and email address so you know you’re getting the property manager. Even better, once you inquire about a listing, a property manager can view your Zumper profile which includes your financial information. This is helpful as it shows whether you are a viable candidate and can increase your chances of viewing the listing.
Neighborhood Pages
The feature that I love most is Zumper’s Neighborhood Pages. If you’re looking for an apartment in an unfamiliar area, Neighborhood Pages can acquaint you with your potential surroundings. Moving from Los Angeles to Manhattan’s Upper West Side? Then Neighborhood Pages can give you a visual of what the city has to offer. Through city descriptions, images, and video reels, you have a better idea of the area where you may want to move. You can even follow a neighborhood to search for listings and stay updated when new apartments become available.
Zumper’s clean layout, easy-to-search options, vivid pictures, and listings that are no more than one-week old make it a startup that has advanced the methods of apartment searching. Unlike other sites, Zumper builds upon what has been in place by improving content continuously to meet the needs of its users. In the near future, the startup will expand its offerings to include additional cities and roll out a mobile application.
To see more from Zumper check out their presentation at TechCrunch’s Disrupt SF 2012.