A neighbourhood matchmaker for rentals

Real estate may be all about location, location, location, as the old saying goes, but most rental apartment listings offer very little information on that critical point. A new apartment search website called Hubbuzz hopes to fill that gap by giving rental-hunters a way to get a better feel for neighbourhoods and communities. While most apartment listings provide only the most minimal information about available properties, such as square footage, rent and amenities, the free—and ad-free—service from Colorado-based Collective Intuition lets apartment-hunters search not just by basic criteria but also on neighbourhood characteristics. ‘Eclectic,’ ‘trendy,’ ‘hometown vibe’ and ‘kid-friendly’ are among the adjectives users can select for their search, and the results serve up detailed neighbourhood profiles, photo galleries, interactive maps, events calendars and even user-generated neighbourhood blogs. Apartment managers pay Hubbuzz USD 375 for each rental that is made through the site, and Hubbuzz passes USD 100 of that on to the renter as a reward. The site currently serves Los Angeles, San Diego, Denver, Colorado Springs and Northern Colorado; Chicago, Phoenix, Orange County and Dallas are soon to be added. Hubbuzz is open to partnering arrangements, and the concept is ripe for application in virtually any urban area. Consumers can zero in on what they want more quickly and accurately, while rental managers get contacted only by more informed (and thus more likely to rent) prospects—it’s a win-win for everyone. Spotted by: Stacie Bogan