March 2008 Hall of Fame
Off-Campus Living Made Simple~ A way to make colleges stu...
Off-Campus Living Made Simple~ A way to make colleges students lives better
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General Advice (9) Give advice
Advice given by upsidown03.27.08 | 03:03 PMI think you'll need to pair with students on the ground at different colleges-- have you considered going through the website www.dailyjolt.com?
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Advice given by maayanroman03.25.08 | 04:41 PMI am a Binghamton student and I know from dealing with several Binghamton-area landlords that the majority of them are not tech-savvy. In order to garner markets such as these and become effective, you need to do case by case analysis and research into the character of off-campus renting in each college market. For Binghamton I believe you'd need phone support for landlords. There is a landlord's association which I'm sure you can find in the phone book and would be a good way to advertise to landlords. I would also suggest adding areas, i.e. West Side, South Side, JC, Downtown, Vestal, etc. for Binghamton, as the location/neighborhood is key for many people. For instance, one side of Main street is completely different from the other. Only by enhancing these listings with increased information from landlords will you create a value proposition for students which is different from what the campus paper does (I work on it.) Binghamton may not be the best fit for this system, and I need that needs to be heavily evaluated with each market you attempt to expand into if you hope to be suc…morecessful. Because this service is free (maybe you should offer "enhanced" listings) you should also look at your revenue stream which appears to be only from website advertising. Yet you use only a two-link long list of google text ads and they don't even appear on every page. Why? Out of the two posted one is for Binghamton Apartments, in apparent competition with your site. People are already on a rental site, so why would they click it? Or if they do, they've navigated away from your site and are not using your competition's page. The other is for apartments in Madison Wisconsin. How is that relevant? I hope that there is another source of revenue which I have missed because it doesn't seem that the current one is very strong. It's a good idea but you have a lot to work on, perhaps this money will allow you to do that. Good luck!
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Advice given by Coolracine03.15.08 | 01:14 AMPlacefinder is already a winner because it solves a problem that will not go away anytime soon.
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Advice given by crackemchris03.14.08 | 10:03 PMI love this site because it is an honest attempt to improve an inefficiency. The real estate markets has been suffering alot in the United States, so i commend those who are bearing the responsibility to clean up this mess. As a grad student I understand the difficulty of finding office. a cool feature would be if you could have virtual tours of the houses, or at least several pictures. that would save the house seekers much time. Overall I am a big fan and I hope to see this site launch nationally.
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Advice given by FreddyLuvbug03.14.08 | 08:39 PMKeep doing whatever you're doing Bert. It's obviously working!!
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Advice given by inventorspot
03.14.08 | 10:10 AMAre there not rental websites already out there?
Why are college students different from other renters? If you figure that out and focus on those particular differences, you should be able to better address their needs and compete against existing networks.
Good luck
Michelle
INVENTORSPOT.COM - PRACTICAL ADVICE ON MAKING YOUR IDEAS INTO PRODUCTSAre you sure you want to report as abuse?
Advice given by ajf20003.13.08 | 01:32 AMSo this is what I would focus on if I were your company:
I go to a major university (PSU), and there are already plenty of sites that offer services that do just this (e.g. Facebook, Lionconnection.com, StateCollege.com, dailyjolt.com, centredaily.com, Craigslist.com)
So you need to:
-Make your product better than what exists. Could you get it to aggregate all of those sites? Or maybe allow people to rate apartments/houses/roommates, leave feedback, post photos, etc...
-Market the **** out of it initially to get a lot of students to start using it right away. And time it right, like when students are going to be looking for places to live.
Also, be prepared for how to handle potential lulls in site traffic. Most leases here are Aug.-Aug. and I believe apt. searching activity is at its peak from Oct.-Jan.Are you sure you want to report as abuse?
Advice given by Acolytes803.12.08 | 11:27 AMPretty good idea! Great job
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Advice given by aminator03.10.08 | 10:08 PMMight look for landlords advertising on craigs list
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Q1: We would like to start expanding our company and we are interested in ways of finding landlords who rent to students. Finding this group of individuals can sometimes be challenging. Any help on organizations they may be a part of or best ways to reach them would be greatly appreciated (5) Respond
Advice given by erinely03.11.08 | 07:06 AMSorry my post did not work on the first try so I will add it again.
There are property management companies in most cities that have lists like this most likely.
You could try searching for property management companies in each city that you will be marketing your service in...that's a good place to start, also you could look at local newspapers classified sections and find places for rent that way, then you could contact the lister and see if they are interested in being listed on your site.Are you sure you want to report as abuse?
Advice given by karl03.14.08 | 09:06 AMTo find landlords who rent to college students, look into the regional Real Estate Investors Associations (REIA's). Some, like GSREIA in New Jersey, have listservs for members to communicate, and all have regular meetings. You can find REIA's for your target markets here: www.nationalreia.com
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Advice given by duckwalk03.14.08 | 05:49 PMYou could ask users to refer you to their current and past landlords, then ask the landlords if they'd like to be listed. This might help you get some of the many landlords who own one or two properties and don't advertise the way apartment complexes do. For the big landlords, youc an use the yellow pages and all the miillions of publications that already exist for renters. As other advisors have said, you are going to need to set yourself apart from other resources. Targeting only college students will not be enough.
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Advice given by Mic_eDunn 03.24.08 | 09:09 AMIn most college towns you can check with the college for landlords or management companies that provide housing. Also check with local chamber of commerce offices in towns where colleges are located, create a mailing list this way.
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Advice given by awolff03.28.08 | 08:35 AMMaybe you can try calling the administrators in charge of Residence Life or Housing or check the student directories for address info.
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Idea Description
The placefinder.com is an off-campus housing website that helps college students find off-campus housing, roommates and sublets. If you remember what it was like in college trying to find a place then this is the service to solve those challenges.
What will you do if you win $10,000 for this idea?
Our next steps would be to put the money into developing new features to create an all around better user experience which includes graphic design, added features and beef up security on the site.
We would also use the money for marketing to new colleges.
Great idea, i would love to see this come into full fruition, I have seen first hand the years of hardwork you have put into building a service that will benefit all. I encourage everyone to take a look at placefinder.com!!!
great idea!!
This is a much needed service and should definitely win
Yeah as a freshman in college finding a place off campus and good roomates is challenging. definately a name to be known around colleges. i've used it several times and it is awesome
Good seeing you at last year's GSEA; good luck with this competition!
Fabulous idea, wish this was around when I was in school!
Great Idea, this should go straight to Number 1 real soon
I like your site -- you have a good idea here. I hope students really take to the site and help it grow. LUPS
Continue the great work! People are realizing the need for this service. LUPS!
As a past college grad and a current landlord, I know firsthand that this is a need service. We're cheering for you! NB
Placefinder should definitely win! TEAII
Cheering for you -- this is going to be BIG!!
Placefinder is an amazing idea and led by amazing people! Go Placefinder! I'm rooting for you!!
I think it is terrific!..AM
I must say when I first heard about placefinder I was impressed and relieved to know finally their is someone out there that really wants to make the college life more convenient for us students. I am extremely excited and hope placefinder wins because not only is it a GREAT idea but it benefits our education. ~Estela~
There is no doubt about it, that this site is a great benefit to students looking for housing. I'm an avid user and recommend to it my fellow peers when asked about student housing. I found my last two rentals through using this site. Keep up the good work!!
I love this idea it cuts out all the leg work when one already has so much to worry about in school, good luck!!!!
The idea is great, the founders are amazing, you must be blind if you don't vote for this one~~~
If it comes to NYC, which I heard it will, than this will be a terrific service!
Great stuff guys. Hey when are you coming up to Binghamton to speak??
Yall deserve to win. The site is only going to get better. Well Done!
Its like the google for off campus housing.
Nice idea, when you get a moment, check out my idea and reciprocate a vote!
I remember so many of my friends apartment hunting was a nightmare since we didn't have a service such as this. Not only theplacefinder is an up and coming alternative it has the potential to be better than the current outlets. This could be very beneficial to college students. I would recommend this to all my friends!!!
Great idea, I encourage everyone to take a look at placefinder.com!
I checked your site, I like the links for students (bus schedule, 7 questions to ask your landlord, color coded class schedule template). Your graphics could, as you say, stand some jazzing up. If you have a lot of property listings, maybe you should brag about it there on the first page. It's a lot of work for a user to go through if she only will find the same already-rented apartment over and over (I won't, will I?) Don't the colleges have their own student housing offices? How are you different?
Placefinder.com is extraordinary! Luckily I did not have too much trouble finding housing when I was in college, BUT tons of my friends went through **** to find a decent place to live. Some never did find one. Placefinder.com provides a PERFECT solution to college students and landlords. Bert Gervais and Arel Moody are genii. GREAT work!!
This is such a great site!!! VERY user friendly! Thank you for everything! I have passed this onto my friends as well. Is there anything that you haven't thought of??
this is a timely tool that will effect many communities and colleges. i've witnessed first hand the dedication and commitment to building this business. great job and keep it going because you're motivating others and fulfilling a great need.
The concept is solid...way more time to study and stayed focused on school work...Good work guys!
Great idea, seriously!
I really like this idea! Housing is sometimes weird and students always need the help they can get!
Are you a college student? Do you gotta find a place? Why not use Placefinder? It's got all you need to get the job done.. in minimal time!
Great for students and landlords. Good luck!
Thanks a bunch guys, this was a great way to get my apartments rented out quickly and easily here in Binghamton... it sure beats fliers and skimpy newspaper ads for cost and content. I had half a dozen email requests to see the place I posted in the first week- Rented on the 3rd tour. <>Steve
Just showing my support to placefinders.com an amazing way to help college students focus on the really important things, and find apartments quickly without stress..... Arel, best of luck buddy! Liz.
I think this idea was well needed. This way more college students can reap the benefits of affordble off-campus living. I have confidece than you'll win you win. Alonzo (BoogyMan Production)
This would be a valuable resource for students. I hope it wins.
great idea, wonderful way for students to find off-campus living. Roman the Pug and I wish you the best of luck!
A Pug & Friend in Need should win
good stuff.
A great idea! Looking forward to it being a multi-million dollar biz one day. Its a service that is needed and can be expanded all over the country. Go make your name!!!! Good Luck!!!
What a great idea. It's almost impossible to find a place to live in college. Perfect 100% great idea.
Awsome idea