5 ms·

Ask HN: Review my startup, Leasely

13 points by smalter 16y ago

http://leasely.com It works like so: the broker creates a rental and gets a unique URL for that rental to hand out to potential applicants. The applicants go to the URL to fill out an application which then the broker can review and accept/reject. I made a test broker account for HN users: un:joe@broker.com, pw:broker. I also created a couple of rental URLs managed by joe@broker.com: http://www.leasely.com/apply/XQaKx/ http://www.leasely.com/apply/ArFiJ/ You can register as a tenant/applicant by visiting either of those. Thanks!

smalter 16y ago
Clickable: http://www.leasely.com http://www.leasely.com
arthurdent 16y ago
Love the idea -- details are important here. I've tried a few other services for my properties, but the UI tends to be really sloppy for other "apply online" web services. You need to make it easy for me to use and inviting for my potential tenants. One thing that would make me almost certain to try it is if you could bundle an affordable credit check into the application process. Any plans for something like that? I'd be interested in helping beta test this if you have a need for that.
- rguzman 16y ago
  I'm smalter's co-founder. We would love to have you beta test, I'll email you at the address on your HN profile. As for credit checks: yep, that's our next step.
  - netmau5 16y ago
    Love the idea, but the UI makes it feel a little unconvincing. If you need some front-end help, drop me a line and we can chat tonight.
    - rguzman 16y ago
      Yeah, I'd love to chat. I can't find your email on your HN profile, but mine is rodrigo@leasely.com.
- smalter 16y ago
  We agree. We've looked at some very poor web services in this area. How do you think our UI handles? We're aiming to make it simple. Thanks for your offer -- we'll definitely take you up on it. We have plans to add affordable credit checks in the process. For the time being, we're letting people attach credit reports to their applications as a stopgap solution.
iloveyouocean 16y ago
Homepage was uninspiring. Looks aren't everything, but I don't think you meet the minimum 'confidence inspring' graphic design that convinces people you are legit. No social proof offered (has even one person used it and like it? Tell me about it.). As a Broker, I would like to see at least an example of an application before I invest the time to create an account, etc. Also, there is no mention of pricing at all. If its free, say so. Saying nothing at all makes me suspicious. When I sign in as a Tenant, there are no current applications to view. There is nothing at all to do. Understandable. I like the concept, but to get actual Brokers/Tenants using Leasely, I think you are going to need to put some more effort towards convincing: social proof, examples, call to action, explanation of pricing.
- smalter 16y ago
  Great points. Thanks. I've been cold calling brokers, and on the phone, I've been getting very high interest -- maybe 80% of brokers want to hear more via email. But the conversion rate in getting those people signed up is lower. Your suggestions may be part of the answer. Thank you.
SHOwnsYou 16y ago
Definitely make friendlier URLs. The current URL structure basically requires an email to get the word out about the listing. I would suggest <tld><username><keyword> resulting in http://leasely.com/Joe/LakesideView http://leasely.com/Joe/LakesideView
- smalter 16y ago
  Yeah, good point. Most brokers have either distributed the URL by putting in in their listing, emailing it, or printing it at the top of paper applications. We don't really see people saying the URL out loud to people. Nevertheless, human friendly is always good and something we'll implement soon!
  - SHOwnsYou 16y ago
    Seeing a listing or piece of paper with "See it online at http://leasely.com/apply/vtkj43x1 http://leasely.com/apply/vtkj43x1 would 100% absolutely stop me from looking at it. Who wants to type that in letter by letter?
    - smalter 16y ago
      We imagined people would copy and paste blocks of code that we provide and none of that would include the actual URL in the text, only the link. But you make a good point. And there's no reason not to do it (your solution is better in every case). We'll get on it. Thanks.
      - SHOwnsYou 16y ago
        I have no idea how you intend on using it, but I picture seeing a billboard or newspaper listing (or real estate print listing) with the URL, not just people finding links online. Anyway, hope it helped.
  - Travis 16y ago
    Human friendly is also SEO friendly. I bet there's a HUGE long tail of people looking for properties via some combination of those keywords. I can even see a use case where I went to look at a property with Joe Black Realty in City Center, and wanted to show it to my dad but didn't have the URL handy. I'd recommend that you focus on seeding to a few realtors, then really push your SEO. One thing that has worked for us in 2 sided markets is having a "partnership" package. Where, for $N, you get a certain number of emails that we'll help you write and send (leveraging our internet expertise), as well as a thousand business cards with our co-branded info (and their custom landing page into our system) onto it. Might not scale, but for us it's a bootstrapping strategy. May it help you as well.
kevinherron 16y ago
Is this credit report real? http://leasely.com/site_media/app_doc_attachments/8/8/WHC%20Experian%20Credit%20Report.html http://leasely.com/site_media/app_doc_attachments/8/8/WHC%20... I'm guessing its yours and modified, but it looks convincing :)
- smalter 16y ago
  It was a modified credit report of mine, but I killed it because I got scared of having any of that info out there. Thanks.
vdondeti 16y ago
It would be nice if tenants could login using their Facebook or other existing credentials. This will also make it easier for users to try it out. Also, the rental applications template page appears (http://www.leasely.com/sample/rental_application_forms/ http://www.leasely.com/sample/rental_application_forms/) to be broken.
- smalter 16y ago
  Thanks on both counts. Reducing friction in use is something we aim to do.
ximeng 16y ago
Some notes: "Here are the 5 most recently updated of your applications." How about, "Your 5 most recently updated applications:" I couldn't see anything to do with the applications, they're all just listed as "Not started". "We're taking the headache out of the apartment rental applications." The "out of the" should be "out of". Should have calendar field for dates. Pages keep timing out, news.y effect? Attachment uploading failed to be maintained across an error with another part of the form. No indication of whether emails are going to applicants, no way to change from accepted to rejected or vice versa once you press that link. Not sure if you sent anything to the mailinator address I signed up with, but couldn't see anything there. It really could do with pictures. Lease terms (e.g. renewal length, price). If you're taking people's SSN numbers, I guess you would want to do that over SSL. Give an alternative for people too nervous to do that. Maybe put a flow diagram of how it works on the front page. A privacy policy would probably be a good idea too. No way to cancel an application after it's been accepted? No way to communicate with the broker through the site? It looks like it has potential, but I think could do with a bit more design and iteration. What's going to attract people to the site? --- Edit: more... Do you really want to make those URLs case sensitive? When I get the case wrong I get a list of all brokers, but if I try to select any apart from Joe I get an error saying I can only select Joe. Why the error? Why show the others if I can't select them? The combos don't seem to be linked up. As an unlogged in user why can't I view the properties that are available? -- Good luck Edit: more on why email through the site: I think you either want to explicitly encourage people to use email to ask questions, or have a communication mechanism built in. The main advantage of having a communication mechanism built in would be that you can keep track of all the communication about a particular property in one place. It also makes your site more sticky, as there's something to do other than clicking "accept" or "reject". Even just adding notes to the "reject" would be helpful. I think it naturally leads into keeping communication around the seed of the conversation, which is the lease. -- After all, you're trying to add value here, if you're just directing people to sort it out over email then make it clear what the benefits of using your site are beyond it just being a directory of brokers and properties.
- rguzman 16y ago
  Thanks! All are good points, and several of them things that we're planning on doing e.g. SSL, encrypted SSNs with a note reminding users, email notifications. Would you mind going further on why would it be a good idea to let communication with the broker happen on the site. In general, I get annoyed at the re-implementation of email (e.g. facebook messages) when it is not absolutely necessary (the messaging system on airbnb, however, makes perfect sense).
outreneil 16y ago
i love the concept, great beta release. the design is simple and clean. Couple suggestions about usability: 1) Tenant landing pages - make sure they know what's going on, it has to be idiot proof. perhaps simplify the process and tell them you'll be notified by email if the landlord has questions or approves. they are typically going to be one time users, whereas the landlords need a dashboard. 2) when tenant fills out application let them know which fields are mandatory (different landlords may have different requirements, perhaps that should be customize-able). 3) there was a display bug after i submitted my application as a tenant 4) when you reject an application perhaps you should allow the landlord to submit a reason. also, landlord may want to ask prospective tenant questions. allow them to communicate somehow or submit additional materials.
- smalter 16y ago
  Thanks. We fixed the display bug. And thanks for the suggestions. Keeping things simple is the lodestar and is quite difficult, but really worthwhile.

13 points by smalter 16y ago

smalter 16y ago

Clickable: http://www.leasely.com http://www.leasely.com

arthurdent 16y ago

Love the idea -- details are important here. I've tried a few other services for my properties, but the UI tends to be really sloppy for other "apply online" web services. You need to make it easy for me to use and inviting for my potential tenants. One thing that would make me almost certain to try it is if you could bundle an affordable credit check into the application process. Any plans for something like that? I'd be interested in helping beta test this if you have a need for that.

rguzman 16y ago
I'm smalter's co-founder. We would love to have you beta test, I'll email you at the address on your HN profile. As for credit checks: yep, that's our next step.
- netmau5 16y ago
  Love the idea, but the UI makes it feel a little unconvincing. If you need some front-end help, drop me a line and we can chat tonight.
  - rguzman 16y ago
    Yeah, I'd love to chat. I can't find your email on your HN profile, but mine is rodrigo@leasely.com.
smalter 16y ago
We agree. We've looked at some very poor web services in this area. How do you think our UI handles? We're aiming to make it simple. Thanks for your offer -- we'll definitely take you up on it. We have plans to add affordable credit checks in the process. For the time being, we're letting people attach credit reports to their applications as a stopgap solution.

iloveyouocean 16y ago

Homepage was uninspiring. Looks aren't everything, but I don't think you meet the minimum 'confidence inspring' graphic design that convinces people you are legit. No social proof offered (has even one person used it and like it? Tell me about it.). As a Broker, I would like to see at least an example of an application before I invest the time to create an account, etc. Also, there is no mention of pricing at all. If its free, say so. Saying nothing at all makes me suspicious. When I sign in as a Tenant, there are no current applications to view. There is nothing at all to do. Understandable. I like the concept, but to get actual Brokers/Tenants using Leasely, I think you are going to need to put some more effort towards convincing: social proof, examples, call to action, explanation of pricing.

smalter 16y ago
Great points. Thanks. I've been cold calling brokers, and on the phone, I've been getting very high interest -- maybe 80% of brokers want to hear more via email. But the conversion rate in getting those people signed up is lower. Your suggestions may be part of the answer. Thank you.

SHOwnsYou 16y ago

Definitely make friendlier URLs. The current URL structure basically requires an email to get the word out about the listing. I would suggest <tld><username><keyword> resulting in http://leasely.com/Joe/LakesideView http://leasely.com/Joe/LakesideView

smalter 16y ago
Yeah, good point. Most brokers have either distributed the URL by putting in in their listing, emailing it, or printing it at the top of paper applications. We don't really see people saying the URL out loud to people. Nevertheless, human friendly is always good and something we'll implement soon!
- SHOwnsYou 16y ago
  Seeing a listing or piece of paper with "See it online at http://leasely.com/apply/vtkj43x1 http://leasely.com/apply/vtkj43x1 would 100% absolutely stop me from looking at it. Who wants to type that in letter by letter?
  - smalter 16y ago
    We imagined people would copy and paste blocks of code that we provide and none of that would include the actual URL in the text, only the link. But you make a good point. And there's no reason not to do it (your solution is better in every case). We'll get on it. Thanks.
    - SHOwnsYou 16y ago
      I have no idea how you intend on using it, but I picture seeing a billboard or newspaper listing (or real estate print listing) with the URL, not just people finding links online. Anyway, hope it helped.
- Travis 16y ago
  Human friendly is also SEO friendly. I bet there's a HUGE long tail of people looking for properties via some combination of those keywords. I can even see a use case where I went to look at a property with Joe Black Realty in City Center, and wanted to show it to my dad but didn't have the URL handy. I'd recommend that you focus on seeding to a few realtors, then really push your SEO. One thing that has worked for us in 2 sided markets is having a "partnership" package. Where, for $N, you get a certain number of emails that we'll help you write and send (leveraging our internet expertise), as well as a thousand business cards with our co-branded info (and their custom landing page into our system) onto it. Might not scale, but for us it's a bootstrapping strategy. May it help you as well.

kevinherron 16y ago

Is this credit report real? http://leasely.com/site_media/app_doc_attachments/8/8/WHC%20Experian%20Credit%20Report.html http://leasely.com/site_media/app_doc_attachments/8/8/WHC%20... I'm guessing its yours and modified, but it looks convincing :)

smalter 16y ago
It was a modified credit report of mine, but I killed it because I got scared of having any of that info out there. Thanks.

vdondeti 16y ago

It would be nice if tenants could login using their Facebook or other existing credentials. This will also make it easier for users to try it out. Also, the rental applications template page appears (http://www.leasely.com/sample/rental_application_forms/ http://www.leasely.com/sample/rental_application_forms/) to be broken.

smalter 16y ago
Thanks on both counts. Reducing friction in use is something we aim to do.

ximeng 16y ago

Some notes: "Here are the 5 most recently updated of your applications." How about, "Your 5 most recently updated applications:" I couldn't see anything to do with the applications, they're all just listed as "Not started". "We're taking the headache out of the apartment rental applications." The "out of the" should be "out of". Should have calendar field for dates. Pages keep timing out, news.y effect? Attachment uploading failed to be maintained across an error with another part of the form. No indication of whether emails are going to applicants, no way to change from accepted to rejected or vice versa once you press that link. Not sure if you sent anything to the mailinator address I signed up with, but couldn't see anything there. It really could do with pictures. Lease terms (e.g. renewal length, price). If you're taking people's SSN numbers, I guess you would want to do that over SSL. Give an alternative for people too nervous to do that. Maybe put a flow diagram of how it works on the front page. A privacy policy would probably be a good idea too. No way to cancel an application after it's been accepted? No way to communicate with the broker through the site? It looks like it has potential, but I think could do with a bit more design and iteration. What's going to attract people to the site? --- Edit: more... Do you really want to make those URLs case sensitive? When I get the case wrong I get a list of all brokers, but if I try to select any apart from Joe I get an error saying I can only select Joe. Why the error? Why show the others if I can't select them? The combos don't seem to be linked up. As an unlogged in user why can't I view the properties that are available? -- Good luck Edit: more on why email through the site: I think you either want to explicitly encourage people to use email to ask questions, or have a communication mechanism built in. The main advantage of having a communication mechanism built in would be that you can keep track of all the communication about a particular property in one place. It also makes your site more sticky, as there's something to do other than clicking "accept" or "reject". Even just adding notes to the "reject" would be helpful. I think it naturally leads into keeping communication around the seed of the conversation, which is the lease. -- After all, you're trying to add value here, if you're just directing people to sort it out over email then make it clear what the benefits of using your site are beyond it just being a directory of brokers and properties.

rguzman 16y ago
Thanks! All are good points, and several of them things that we're planning on doing e.g. SSL, encrypted SSNs with a note reminding users, email notifications. Would you mind going further on why would it be a good idea to let communication with the broker happen on the site. In general, I get annoyed at the re-implementation of email (e.g. facebook messages) when it is not absolutely necessary (the messaging system on airbnb, however, makes perfect sense).

outreneil 16y ago

i love the concept, great beta release. the design is simple and clean. Couple suggestions about usability: 1) Tenant landing pages - make sure they know what's going on, it has to be idiot proof. perhaps simplify the process and tell them you'll be notified by email if the landlord has questions or approves. they are typically going to be one time users, whereas the landlords need a dashboard. 2) when tenant fills out application let them know which fields are mandatory (different landlords may have different requirements, perhaps that should be customize-able). 3) there was a display bug after i submitted my application as a tenant 4) when you reject an application perhaps you should allow the landlord to submit a reason. also, landlord may want to ask prospective tenant questions. allow them to communicate somehow or submit additional materials.

smalter 16y ago
Thanks. We fixed the display bug. And thanks for the suggestions. Keeping things simple is the lodestar and is quite difficult, but really worthwhile.