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i don't care if a tech company extracts a fee, as 1) the process will likely be much better then texting a broker: virtual apartment layouts, ability to see pr

i don't care if a tech company extracts a fee, as 1) the process will likely be much better then texting a broker: virtual apartment layouts, ability to see profiles for roommates, no bait and switch of "that unit just got taken buuuuuuuuuuuttttt i have this crappy one that is still available just for you!" 2) the fee they charge will be less than brokers. no way would someone handover a month's rent to some company who's only interaction with you is via chatbot ---- edit ---- i have nothing against brokers. but if these companies innovate and force the brokers to actually provide value again in the internet age, then that's a win for everyone.

nightpool 5y ago
I can 100% imagine tech companies doing all of those things you mention hating brokers for—not having virtual apartment layouts, not having the ability to choose your roommates, using dark patterns to try and bait and switch you into a crappier unit... The difference isn't between brokers / tech companies, it's between a new market entrant (who is trying to convey a user-friendly atmosphere to attract userss/good press) vs an ossified market where brokers have no incentive to cater to renters, despite the fact that they're ostensibly working for them, since they're chosen exclusively by landlords. Five years later, there's nothing preventing the tech companies from working in exactly the same way—the reality is that any company that's chosen exclusively by the landlord and not accountable to the tenants is going to face exactly the same set of incentives, since supply-side shortages dominate the urban housing market.
neilv 5y ago
> the fee they charge will be less than brokers. no way would someone handover a month's rent to some company who's only interaction with you is via chatbot In Boston, I would've thought there's no way that someone would pay thousands of dollars of a broker fee for merely unlocking the door so you can see the place for literally a few minutes (and who expects you to bring your checkbook and write a deposit within 5 minutes, because they've scheduled another person to show up 5 minutes later)... but that's the setup, and many people have to play along with that. You wouldn't think you'd pay 30% cut off the top to an app store, for the privilege of being in app search results, and also to be at the mercy of whatever backstabbing it might do to you in the future (e.g., when they decide to compete with your service, or a partner of theirs does), but that's the setup, and many people have to play along with that.
TeMPOraL 5y ago
> virtual apartment layouts I wish to see that. It'll be 10 more years before the implementation won't be total garbage. > ability to see profiles for roommates Privacy concerns may prevent that. If not, it's a prime candidate for a paywall. > no bait and switch of "that unit just got taken buuuuuuuuuuuttttt i have this crappy one that is still available just for you! You're joking, right? On-line services literally live by that. They've perfected it, refined it to the level of art. Only the best US used car salesmen can get close to pulling shenanigans the large on-line hotel and vacation booking services pull. > the fee they charge will be less than brokers. The fee will be whatever they say it will be. The more centralized the market will get - and this is what happens when things get handled by tech companies - the higher the fees are likely to be. > no way would someone handover a month's rent to some company who's only interaction with you is via chatbot People will pay if the service is good enough, for the same reason they pay brokers today. Many have more money than free time in their lives; one month's rent isn't much if it cuts out most of the bullshit that's involved in finding a place to rent.
- vineyardmike 5y ago
  >> virtual apartment layouts >I wish to see that. It'll be 10 more years before the implementation won't be total garbage. It exists today. I used it for all my apartments since 2018. Its great (enough). Mattermost is the biggest one i've seen. They even have a (mediocre) VR app. Its sufficiently good enough for the purpose. You can even (somewhat precisely) measure the apartment (great for furniture/etc).

nightpool 5y ago

I can 100% imagine tech companies doing all of those things you mention hating brokers for—not having virtual apartment layouts, not having the ability to choose your roommates, using dark patterns to try and bait and switch you into a crappier unit... The difference isn't between brokers / tech companies, it's between a new market entrant (who is trying to convey a user-friendly atmosphere to attract userss/good press) vs an ossified market where brokers have no incentive to cater to renters, despite the fact that they're ostensibly working for them, since they're chosen exclusively by landlords. Five years later, there's nothing preventing the tech companies from working in exactly the same way—the reality is that any company that's chosen exclusively by the landlord and not accountable to the tenants is going to face exactly the same set of incentives, since supply-side shortages dominate the urban housing market.

neilv 5y ago

> the fee they charge will be less than brokers. no way would someone handover a month's rent to some company who's only interaction with you is via chatbot In Boston, I would've thought there's no way that someone would pay thousands of dollars of a broker fee for merely unlocking the door so you can see the place for literally a few minutes (and who expects you to bring your checkbook and write a deposit within 5 minutes, because they've scheduled another person to show up 5 minutes later)... but that's the setup, and many people have to play along with that. You wouldn't think you'd pay 30% cut off the top to an app store, for the privilege of being in app search results, and also to be at the mercy of whatever backstabbing it might do to you in the future (e.g., when they decide to compete with your service, or a partner of theirs does), but that's the setup, and many people have to play along with that.

TeMPOraL 5y ago

> virtual apartment layouts I wish to see that. It'll be 10 more years before the implementation won't be total garbage. > ability to see profiles for roommates Privacy concerns may prevent that. If not, it's a prime candidate for a paywall. > no bait and switch of "that unit just got taken buuuuuuuuuuuttttt i have this crappy one that is still available just for you! You're joking, right? On-line services literally live by that. They've perfected it, refined it to the level of art. Only the best US used car salesmen can get close to pulling shenanigans the large on-line hotel and vacation booking services pull. > the fee they charge will be less than brokers. The fee will be whatever they say it will be. The more centralized the market will get - and this is what happens when things get handled by tech companies - the higher the fees are likely to be. > no way would someone handover a month's rent to some company who's only interaction with you is via chatbot People will pay if the service is good enough, for the same reason they pay brokers today. Many have more money than free time in their lives; one month's rent isn't much if it cuts out most of the bullshit that's involved in finding a place to rent.

vineyardmike 5y ago
>> virtual apartment layouts >I wish to see that. It'll be 10 more years before the implementation won't be total garbage. It exists today. I used it for all my apartments since 2018. Its great (enough). Mattermost is the biggest one i've seen. They even have a (mediocre) VR app. Its sufficiently good enough for the purpose. You can even (somewhat precisely) measure the apartment (great for furniture/etc).