As more prospective home buyers turn to the Internet for their shopping needs, the world of digital listings is heating up, with some brokerages racing against third-parties to dominate the web search space.
One such website, realtor.com, has set its sights squarely on New York’s unique housing market by launching a custom feature for the five boroughs.
The site’s new feature will include enhanced building pages and the ability to search for homes based on additional property types and building amenities.
“People unfamiliar with the New York City housing market may be surprised at how different the home search experience can be here,” Nate Johnson, realtor.com’s chief marketing officer, said. “Whether you are looking for a no-fee rental or a pet-friendly condo with a doorman, realtor.com’s New York experience helps consumers find homes based on their unique wants and needs.”
Realtor.com’s New York-centric features include the ability to filter searches in both the sales and rental markets for condos, townhouses and co-ops. Searcher can specify features such dishwashers, doormen, elevators, pre-furnishings and pets.
Renters can break out additional features such as no-fee units and on-site laundry rooms.
In today’s tech market, users expect more than a list of properties, rooms and prices. As with most white collar industries, data drives everything. For realtor.com, this means a monthly cost calculator that integrates maintenance fees and enhanced building pages with recent sales and other background information.
When it arrives on the scene later this month, realtor.com’s New York platform will go head-to-head with other locally-focused operations, such as Streeteasy, as well as national sites such as apartments.com and various proprietary broker websites.
“New York is one of the largest and most dynamic real estate markets in the world, but it is also one of the most complex to navigate,” Johnson said. “We are committed to simplifying the process by continually developing our New York market offering to deliver a customized, tailored experience and connecting consumers to real estate professionals.”
