Datamining a Flat in Munich

#1

Post by ilovefood » Wed, Sep 24, 2014, 8:21 AM UTC

Datamining a Flat in Munich
funnybretzel.svbtle.com

Re: Datamining a Flat in Munich

#2

Post by gimboland » Wed, Sep 24, 2014, 9:18 AM UTC

Brilliant punchline.

Re: Datamining a Flat in Munich

#3

Post by Kiro » Wed, Sep 24, 2014, 9:19 AM UTC

> a girl with an italian name, gets an 90% answer rate, a guy with an arab name and is younger than 25 gets, 1% answer rate

Depressing.

Re: Datamining a Flat in Munich

#4

Post by freyfogle » Wed, Sep 24, 2014, 9:27 AM UTC

My sympathies, I lived in Munich 15 years ago and it was a nightmare to find a place even back then. I've heard it's only gotten worse.

We (Nestoria.de) aggregate listings of most of the players in real estate in Germany (IS24, immowelt, immonet, süddeutsche, others) and offer an API. We also offer an API of price trends (ie what the avg rent is in an area and if it's going up or down).

Enjoy: http://www.nestoria.co.uk/help/api-search-listings

Re: Datamining a Flat in Munich

#5

Post by petercooper » Wed, Sep 24, 2014, 9:40 AM UTC

The conclusion from this little study, is that a girl with an italian name, gets an 90% answer rate, a guy with an arab name and is younger than 25 gets, 1% answer rate. The master of all, is the young munich guy who is around 25

Sadly, this doesn't surprise me.

Across Europe, numerous anti-discrimination laws have been (rightfully) enacted, but it just pushes any inclination to discriminate that might exist into private. Oh, we "didn't receive" your e-mail, or oh, I "didn't see" your résumé.. This is why some people got upset about Google+ demanding real names and similar "use your real name" policies elsewhere, as even a name alone can be a huge trigger for discriminatory behavior.

Re: Datamining a Flat in Munich

#6

Post by phreeza » Wed, Sep 24, 2014, 9:41 AM UTC

I was recently looking for a new flat in Berlin, and I didn't have the same type of problem the OP had, but once I had an interview, I had to make a decision on whether I wanted the flat or not quite quickly. So I used a variant of the optimal strategy of the secretary problem[0]: Decided on a rough maximal number of flats I wanted to visit N, visit N/e flats without real intention of renting, to sample the market, and then take the first flat that is better than all of the previously viewed flats. Worked out remarkably well for me.

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secretary_problem

Re: Datamining a Flat in Munich

#7

Post by corv » Wed, Sep 24, 2014, 9:45 AM UTC

freyfogle wrote: post #4

My sympathies, I lived in Munich 15 years ago and it was a nightmare to find a place even back then. I've heard it's only gotten worse. We (Nestoria.de) aggregate listings of most of the players in real estate in Germany (IS24, immowelt, immonet, süddeutsche, others) and offer an API. We also offer an API of price trends (ie what the avg rent is in an area and if it's going up or down). Enjoy: http://www.nestoria.co.…

Thanks for the link, your site is brilliant!

Re: Datamining a Flat in Munich

#8

Post by ilovefood » Wed, Sep 24, 2014, 9:51 AM UTC

petercooper wrote: post #5

The conclusion from this little study, is that a girl with an italian name, gets an 90% answer rate, a guy with an arab name and is younger than 25 gets, 1% answer rate. The master of all, is the young munich guy who is around 25 Sadly, this doesn't surprise me. Across Europe, numerous anti-discrimination laws have been (rightfully) enacted, but it just pushes any inclination to discriminate that might exist into pri…

Thanks for the input ! Maybe I should try it with jobs, just for a test, and write an article about it. :)

Re: Datamining a Flat in Munich

#9

Post by valevk » Wed, Sep 24, 2014, 9:53 AM UTC

Getting an answer is only the first step. Afterwards you are invited with around 20-30 other persons to visit the flat. It's like cattle looking for a new shed.

Re: Datamining a Flat in Munich

#10

Post by gambiting » Wed, Sep 24, 2014, 9:55 AM UTC

petercooper wrote: post #5

The conclusion from this little study, is that a girl with an italian name, gets an 90% answer rate, a guy with an arab name and is younger than 25 gets, 1% answer rate. The master of all, is the young munich guy who is around 25 Sadly, this doesn't surprise me. Across Europe, numerous anti-discrimination laws have been (rightfully) enacted, but it just pushes any inclination to discriminate that might exist into pri…

I think it has more to do with age than to do with origin. When I was looking for a place in the UK after getting my first job and earning decent money I was straight up told by an agency that many landlords wouldn't even consider me because I was "too young to rent a house", even though I had the money for it. Age discrimination is perfectly legal everywhere(apart from job interviews maybe) - think car insurance - so it's very easily used as an excuse for everything. I also think that's wrong.