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RentHop (YC S09) Launches Algorithmic Apartment Search In Boston

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Re: RentHop (YC S09) Launches Algorithmic Apartment Search In Boston

#11

Post by leelin »

chrisballinger wrote: post #5

Is this just a ripoff of PadMapper ( http://www.padmapper.com )?

Hi, I'm one of the RentHop founders. We love what Eric's done with PadMapper. Our focus is primarily sorting on quality. We see most of the messaging and scheduling activity so we can reward the responsive and trustworthy managers while penalizing bad behavior. For example, if an apartment is still available after 15 renters have looked at it over two weeks, that's a terrible sign.

For now we had to seed our initial reputation using priors from our data partners and our own observations about a firm's listings. As time passes the scores should differentiate based on individual activities, similar to our NYC rankings.

Re: RentHop (YC S09) Launches Algorithmic Apartment Search In Boston

#12

Post by leelin »

tibbon wrote: post #9

Seems, not quite there yet. I like living in Somerville, which is one of the neighborhoods it indexes. 1) It only returns 19 results for Somerville 2) None of them allow cats (really? Every apartment I've lived in Somerville was more than happy to have cats). 3) There is no option to search for ones with garages (yes, there are garages in Somerville!) 4) There is no feedback as to where this Hop Score comes from (fre…

Hi there, I'm one of the RentHop founders.

For now we had to seed our initial reputation using priors from our data partners and our NYC models. We'll be sure our scoring gets smarter and better fit to Boston over time.

Re: RentHop (YC S09) Launches Algorithmic Apartment Search In Boston

#16

Post by dkrich »

tibbon wrote: post #9

Seems, not quite there yet. I like living in Somerville, which is one of the neighborhoods it indexes. 1) It only returns 19 results for Somerville 2) None of them allow cats (really? Every apartment I've lived in Somerville was more than happy to have cats). 3) There is no option to search for ones with garages (yes, there are garages in Somerville!) 4) There is no feedback as to where this Hop Score comes from (fre…

Hmm, interesting points. Maybe you noticed that the service JUST LAUNCHED in the Boston area. I'm pretty happy to see this because just today I was wondering why apartment hunting sucks so bad. I've been looking in DC for two weeks now and I still haven't found two people who agree on which neighborhoods/apartments are best.

Re: RentHop (YC S09) Launches Algorithmic Apartment Search In Boston

#17

Post by jquery »

ericd wrote: post #8
chrisballinger wrote: post #5

Is this just a ripoff of PadMapper ( http://www.padmapper.com )?

So, I wrote/write PadMapper, and I'd say not really. Thanks for looking out for me, though :-) The map UI is clearly inspired by it, but the data sources are very different. If I understand correctly, RentHop mostly focuses on getting information directly from and making money from rental brokers, whereas PadMapper just tries to index everything it can (PadMapper takes direct listings from a lot of the top agents/age…

How do you index from craigslist? They are notorious for sending "cease and desist" orders to companies who try to index them. Do you have some special agreement with them or is a matter of being a small enough fish they haven't noticed you yet?

Re: RentHop (YC S09) Launches Algorithmic Apartment Search In Boston

#18

Post by aneth »

chrisballinger wrote: post #5

Is this just a ripoff of PadMapper ( http://www.padmapper.com )?

Isn't PadMapper just a ripoff of http://www.housingmaps.com/, which was the first of its kind?

I developed http://www.cribq.com because at the time, both PadMapper (if it existed, can't remember - according to domain records padmapper.com was registered after CribQ launched) and HousingMaps were too simplistic and behind on listings to use. HousingMaps had no organizational tools - so I suppose PadMapper "ripped" that idea off of me? (CribQ website is not actively developed anymore, but the iPhone app is quite popular.)

Seriously, why does this accusation come up every time someone launches a site with housing listings on a map? Even if the site is similar, there is no shame in "ripping off" ideas - you will always do something different and hopefully better or useful in some way. If you manage to copy an idea and survive, you've either done a better job marketing or a better job building a product for some segment. Either way, we all win.

Developing a site that is an improvement, different take, or even a copy of another is not a ripoff. Is AirBNB a ripoff of VRBO? Is Google a ripoff of AltaVista? Is Gmail a ripoff of HotMail? Is TechStars a ripoff of YC? Facebook a ripoff of Friendster? You may not agree with their tactics in some cases, but generally the founders/creators have a vision that differs from the site they "ripped off" and have a reason for creating their own version. And would somebody PLEASE rip off Craigslist and win?

Copy away. Or as Steve Jobs says, "good artists copy, great artists steal."

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