I recently did a soft launch of my Beta 2.0 site: http://LiveByTransit.com. The site allows users to search properties for rent or for sale near train stations. This site also provides a ranking of all Chicago neighborhood elementary schools (PreK-8), and the ability to see properties for rent or for sale in specific school districts. The first Beta launch went live on Dec 20 for Code Academy demo day. I was a student in the first class, and during my time at Code Academy I built this site. Since the first launch I have received solid feedback from my classmates at Code Academy and others (thank you all who took the time to help!) which has culminated in this new refactored website. Searches are now completely map based, no selecting neighborhoods or cities, just zoom the map to where you want to live and the map boundaries are used to limit search results.
There is still much work to be done in anticipation of a formal launch in the spring of 2012. I would greatly appreciate any feedback.
The listing data is a combination of MLS data, and listings uploaded by property owners. Property owners must be invited to post listings. This feature could make this site a preferred alternative to craigslist for rental properties in Chicago. See this blog post about why craigslist sucks for apartment searches: http://wp.me/p1mFOQ-d
The monetization strategy is a moving target. I could offer the search capability to real estate agents on their websites for a fee, or allow real estate agents to use the site for lead generation for a referral fee by assigning specific train stations or school districts to specific agents. I could charge property owners to post listings. I could charge agents to have their for-sale listings show up on the site....this scenario is interesting because I could easily market the site to property owners who have their homes listed in good school districts....and maybe the home owner would apply pressure to the real estate agent to pay a fee to have their listings displayed on the site. The agent benefits by possibly capturing both sides of the commission (buyer and seller) AND they can be featured on the site as the buyers rep in specific neighborhoods as an added bonus.
Lots of ways to monetize, but before I get ahead of myself the site has to bring traffic. I will provide a place for parents to ask questions about school districts and get up to date information on school news, such as Lincoln Park Elementary is considering moving the southern boundary from North Ave to Armitage. Advertise on the CTA and Metra. Offer a smart phone app that lets you see homes for rent or for sale near you right now, and tells you in what neighborhood you are standing right now.....any other ideas out there?
Here is a screen shot that shows a search within 1/4 mile of any train station on the north side of Chicago:
Lots of ideas, lots of work to do to make it real, but I have a start and would love to hear your thoughts on any of the above.
Finally, I am looking for partners who can add value on the design or coding of the site.
Thanks for reading!
Tom Brown
