InsideDigs showcases off-market rentals
Much like a pocket listings site for residential listings prior to being publicly listed through the MLS, InsideDigs is a free peer to peer community for apartment hunters that are looking for information on rental listings prior to their hitting the market.
The New York City based startup was launched by renters “who were tired of expensive broker fees, too-good-to-be-true photos, and bait-and-switch listings.” Unlike many other cities, these problems are reportedly common in the relatively unregulated Wild West that is known as the NYC market.
InsideDigs’ founder Sharif Fakhr told AGBeat, “Currently InsideDigs is based in New York City and has been broadening to other major cities including Boston, Philadelphia and Washington DC, San Fran, LA, Chicago and Atlanta.”
Site registration is free for those willing to share information about their “current digs” or willing to refer five friends to the site, or $19.95 per year for people simply looking for insider access. The idea is that renters will share honest information about their apartments before they hit the market and in an interesting twist, brokers are not allowed to list any properties unless it is their own personal property.
Users can connect with each other privately and anonymously through the site’s messaging system, particularly if they seek to learn more about how to leas, swap or sublet an apartment which aims to do away with fake listings and Craigslist scams rampant in the city. The company’s mantra is “No Fees. No Brokers. No Hassles.” which is highly indicative of consumer sentiment in the city, given the rise of rental sites across the metro.
Ray Schmitz
January 20, 2012 at 6:44 pm
That sounds a lot like what jumppost tried to do.
Kim
February 2, 2012 at 5:55 pm
Congratulations!