We’ve posited in the past that the real estate search game is changing and the thousands of startups across America are impacting the very core of what consumers prefer and demand. We wonder what the real estate industry would be like if there was a Yelp or Groupon service for real estate.
Yelp has done an amazing job with restaurants and retailers- I can search for a romantic restaurant based on healthy options and even lighting. Groupon has done an amazing job of revitalizing couponing and incentivizing commerce. Both have done a great job of going mobile and helping shoppers to direct their funds.
Wouldn’t it be great if there was a Yelp for neighborhoods? Realtors can’t steer, so the amount of information is relatively filtered online. Wouldn’t it be great if there was a Groupon specifically for homeowners? Painters, carpet cleaners, decorators, Realtors and the like could focus their energy on a specific market already primed for their services.
Why isn’t there anything like this for real estate?
There is. Quietly, steadily and smartly, real estate veteran Brian Wilson developed YourPlace, a modern real estate search site already launched in three cities that brings together reviews and couponing to the experience and we are enthusiastic after getting a sneak peek behind the scenes.
The concept has legs, the user interface is clean, the drag and drop options for selected homes is creative, and it appears to simultaneously benefit agents and consumers. Word is there is a mobile app for consumers as well. We look forward to watching the growth of YourPlace.com.
Here is your sneak peek:
Click for full sized images.
What do YOU think of YourPlace.com?
AG is not affiliated with YourPlace.
Jimmy Mackin via Facebook
February 22, 2011 at 6:11 pm
NAR released a study last year polling consumers on the top reason why they choose their Realtor® – Not one of them was because their Realtor® was the cheapest to use…rather it was because they trusted them. As my marketing hero Seth Godin says – nobody wins at being cheap except Walmart.
Jimmy Mackin via Facebook
February 22, 2011 at 6:11 pm
nevertheless it is a really interesting concept
MH for Movoto
February 22, 2011 at 7:23 pm
Hmmm….. it looks a teensy bit less-than-trustworthy to me….. that red “reduced” stamp is a bit cartoonish…. but concept-wise, i think it’s probably the wave of the future – sort of. it’ll be widely-used, but it’s not how people will choose their Realtors.
Fred Romano
February 22, 2011 at 7:30 pm
I am going to look into using Groupon for our flat fee listing service. I will post back and let you know where we go with it.
Ken Brand
February 22, 2011 at 8:57 pm
Brain’s a super smart guy, plus he has a good heart and a healthy soul.
As an RE Vet of too many years, the natural first reaction is defensive and dismissive. But a reaction like that alerts me to pay attention – my intuition tells me there’s something important to consider. Maybe what MH said above is right, it’s a glimpse and glimmer of the future. Even if I don’t see it plain as day, I feel it. Others will too.
Human behavior moves forward and can’t be stopped. If you can figure out where they’re headed and get there a wee bit sooner, then you create a thing like YourPlaces. Next, you tweak, reinvent and morph like a banshee. Who knows where it leads? That’s how Facebook, Twitter, Yelp, et al started. Right? I know, there are plenty of almost’s and never-happens too. But, you never know till you know.
Meanwhile, I’m gonna have take a test drive because it’s smart research and survival.
Disclosure: I’m a Brian Wilson fan.
Brian Wilson
February 22, 2011 at 9:24 pm
Lani, Thanks for taking the time to understand where we are and what we are trying to do. I expect there will be several more “zigs” and “zags” along the way but we are going to find that sweet spot where both customers and agents both get what they need.
Ken, let me say “ditto to you.”
Cheryl Johnson
February 22, 2011 at 9:34 pm
Unfortunately, the potential for abuse on review sites is staggering.
Example 1. A buyer breaches a purchase contract and loses his or her earnest money deposit. The buyer retaliates by writing an ugly review on Yelp of the listing agent.
Example 2. Funds are withheld from a tenant’s security to repair damages. The tenant retaliates by writing an ugly review on Yelp of the leasing agent.
Apply abuses like these to neighborhoods instead of individuals or businesses? Yikes!
joan tole
February 24, 2011 at 10:21 am
DO NOT CARE FOR THIS…………GET REAL