RentHop
Type of site | Real Estate, Apartments |
|---|---|
| Key people | Lee Lin, Lawrence Zhou |
| Website |
www |
| Alexa rank | 16,189 (September 2015)[1] |
| Launched | February 2009 |
RentHop is a web and mobile-based search engine that allows users to search for apartments in New York City, Boston, Chicago, and other major metropolitan areas. The site delivers real-time listings and uses a unique sorting algorithm that ranks apartments by quality.[2] Searches can be refined by bedrooms, monthly rent, amenities, availability of floorplans, and specific keywords. The website also helps inform and educate renters by featuring price heatmaps, trends, and statistics for each metro area and neighborhood.
History
RentHop.com was launched in early February 2009 by Lee Lin and Lawrence Zhou.[3] The company was created to solve the problem of finding an apartment in New York, where low vacancy rates and fast-moving inventory made the hunt extremely difficult. Early on, it focused primarily on no-fee apartments in New York City. However, following Y Combinator, RentHop expanded to all apartment and house rentals nationwide.[2] It has since rolled out additional features such as agent check-ins and on-demand appointments for mobile renters.
The company was initially funded by Y Combinator in the Summer 2009 batch.[4] It received a subsequent round from Two Sigma Ventures (the venture arm of the Two Sigma Investments, a quantitative hedgefund).[5]
The company was the subject of a 2012 Harvard Business School Case Study "Killing Craigslist".[6] It was nominated for a Webby Award in the 2014 Real Estate Category along with Zillow, ZipRealty, Foxtons and "Start Fresh, Buy New".[7]
References
- ↑ "RentHop.com Site Overview". Alexa Internet. Retrieved 2015-09-06.
- 1 2 Henry, Alan (2014-02-28). "Renthop Scores Nearby Apartments for Rent, Helps You Find the Best". LifeHacker. Retrieved 2015-09-06.
- ↑ Grynbaum, Michael (2009-02-06). "Getting the Agent Without the Fee". New York Times. Retrieved 2015-09-06.
- ↑ Kincaid, Jason (2009-07-11). "RentHop: Easier Apartment Hunting, Without The Broker Fee". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2015-09-06.
- ↑ "Two Sigma Ventures". Two Sigma.
- ↑ Coles, Peter (2012-01-01). "Killing Craigslist: Entrepreneurship in the Online Apartment Rental Market". Harvard Business School Case. Retrieved 2015-09-06.
- ↑ "Webby Awards Nominees - Real Estate 2014". Webby. Retrieved 2015-09-06.
