Inman

Apartment-hunting hits cell phones

Sprint cell phone customers now have the ability to view nearby apartments for rent on select Sprint or Nextel phones thanks to a new tool from Smarter Agent.

The Smarter Agent tool, dubbed “Apts for Rent,” uses GPS technology to deliver information about the closest available apartments without requiring the customer to enter an address or ZIP code.

Smarter Agent pioneered the use of GPS technology for real estate with its tool that enables cell phone users to check on nearby available homes for sale. The company is based in Philadelphia and signed a deal with Sprint last year to launch a service that displays recently sold homes on users’ cell phones.

Property information for the new rental tool is provided by Apartments.com, a national online apartment Internet Listing Service affiliated with more than 150 newspapers across the nation. All properties advertised directly with Apartments.com are uploaded to Smarter Agent for access by mobile subscribers. Apartment information includes rental prices and full apartment details such as unit and building amenities and pet policies. Some listings include interior pictures and floor plans, and customers can view the locations of available properties on MapQuest maps.

In addition to local GPS-powered searches, customers can also use the Smarter Agent tool to search for apartments anywhere in the United States by entering a city and state to research multiple areas of interest.