Inman

BHG franchise launches rental site

New York City-based Better Homes and Gardens Rand Realty has rolled out a site devoted to rental properties, the brokerage announced.

The site, RandRentals.com, is focused on rentals in the Hudson Valley region listed on the local multiple listing service. Better Homes and Gardens Rand Realty has 24 offices and more than 800 sales associates.

"With the recent recession, homeownership has dipped, so there are more renters in the marketplace. RandRentals.com is a way to address their needs," the company said in a press release.

While consumers continue to have the option to search for rentals at the brokerage’s main website, the dedicated website is more focused on meeting the needs of prospective renters, the company added.

On the rentals site, price parameters are set in hundred-dollar increments rather than thousand-dollar increments, for example.

The brokerage’s move highlights growing consumer interest in rental units, with online metrics company Experian Hitwise announcing in March that visits to sites that specialize in home and apartment rentals climbed 33 percent year-over-year in February. Also last month, franchisor Century 21 Real Estate LLC announced that it added rentals to its revamped website.