RentalRoost, a real estate search site that lets people filter rental and for-sale listings based on lifestyle factors, is now providing free property reports that include home valuations and neighborhood data.
The feature joins a growing list of tools that let users quickly pull up details on properties and their surroundings. Homefacts, RealtyTrac, Revaluate, Housefax and AddressReport are among firms generating property reports for consumers.
Roostify’s property report tool is designed in part to generate leads for real estate agents.
“Unlike Zillow and Trulia, we don’t connect you with agents just because they’ve paid to buy leads from them,” RentalRoost proclaims on the contact form that users can access from its property report tool.
“We actually curate a list of professionals who have the credentials we would expect to see when we buy or sell a home. Due diligence matters!”
RentalRoost’s reports feature rent and value estimates, housing market statistics, recent sales and tax assessments.
Supplementing that information is data that reflects RentalRoost’s focus on helping consumers mix lifestyle considerations into their home search.
Screenshot showing part of a RentalRoost property report.
Appearing on the reports are school ratings and “lifestyle scores” that rate how friendly an area is to pedestrians, pets, kids, fine dining, shopping and arts and culture, among other things.
Consumers can review the reports to get a read on the types of people who live in an area.
The reports display breakdowns of an area’s ethnic composition, and home occupancy, income and age distribution, among other demographic data.
The popularity and precision of lifestyle-oriented search filters and data is growing rapidly.
Buyers who use the collaborative search platform RealScout, for example, can home in on listings near amenities specific to Northern California, such as Google Shuttle stops, Philz Coffee Shop (a California coffee chain), surfing spots, Whole Foods, historic missions and wineries.
Given the spread of lifestyle-based search, RentalRoost’s biggest claim to fame is probably how it uses social media. The site recommends properties to users based on an analysis of their Facebook profiles.
Drawing conclusions about a person’s search preferences in that manner is challenging, but it’s also the next frontier for real estate search.
Inman is aware of two other start-ups that are pioneering social-based real estate search, Relocality and Hubzu.
Inman’s New York City correspondent, Teke Wiggin, covers the latest tech startups, trends and applications of data in the real estate space.