Finding a new place to call home can be an exciting yet stressful journey. With skyrocketing rents and competitive housing markets, renters today rely heavily on technology to try to gain an edge. From smartphones to laptops, renters are utilizing a wide array of tools to search listings, schedule showings, apply to listings, and even submit rental applications online.
As technology continues to evolve in the rental market, what other innovations might renters see in their quest to find the perfect home? This article explores the technologies renters currently leverage in their rental search process, how this represents a sea change from historical norms, and what future tech developments could aid apartment-seekers even more.
How Renters Use Technology to Find Their Next Home
The rental search process is vastly different today than it was even five years ago. While print newspaper classifieds and “For Rent” signs are used to rule the market, most renters now turn to websites and mobile apps as their go-to rental search tools.
Popular sites like Zillow, Apartments.com, and Rent.com allow users to customize their searches with filters for amenities, price range, neighborhood, pet policies, and more. Social media platforms are also playing a larger role, with Facebook Marketplace and housing-specific sites like PadMapper.
The Internet and Mobile Apps
The most common technologies used by renters in their housing search are rental websites and mobile apps. Popular sites like Zillow, Apartments.com, Rent.com, and Trulia allow users to filter listings by location, price, size, amenities, and more. Apps like Zillow, HotPads, and PadMapper offer similar search features that are optimized for smartphones.
Renters can browse photos, view floor plans, and set up customized alerts for new listings that match their criteria. These sites and apps provide the foundation that most renters use to identify potential homes during their initial search.
Social Media Platforms
An emerging trend is utilizing social media in the rental search process. Facebook Marketplace allows users to search for apartment and home rentals that are advertised directly by landlords or property managers. Renters can message landlords, schedule showings, and ask questions. Housing-specific sites like PadMapper also facilitate communication between property owners and prospective renters. Social media expands renters’ access to listings that might not be posted on mainstream rental sites.
Virtual Tours & Video Walkthroughs
While static photos of listings were once the norm, video walkthroughs are gaining popularity. Renters can virtually “walk” through properties and view apartments or areas of interest up close. Sites like Zillow and Trulia encourage landlords to post video tours, and some even provide equipment to create videos easily. Virtual staging is also an emerging technology, where vacant units are digitally staged with furniture and decor. Technologies like virtual tours help renters determine if a unit meets their needs before scheduling an actual visit.
Online Applications & Payments
Many rental sites and listings now offer online applications that allow renters to complete paperwork and submit documents online. Payment portals also enable renters to pay application fees, security deposits, and rent online. Streamlining these processes with technology provides convenience and helps renters act quickly on listings—according to reviews and availability.
Factors to Filter Out
When browsing endless rental listings online, most renters utilize search filters to narrow options and pinpoint units matching their needs and budget. Key factors to consider include:
Price
One of the most universal filters, renters set price constraints like $1,500 max per month for a 1 bedroom. Professional Property Management Group of Northern Virginia suggests reviewing your lease clauses about the rent increase.
Size
Renters filter by number of bedrooms/bathrooms and square footage. Filtering out 4 bedrooms when you only need 2 quickly removes irrelevant units. Minimum space requirements refine further.
Amenities
Renters commonly filter amenities like air conditioning, in-unit laundry, parking availability, etc. Some sites have 100+ options features to screen for must-haves like dishwashers or deal-breakers like no pets allowed.
Location
Granular location filters allow renters to target specific neighborhoods, a distance from a point, a distance from public transit, commute times to set addresses for work, and more.
Beyond unit features, renters also use filters around neighborhood-level preferences, for example:
- Walk Scores for pedestrian-friendly areas
- Access to grocery stores, gyms, parks
- School district ratings if they have kids
- Crime rates and general safety
- Vulnerability to natural disasters such as flood risks
Using all search functions, including filtering criteria, allows savvy renters to easily identify listings potentially matching unique needs and lifestyles. Signing a year-long lease unseen is scary, so remove incompatible options first. Finer tuning through later virtual tours and in-person showings comes next.
Using Rent Comparison Tools
Given how competitive some rental markets have become, renters use comparison tools to evaluate listing price fairness and spot potential bargains. Leading sites and apps offer rent estimates per region and factors like size/amenities for a specific address searched.
Renters assess potential value by comparing an advertised monthly rate against the estimated reasonable rate range for that unit. If you are a landlord, you need to be transparent about the rates as well. Communicate with your tenants if you have any plans to increase rent so they can prepare beforehand.
For example, a renter shopping for a 2-bed, 2-bath apartment in San Francisco might search for a potential unit’s address on Zillow. If similar nearby units average $3,500 per month but this unit is priced below market at $3,200, the renter would determine there may be value in applying, assuming other unit aspects seem favorable.
Renters unsure if advertised rents align with broader area rates can also browse Zillow’s rent index heat maps showing cost variation across neighborhoods. Rental price data per square foot can further help comparison shop across units that vary in size. The monthly rate a renter will pay comes down to individual budget and competition, comparison tools help evaluate potentially over or underpriced units as part of the diligent search process.
Final Words
As you can see, the rental search process today is driven by technology, with renters relying on a range of online platforms to find and evaluate potential homes. From broad market overviews to virtual tours and streamlined applications, modern tools cater to renter preferences for mobile accessibility, market insights, and efficient leasing. While technology reduces rental friction, the excitement of the real-world walkthrough persists as the last step before signing a lease and receiving those coveted keys to your new home.
