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  Q1: How many students or lanlords are out there that would enjoy using this very convenient tool? It is much more developed and well thought out than other similar websites. (3 pieces of advice)

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  by mountainmann 

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  11.21.08 | 08:43 PM

  I would love to use this. You should focus on having the apartments listed ones that are close to campus or ones that students from that college frequently lease. I found that when I was searching for apartments I wouldn't always know exactly where the ones i saw were or if it was even a safe area. If you do this the right way you could really make life easier for students trying to move off campus. This is really a great idea.

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  by ripley117 

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  11.20.08 | 06:55 PM

  Humm interestest idea. I am sure there are alot of land lords as well as college renters who would appreciate a tool such as this one that they could use to find each other. A trusted site that could weed out a lot of the general population and allow for more reliable consumers would most likely really help the landlords. On that same note, having a product in which renters could find a place to live that is simple and easy to use would also be good.
  When you say it is more developed and well thought out than other websites what exactly do you mean? Does it have more options or services? Is it more reliable? Does it have more sources to pull from? All of these are questions that need to be answered in order to provide a better business structure
  It also might be a good idea to start considering some different technologies that could used on your site.
  here are some things that might be able to help you
  http://newsdesk.point2.com/blogs/newsroom/archive/2006/11/08/1849.aspx
  http://www.nmhc.org/Content/ServeContent.cfm?ContentItemID=4238
  

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  by greenlawn86 

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  11.18.08 | 03:34 PM

  I understand that these sort of ventures that already exist are less effective than they are intended to be. However, I do not see a clear diagnosis of why these sites are ineffective and how you are going to remedy that problem. I understand they fail to give the entire housing picture relative to your customer base, but what systematic change will you employ in your business plan that will allow your service to be vastly different and better than ones already doing business.
  
  There needs to be a way for you to have comprehensive housing availability in terms of your target market, which may require more information that what is offered voluntarily by landlords looking to put an ad or classified ad on your sight. If your service is to be truly unique and an improved subsitute for other services, I think you will need to employ a research team that can keep numbers on available apartments that you are targeting so that you can reach your clients before they would think about asking for the apartment you wish them to take. You can know when people are moving out, all rents…more and other apartment statistics. This way you will have the largest hand in the middle of the rental market for your local area and you can be the medium for connecting students to housing that is the most efficient and effective.

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• Advise

  What advice do you have to help me grow my idea?
       (5 pieces of advice)

   

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  by ripley117 

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  11.20.08 | 07:01 PM

  Some other areas who might want to consider as you grow your business will be in the way of marketing. What are some different ways you are getting your service's name out there on the net. There are some different ways to go about this however, in your case, I would probably suggest search engine optization, pay-per-click, email, or click thru advertising. each of these brings its own strenths and weaknesses to your market however it will be up to you to decide.
  
  Also I would start to consider some supplementary services you could use in order to further promote your idea to your target market. This might include a roommate finder service, furniture finder service, or anything else that could make life easier for the renter or student.
  somthings like this might help
  http://www.furnituretrader.com/
  http://www.furniturefindex.com/Default.aspx
  as well as
  http://www.roommates.com/
  http://www.roommatelocator.com/
  goodluck

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  by elDuse2543 

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  11.17.08 | 10:01 PM

  There are several different area-specific sites offering this service. If you could offer a nationally available but area-focused service (like craigslist) and focus only on the college market, you might have something. Research how craigslist makes money on apartment listings (their only source of revenue.)

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  by lorax 

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  11.17.08 | 03:12 PM

  I see that there are two similar ideas just on ideablob - by arelm and mkbernier. I have a couple of questions - are you targeting all student housing or just a specific segment; how are you going to make money; how are you going to get people to your site? I'd like to see it - do you have a URL?

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  by willrobinsoniii 

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  09.21.08 | 11:38 PM

  Check out www.ratemystudentrental.com the guys are just starting out. Maybe you could connect with them.

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  by dmalby 

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  09.19.08 | 02:30 AM

  I like this idea. If this idea is truly unique, I might invest in it myself, for a piece of the business. My fear is that this idea already is being done within the colleges. Maybe you should check to see if it already on the college websites, college newspaper and don't forget the archaic bulletin boards! That would be the spoiler to your otherwise great idea! (It's tough to be original!) Now that I think about, check Craigslist! So sorry to burst your bubble!

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