26 Million to Use One Big Classified Section

by Matt DiChiara, MyNewPlace.com

CrowdIn 2008, there will be, at the absolute minimum, almost 26 million people looking for an apartment online. We have tabulated this figure from the fact that there are 37 million rental apartments and houses in the United States, according the U.S Census Bureau.

An overwhelming 88% will seek another rental home this year, according to a study by Apartments.com. We combined this information with an independent study conducted by Compete, Inc. for MyNewPlace, which found that 79% of potential renters use the Internet for their search.

The Internet has become a reliable resource for people to begin their search for an enormously important decision in their lives, namely, finding a place to live. If 26 million people are using online resources to inform their decisions and choose apartments, it is absolutely necessary for apartment management companies to have user-friendly, updated and effective websites.

Recognizing and living by this, MyNewPlace offers a website solutions product called MyNewSite, which has been gaining popularity amongst apartment management companies.

Most recently, we would like to welcome Western National Group, www.wngapartments.com, and Miles Properties, http://miles.mynewsite.com to our online community and the MyNewSite product. We have great expectations that their sites will really be able help them attract new renters.

So how will these websites be able to get some of those 26 million into their rental properties?

At MyNewPlace, we have found that renting decisions are driven primarily by location, so it is important for sites to have maps that can show locations. One does not look for an apartment in Los Angeles or Atlanta, they look for a location within that city that will meet their needs.

For renters, can you even imagine not using the Internet for your apartment search?

I cannot even begin to fathom how I would go about cooking a chicken without the Internet, let alone find an apartment for rent.

Just as it is becoming common to use Google Maps to plot the most efficient route, even if only a few blocks, efficient apartment hunting is now only possible by using the internet.

MyNewPlace.com is an online marketplace for apartment rentals, featuring a free-to-use apartment finder to search its database of over six million listings.

American Apartment Owners Association offers discounts on products and services related to your commercial housing investment including REAL ESTATE FORMS, tenant debt collection, tenant background checks, insurance and financing. Find out more at www.joinaaoa.org.

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