{"id":9,"date":"2008-09-06T20:14:27","date_gmt":"2008-09-07T00:14:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.renthop.com\/news\/?p=9"},"modified":"2023-07-24T14:48:59","modified_gmt":"2023-07-24T18:48:59","slug":"ask-rent-hop-whats-wrong-with-craigslist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.renthop.com\/blog\/ask-rent-hop-whats-wrong-with-craigslist\/","title":{"rendered":"Ask RentHop: What’s wrong with Craigslist?"},"content":{"rendered":"

One question we hear a lot is, “Why hasn’t Craigslist solved the apartment hunting process for Manhattan like it has for many other cities?” When we look at what\u2019s wrong with Craigslist, there are several points to address.<\/p>\n

A lot has been written already on the Internet about how to improve Craigslist. In fact, many new websites have attempted to “beat” Craigslist, but the site still remains as one of the most popular and widely used forums for placing low cost or free advertisements. Unfortunately, there are very specific and unique problems when hunting for an affordable apartment in Manhattan<\/a> using Craigslist.<\/p>\n

Craigslist is Not Real Estate Specific<\/h2>\n

First, Craigslist is not in the business of listing real estate or apartment availabilities, it is not a real estate-specific site. Therefore, those looking for New York City apartments<\/a> will have limited options for the ways they can search, how they view information, and how they proceed with inquiring about an apartment. Craigslist serves multiple industries and provides many searches for plenty of topics, so the platform does not have the need to enhance its apartment search process.<\/p>\n

Search Filters<\/h3>\n

While they have admirably attempted to allow a few basic search features, such as limiting the price range and specifying a general neighborhood, the filters are horribly insufficient. They sort listings by the posting date of the ads, not by relevance, and most ads do not provide real addresses or even cross streets. Instead, we at RentHop notice many apartment hunters prefer to search geographically, knowing the exact address of the building and seeing it on a map.<\/p>\n

RentHop Streamlined Search<\/h3>\n

When looking for an apartment on RentHop, renters can select any combination of neighborhoods around the five boroughs and then set their desired bedroom size and price. Renters can select additional search criteria, like \u201cNo-Fee Apartments<\/a>\u201d or \u201cSublets<\/a>.\u201d Renters can also choose amenities throughout the unit and building, like in-unit laundry or a pet-friendly apartment<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Once they\u2019ve built their search, renters will see listings ordered by their HopScore<\/a>. The HopScore calculates a listing\u2019s quality, the reputation of the person advertising the unit, and the listing\u2019s freshness. This ensures renters find the best possible apartment promptly.<\/p>\n

Learn more:<\/p>\n