Online apartment search marketplace RentHop will accept payment in Bitcoin from landlords and brokers advertising New York City rental apartments, the startup announced today. To encourage adoption of the cryptocurrency, those using Bitcoin will be given a steep discount – about 60 percent — for choosing Bitcoin over dollars.
“We have a lot of faith in the long-term potential of Bitcoin as both a payment platform and a store of value,” RentHop co-founder and chief technology officer Lawrence Zhou said in a release. “We would love to see a world where members of the real estate ecosystem accept [Bitcoin].”
The exchange rate is currently about $800 for 1 Bitcoin, according to online Bitcoin converter Preev, but a few weeks ago that figure was $1,200.
In May, a condominium seller at Trump Soho announced that he would only accept payment in Bitcoin. – Hiten Samtani