A screenshot of MapThatPad.comLike many would-be renters, Nihaar Gupta quickly became frustrated looking for an apartment on Craigs-list last year. In response, he and partner Thomas Kunjappu created MapThatPad.com to make the home search easier. At first, they focused on renters’ needs, but now they’re introducing tools for brokers, too.
The site, which launched last year, was initially aimed at renters, allowing home-seekers to organize all listings from various sites, including StreetEasy.com, Craigslist and the New York Times, and place them on a single map that they could share with roommates. But in an effort to generate more revenue, Gupta and Kunjappu last month rolled out several features aimed at real estate brokers as well.
Using the same technology that enables MapThatPad to work with several major listing sites, Kunjappu and Gupta introduced an analytics tool where brokers can see how many — and when — users are clicking on their listings on each site. “Our vision is to help apartment-seekers and real estate professionals stop wasting time chasing each other around,” Kunjappu said. He noted that the site is not trying to compete with listing services — rather, it wants to partner with them to aid renters and brokers.
Moreover, all the information that renters share by using MapThatPad will be available to brokers — with the renter’s permission — so that brokers can help deliver a renter an apartment that actually meets his or her demands.
The ideal MapThatPad customer “stands out as someone who truly wants an apartment, and isn’t just shopping around wasting brokers’ time,” Kunjappu said.