What started off as a small project by students of IIT Bombay in their final semester two years ago, is now Housing.co.in. Advitiya Sharma, 24 and five of his batch-mates came upon the idea of product that helps people over come the challenge finding a place to live from looking at friends struggling to get extra help. Thus from wishing for a product that would do just that to creating one, the boys started off India’s first map-based real estate portal.
Hyderbad on the list
Launched in Mumbai in June 2012, Housing.co.in’s next destination is Hyderabad making the whole house-hunting process easier and hassle-free for Hyderabadis. The website will officially be launched in the second week of May. “The process of data collection has begun in the city. We are looking forward to it as Hyderabad was chosen by our users to be the next destination through an online poll we conducted. When it comes to geographical conditions, culture and livelihood, Mumbai and Hyderabad are very different from each other, but that one cause of finding the right home is universal,” said Advitiya Sharma, co-founder and marketing head of Housing.co.in. He also was a summer school student at London School of Economics and Political Science.
Nuances of Housing.co.in
The product has a team responsible only for data collection, who visit every flat listed on their website, geo-code them, collect pictures and other relevant details before uploading them to their website, thereby ensuring accuracy and authenticity of data. “At Housing.co.in, we are changing the fundamental process of home search, by bringing homes to users on their computer screens at home. People usually invest a lot of time during their holidays and weekends, fix so many appointments with brokers, travel to all the houses and then do a background check on the neighbourhood. We are cutting down on all this effort through this website,” Sharma mentioned.
Now, all you have to do is, browse through photos, rent and other details of flats that match your requirement and shortlist flats that you like. “So, once you have a clear idea, you can go visit the place by yourself and confirm,” he said.
Housing.co.in also has a large number of flats directly held by owners to choose from. So, if you want to avoid the process of dealing with brokers, you can select the ‘Owner’ checkbox in ‘Listings from’ filter.
Advitiya also believes that understanding one’s neighbourhood before you move in is essential. “For example if there a particular school that you are looking at, you can just type the name of the school and search for it. You can find the best deals in and around the area. There is also information about the neighbourhood that incudes nearby parks, schools, restaurants, grocery stores, nightclubs and lot more." Housing.co.in, along with a website, has also come up with an Android and iOS app which give users the power to hunt for a house on the go.
So, what is different about this when compared to the other similar websites? “Well, it is definitely the data collection and the way we visualise it. Also the fact that it is map-based makes it interesting and quick.”