How StreetEasy Came to Dominate NYC Real Estate

Finding the perfect home is always a challenge, but in New York City it’s a whole different beast.Along with incredible shopping, culture and some of the world’s most renowned restaurants, NYC is known for its cutthroat real estate game.Apartments get swooped up before you can ask if there’s laundry in the building and prices rise faster than a subway metrocard.StreetEasy, however aims to control the chaos.A highly curated real estate platform in NYC, StreetEasy is making the mythical “perfect apartment” actually achievable to find.Susan Daimler, StreetEasy’s General Manager explains how both the company’s seamless platform and tactful visibility strategies have allowed it to scale and evolve as rapidly as the city itself.

With the rising prominence of online real estate platforms, how has StreetEasy risen above the noise and remained competitive?

Hyper-local data that is transparent and relevant, delivered through an unmatched user experience, is one of the primary keys to StreetEasy’s success. StreetEasy lives and breathes all things New York City real estate and that intense focus drives incredible knowledge and value to our users. It can be a challenge to share the tremendous amount of information - especially on a small screen device – that consumers expect when searching for real estate. We have risen to the challenge by engaging users through design and with curated data from a variety of sources.

What are StreetEasy's primary visibility and marketing tactics in driving new traffic to the platform?

Finding a new home is inherently a search-driven process, so working on the visibility of StreetEasy in search engines is always a priority. We’re also focused on attracting new buyers, renters and sellers by showcasing content that complements our listing inventory. Leveraging our market data to highlight NYC real estate trends is a big piece of that, but also ‘How To’ articles, updates on issues concerning real estate, and more. Additionally, Out of Home and online advertising are central to our growth efforts, with the goal of raising unaided awareness for StreetEasy and driving new traffic.

Is there a sort of brand narrative or voice that StreetEasy perpetuates to differentiate itself from competitors?

New York City is a unique place, and people come from all over to find their place in the city and discover all it has to offer. So, at StreetEasy our mission isn’t simply to help you find a place to live, but to serve as a platform that helps encourage that discovery of NYC and make the city your home.

Which of StreetEasy's value propositions are most highly emphasized in advertising and what was the thinking behind that?

Our current Out of Home campaign, Find Your Place, is focused on the notion that the real estate search in NYC isn’t finite – New Yorkers are always discovering new neighborhoods and facets of the city. As their lives in New York evolve, so do their real estate needs. As the real estate marketplace built specifically for NYC, StreetEasy is uniquely positioned to meet those changing needs through amenity options ranging from ‘Pets Allowed” to “Laundry in Building” to filtering for specific school zoning.

How has being highly curated (featuring pet friendly listing for example) aided StreetEasy's growth and overall success?

New York City is a vertical landscape where information about neighborhoods and buildings are a huge part of a home search. In addition to our extensive listings database, the breadth of our building, neighborhood, transportation and market data, coupled with our intuitive search capabilities allows users to search in broad strokes or with granularity. This enables us to engage with home shoppers throughout their search – whether they are just starting to explore or have honed in on specific criteria they need in their next home.

What would you recommend to entrepreneurs struggling to remain competitive in a saturated market?

Great product isn’t always enough. It also has to have broad audience appeal. We see a lot of attempts to address specific aspects of the home shopping experience that are too niche and not powerful enough to garner word-of-mouth marketing or dominance in the market. It’s also an incredibly nuanced industry making it critical to understand the market forces and user segments. And even if you think you’re on the right track, more likely than not you’ll get something wrong - the key then is to recognize, learn and pivot.

Anything new we can expect to see from StreetEasy soon?

We are always exploring ways to help consumers – whether or not they are actively searching for a home – engage with and discover our content and data. We want StreetEasy to be the information destination for people who already live in New York City, but also for those who dream about living in New York City.