RealScout

When Amy and I were looking for a new place, we had a lot of trouble sifting through real estate listings. Between the junk, spam, and properties that were of no interest to us, it was really hard to zero in on the kind of places that appealed to us. Working with a real estate agent helped us narrow things down, but the software that they used to show us listings was pretty terrible. One trick that I figured out for searching mainstream sites like Zillow and Redfin was to use very specific, high-end keywords (I bet you could adapt this to job searching). It’s almost as if the people who built RealScout had my exact experience. They’re a Sunnyvale, CA based company that “leverages over 500 datapoints to make home search more personal for clients and more efficient for Realtors.” By focusing on the little things, they help people look at the right kind of properties.

Start Scouting

While most real estate search engines are pushing real estate agents to the side, RealScout is all about enhancing the relationship between agents and the people whom they represent. This TechCrunch article poses RealScout as Salesforce + Zillow. That seems reasonable. What I like about the company’s positioning is that it’s focused on refining the search instead of broadening it. I know it may seem crazy to search for a house based on the kind of toilets they have, but it can be surprisingly helpful to focus on seemingly minute details. If you think this approach to real estate is a winner, take a look at RealScout’s Careers page. Right now they’re looking for an Inside Sales Rep, an Executive Assistant (the skills/qualifications on this one are kind of bizarre), and a Front-End Developer.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

• RealScout.com
• Jobs at RealScout
• About RealScout
• RealScout’s Blog

Would you try RealScout?