Househappy, a real estate startup that launched a Pinterest-like home search platform a year ago, has joined ListHub’s network of publishers, boosting the number of listings the startup displays on its site by more than 2 million.
Those listings account for more than 80 percent of current U.S. inventory, Househappy said.
“We are excited to offer buyers the opportunity to search the vast majority of active real estate listings in the U.S.,” said Kevin McCloskey, founder and CEO of Portland, Oregon-based Househappy, in a statement.
He declined to say how many listings Househappy.org displayed before the ListHub deal. The site also obtains listings from broker data feeds and manual uploads from listing agents or brokers.
“We are currently working with several other partners to extend the number of listings, both nationally and internationally,” McCloskey told Inman News.
“We are a global real estate search portal and we expect to continue to grow our presence with domestic and international data feeds.”
Househappy puts photos front and center in its search platform, a feature the company says accommodates the vast majority of buyers who want to see photos first when looking for a home.
“Simply put, Househappy is real estate search for real people. Our mission is to simplify property search and make information accessible to everyone,” McCloskey said.
The site invites users to fill out a profile that identifies them as a broker, buyer or seller and indicate what they have to offer and whom they would like to contact them. The site is set up to work in 235 countries around the world.
Once they register, users can “Like” specific properties and share them via Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and email on their profiles, which were designed to show the “curriculum vitae” of a buyer, seller or broker.
Househappy.org is free for consumers, agents and brokers, and McCloskey has vowed it will remain so. Listing agents or brokers are posted directly on a listing page with no competing advertising from other agents.
While McCloskey plans to eventually monetize the site with advertising from home services and other merchants near properties, the company is currently focused on building out more features to enhance user experience, he said.
The company is working on redesigned profiles and communication tools for agents and has incorporated a new integrated map that allows users to see listings worldwide. Househappy also plans to release a mobile app compatible with Apple iPhones and iPads sometime this summer.
Househappy recently raised $1.5 million in a funding round lead by Skechers exec Jeff Greenberg on top of $1 million in seed funding previously raised from angel investors. The company has grown to 25 employees and plans to expand “significantly” over the next year, McCloskey said.
