I am writing in response to the “A Student Union apartment guide?” article in Friday’s issue of Student Life.

I am excited to let the student body know that I am already in the process of creating an off-campus housing Web site for students. The Web site is going to be a “one-stop shop,” complete with information and a comprehensive database, and it will be completely free for students. My goal is to get as many apartments as possible on the site so that students will be able to make the most informed selection possible. My number one commitment is to the student body, and as such, customer service will be a number one priority. Any questions and comments that students have will be addressed immediately. The Web site will allow students to search for apartments based on the following criteria:

1) Budget
2) Number of roommates
3) Exact address (or as close as possible)
4) Average monthly utility cost

A student may also indicate which amenities they would like to have in their apartment, including the following:

1) Air conditioning
2) Cable
3) Terrace
4) Porch
5) Laundry machine
6) Dishwasher
7) Internet
8) Pets

In addition to listing apartments that are currently available, the Web site will also allow students to view apartments that are no longer available for rent, giving students a feel for what other apartments were out there. This feature will be particularly useful for students who want to get a head start on off-campus housing for the coming academic year.

Also, the way in which students obtain apartments will be different. On our Web site, students will be able to bid on the monthly rent contract for each apartment. This feature is in no way required of students, and all contact information for landlords will be displayed with each apartment. Per our agreement with landlords, a student will be able to simply call and obtain an apartment without bidding on it.

With the current process, students frequently find themselves at the end of a very long waiting list for an apartment that they probably won’t get. The bidding option allows you to get the apartment you want without a list-it allows you to name that higher price you would have offered to get that apartment you really want. The bidding forum is not meant to simply raise the price of real estate-it is meant to make the off-campus housing search more fair and simple for students by removing the “I knew the last tenant so I get the apartment” hookup from the process. In addition, due to our very comprehensive database, students will be able to find the apartment that is right for them and their price range. The bidding forum will mostly effect only those apartments that are considered to be in high demand.

In addition, we will offer several other services to students. Because many students who go abroad are unable to live off campus because they would only be able to sign a lease contract for six months, we will create a study abroad message board forum in order to facilitate students contacting one another. On this message board, students can post their study abroad dates and find someone to live in their apartment with a complementing term abroad.

To further this capability, we are also offering a roommate search engine whereby students can find a roommate. While most students who live off campus already know who they want to live with, this service will be particularly useful to students in finding a roommate to live abroad with. The roommate search engine will function by having a user answer several yes/no questions about themselves and then similar questions regarding what they want in a roommate. Finally, we allow students to schedule their appointments online, as one would with a dean, to view an apartment.

I am very excited about this project and look forward to its launch in December 2005.

I would appreciate any feedback from the students, because, after all, the Web site will be for your use and benefit.

I have not released the name of the site because, while it’s still in its initial stages, it’s already up on the Internet and I do not want to show anyone an unfinished product. But once the prototype is done, which will occur shortly, we will release the name of the Web site so that students can look at the prototype and send us their comments.

Mark is a junior in Arts & Sciences.

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