Padmapper/Padlister is SO much better than Craigslist

[Kevin Dickson]

Padlister has recently solved every problem that Craigslist has always had for rental home and apartment listing and search.

In the process, it has added some awesome functionality. Padlister has recently gotten so powerful, I'm using it as my database for vacancies.
I can set up open houses and get prospect contact information without ever answering a phone call.

One small annoyance right now is that CL has blocked padmapper/padlister (pm/pl) links in CL ads. So you just have to link to your own website that in turns links to the padlister ad.

So try it! If you find answering the phone annoying (like I do) you can leave your phone # out of the ad. Prospects simply RSVP to your pre-scheduled open house. That act gives you their contact information and a custom bio or background info if they choose to leave it.

PM also links to a rental application that costs the prospect $25/person. That's how PM makes its money, but better them than a run of the mill tenant screening company that is slower and works off a tedious handwritten application. As more landlords accept PM rental applications, this will save house hunters millions of dollars in fees for apartments they don't even get.

So one annoying thing left to solve is that everyone tends to show up at the same time at the start of the open house. That can turn off some good candidates because they feel like there is no way that they have a chance at the apartment. So you're left running around trying to screen everyone a little bit, and telling your top choices to submit the online application.

It also makes automated CL ad writing utilities, like "Postlets" obsolete, because it has the same functionality.

[Kevin Dickson]

UPDATE 2016

Craigslist finally added a map to their listing tools in 2013.  Too late!!!

In Denver, CL is useless nowadays.  In 2014 and 2015 it was trounced by Zillow's listing tool, which is much better.  Zillow also automatically links to many other historical sites like HotPads, Trulia, etc.

Padmapper has also "fallen off the map",  but I still use it for rental applications.