Thanks for all the great responses! You've certainly got my wheels turning and even though it seems like it will be more work than I'm bargaining for, I may be able to make this into something. Or at least try - even if I fail, at least I can say I tried and learned from it. A lot more than I can say I've done so far.
@Lynn McGeein thanks for the suggestion of checking other similar business models. That wouldn't have come to my mind to check what ebay listers are doing.
And I get that lot probably avoid going the online route because they get a response from a sign in the yard - but that's exactly where I want to fill in that gap. I deal with the hassle and they get a wider range of tenants to choose from. I know from my own personal experience, as a renter in search of a place, just having the sign and nothing else would frustrate me to no end and I would keep looking online. Very rarely would I end up calling the numbers (most of the time it's because I'm driving and don't have the time to actually read the phone number because I've already past the house and I'm on a road that doesn't allow for easy turning around) In those cases, I would make a note of the address/location and then check online to see if they have a listing, most of the time they don't and I move on to the ones where I can actually get details without have to go back out, get the number, call and potentially find out it's not even what I'm looking for.
@Al Williamson its my experience as a long-time renter that drives me (there was a period of 8 years that I move 12 times). And one of my biggest frustrations were low-quality photos (if they even had any) and vague descriptions. I want to provide a service to the landlords that just don't have the time or patience to list something that will get more of a response from the more thorough tenants (like myself)
@Jeff Bridges f Bridges thanks for pointing me towards rentlinx. That site is awesome - and yep, it's pretty much exactly what I was looking to do. Not much of a set-back, though, as their model was the aspect that was only going to bring in a fraction of what I was planning. I may be able to find a way to partner up with them to avoid having to reinvent the wheel in that aspect and focus more on providing more personal-contact service - going out and getting photos of the place, providing print marketing help, finding the not-so-tech-savvy landlords, etc
@Chris K. is K. you make a good point. And I've had those same concerns - which is probably why I haven't gotten started (this idea has been brewing for about 2 years or maybe even more). I've gotten to the point where I can think about all the ways this won't work and all the challenges I will run into, but have realized that I certainly won't be successful if I don't do anything at all. Once I get started and start experiencing the challenges of dealing with the nontechnical market, maybe I'll be able to adapt and tweak my business until it actually works.
@Rick C. - that's an excellent idea. I've been to a meeting as a guest and I've been on the fence about joining at the time (I have no real excuse not to, other than fear of officially dipping my toes into this world - I think subconsciously I tell myself that as long as I don't join, I'm not taking that risk and I won't fail... not the greatest, I know). I will see when the next meeting is and look into joining.
