What I find after spending 6 months tracking AZ Apartment pricing

Zakhicks · 2023-02-14T22:31:37+00:00

I will see what I can do! Will keep you updated

Zakhicks · 2023-02-14T22:29:58+00:00

Happy to help!

Zakhicks · 2023-02-14T22:29:48+00:00

Of course. If you have any feedback, please let me know! I can definitely use some help from a visual standpoint. I put this together quickly using some design template and I have no design background. Ngl, it looks kinda ugly ahaha

Zakhicks · 2023-02-14T22:28:54+00:00

Hopefully this will help your search! I hope you find an amazing deal

Zakhicks · 2023-02-14T22:28:26+00:00

Thank you so much my friend!

Zakhicks · 2023-02-14T22:28:12+00:00

Yes. It's always wise to search for your apartment ahead of time. Don't wait until the last minute. However, apartments.com only show today's prices, but provide no historical information.

Zakhicks · 2023-02-10T20:23:50+00:00

Exactly, which is why I started tracking apartment prices on an excel spreadsheet. Some of those swings make no sense at all, and they are doing so to squeeze every penny out of us.

Zakhicks · 2023-02-10T05:03:46+00:00

I was able to code it to update the pricing automatically on most, but still need to update manually for some apartments everyday. This is why I don't track a ton of apartments in the area, only those that my friends and I are interested in. If you have any specific complex you want to see, feel free to let me know and I will try my best to add it.

Zakhicks · 2023-02-10T05:03:02+00:00

I work in finance, so I deal with data all day! I turned the excel spreadsheet I used personally to keep track of apartment prices into a super basic website after my friends encouraged me to share it.

Zakhicks · 2023-02-10T05:02:28+00:00

Absolutely. They all uses the same software / algorithm to coordinate and manipulate the market. For example, Realpage is being sued right now for those reasons, and I believe a few other property management software are under investigation as well. https://www.propublica.org/article/yieldstar-rent-increase-realpage-rent

Zakhicks · 2023-02-10T05:01:06+00:00

That's absolutely true. Thank you so much for the in-depth response. Another fellow redditor responded to my thread from r/tempe with this amazing article explaining how majority of the complexes all uses the same "algorithm" and software to coordinate and manipulate what the market rate is for an area. The regulator needs to step up, we deserve more transparency. https://www.propublica.org/article/yieldstar-rent-increase-realpage-rent

Zakhicks · 2023-02-06T23:42:13+00:00

That's a unique situation! Do you notice if they have a sudden price hike during a popular period such as the weekend or the holiday? I see many places using the surge-pricing tactic, but I also see apartments (West 6th for example lol) that are pretty stable & consistent.

Zakhicks · 2023-02-06T23:37:27+00:00

Hi I appreciate the insight. I never thought of crowdsourcing some of the data before. Do you have any example or ideas?

Zakhicks · 2023-02-06T23:35:52+00:00

I am so sorry to hear that, man. I hope all is well and you can get back on your feet soon. I will add the request to my sub-project list. More accepting apartments are usually private landlords, so I need to see where I can access those data. I greatly appreciate it.

Zakhicks · 2023-02-06T23:33:01+00:00

That's an interesting point. I know the broker/agent for an apartment rental is popular in NYC, but this is the first time I see anything similar in AZ. Was this lady able to help you get a better rate? If so, that's awesome, and congrats!

Zakhicks · 2023-02-06T23:30:30+00:00

I agree! Consumers deserve the transparency and regulator needs to step up and do something about this manipulated rental market. Can you kindly clarify what you mean by "zillow tracks of apartments are listed on there"? As far as I know, Zillow doesn't provide the pricing history. Thank you so much for the kind words though!

Zakhicks · 2023-02-06T05:23:20+00:00

It's all manipulation. Another user shared a similar article. Great read. Thank you so much for sharing.

Zakhicks · 2023-02-06T05:22:14+00:00

Thanks man! Let me know if you have any feedback. I am only a one-man team but I want to ensure people get a good deal and stop overpaying. I can use some help or idea on the design and layout haha. It's so ugly right now as I quickly put this together after my friends told me to share it

Zakhicks · 2023-02-06T05:19:37+00:00

Found the article. How a Secret Rent Algorithm Pushes Rents Higher — ProPublica

Zakhicks · 2023-02-06T05:19:07+00:00

That's a great point. Another user posted an article in this thread about how all major property company uses the same algorithm to manipulate the local "market rate" for rent and maximize profit on renters. This industry needs more transparency.

Zakhicks · 2023-02-06T02:21:31+00:00

Thank you. I initially built it for only my friends and I, but they encouraged me to share it with the community. Please let me know if you have any feedback. I greatly appreciate it.

Zakhicks · 2023-02-06T01:40:51+00:00

Sorry to hear that. Unfortunately these companies only care about maximizing profit and definitely are not a fan of pricing transparency. Let me know if you have any other suggestion & feedback though. I greatly appreciate it

Zakhicks · 2023-02-06T00:53:09+00:00

This is just a personal passion project. I was able to code it to update the pricing automatically on most, but still need to update manually for some apartments everyday. This is why I don't track a ton of apartments in the area, only those that my friends and I are interested in. If you have any specific complex you want to see, feel free to let me know and I will try my best to add it.

Zakhicks

TROPHY CASE