New and improved maps

Hey Everybody,

Over the past week we’ve been hard at work at upgrading the maps software we use on the site.  You might not notice much of a difference, but there are many reasons why it made sense to switch to the latest version of Google’s mapping service:

• Street view is included without any work on our end!  Woooohoooo!
• Using the site will be much easier from a mobile device (mobile phones and tablet computers).
• There were addresses that we weren’t able to put on a map.  It wasn’t Google’s fault, it was our fault.  Using the latest version has made it much easier to figure out where the heck an address is.
• It’s the currently supported version – it isn’t going anywhere, anytime soon

We hope you enjoy the new map – let us know if you experience any issues or problems.

Thanks,

RentMaps

PS For all of the geeks out there, we went from using V2 of the Google Maps API to V3.  We had been dreading doing the upgrade, but it was a pleasure.  If you haven’t migrated yet, we encourage you to do it.  It made our code smaller, easier to read, and had less errors.

Bug fixes and Facebook integration

Yesterday we pushed out a couple of small bug fixes:

• When filling out a review, the first rating was impossible to click in Chrome on Windows.
• When filling out a review, the system would allow an invalid address.
• Addresses without a review were showing up on the map display.

We added a Facebook like button to each of the pages for buildings, so that users can like the apartments in which they have lived or visited.  We have big plans for this in the future, especially for those that think an apartment is great but haven’t lived there.

We have more great features coming, so stay tuned!

Over 100 Reviews!

We’ve cracked 100 reviews!  We added another 50 reviews in the past week and we’re really excited about it.  We’ve gotten a lot of great feedback from users, which has only reinforced our drive and passion.

We talked with various landlords and tenants, and they all believe that there is a lot of room for innovation and progress to be made.  Giving landlords the ability to market their property and communicate with prospective tenants opens up a lot of opportunities.  Also, giving tenants the ability to see what’s out there and hear from previous tenants addresses a lot of their concerns before looking at an apartment or signing a lease.

If you haven’t filled one out yet, please review your apartment here!  We need your help!

Let us know what you want from RentMaps, and how you think we’re doing so far.  Send us a note at: feedback@rentmaps.com

Thanks!

Over 50 reviews!

In less than a week we crossed the 50 review mark.  While 50 reviews is nothing compared to our ultimate goals, it’s exciting because people understand the problem we’re trying to solve and like how we’re doing it.  I’ve already received a lot of feedback and encouragement, and it only makes me more excited about the possibilities!

My favorite review so far:

http://rentmaps.com/address/58/708-S-Negley-Ave,-Pittsburgh-PA-15232

This is the kind of stuff you want to know before you move into an apartment.  Wouldn’t the world be a better place if you knew the positive and negative elements of an apartment?

Looking for entries!

After long last, we’re ready for people to start entering their reviews of the apartments they’ve lived.  This is a great example of a review in Cambridge:

http://rentmaps.com/address/28/140-Pleasant-St,-Cambridge-MA-02139

Initially we’re targeting the area around Tufts.  We’re interested in data as far as possible!  If you lived around Tufts, we’re interested in seeing how things have changed since then in terms of individual apartments and the cost of living in the area.  If you have 5-10 minutes to spare, we’d really appreciate it!

As always, we’re interested in your feedback here.  You can also follow us on twitter here.

-The rentmaps team

Hello World!

I am very excited to get rentmaps and this blog started.  We’re moving as quickly as we can, but it’ll be slow going for the moment.  Stay tuned….