[Editor’s note: This is an excerpt from the conclusions from the category product review series for the small landlord property management software sector. It answers two of the questions posed in the introduction. Originally published in the Geek Estate Mastermind.]
Are backend landlord tools and front-end rental search products in conflict with each other?
These two will continue converging into one another. Zumper and Zillow are starting from the search side, while Avail and Cozy are on the flip side. Airbnb is a different animal altogether. There are areas where goals conflict. For instance, first in and banned evictions are both loved by tenants but hated by landlords. That said, those are both regulation issues. One area where they align is that tenants want to search a comprehensive supply and landlords want to reach the largest possible renter audience (as long as they are qualified).
Will Cozy and Avail end up adding a search experience or syndicating to more partners?
I believe both will continue to focus on syndication, particularly Avail because it does not have the benefit of a large audience on its own (Zumper, Zillow, and Cozy all have access to leverage). Given Cozy operates inside the confines of CoStar, it is far more likely to be built out as a benefit to the company’s customers already using its broad search assets (especially following the acquisition of RentPath), rather than trying to win a syndication battle.
Source: geekestateblog.com