Featured Startup Pitch: Househappy is working to improve real estate search with a photo-centric approach

By Kevin McCloskey, Househappy founder and CEO

Elevator Pitch: Househappy is a free, photo-driven real estate search for buyers and brokers to search and post property around the world.

Product/Service Description

Search and post property around the world—it’s free. Buyers, sellers, and brokers/agents are connected through an intuitive, image-driven search experience. Househappy’s mission is to simplify property search and make information accessible to everyone.

Founder’s Story

As a licensed broker with 25-plus years of real estate experience in California, Oregon, and Washington, I saw the real estate industry transition from brick-and-mortar to the web. Despite the potential of the Internet to break down barriers, real estate is still a fragmented, regional industry. I created Househappy with one mission in mind—to simplify property search and make information accessible to everyone.

In 2008, when my idea for Househappy was in its early stages, I helped a friend edit her Match.com profile and noticed the similarities between searching for a date and searching for a house. Both are visually-driven. As a broker, I’ve come to know that when buyers are starting their home search, they are more interested in the property photos than any other information provided. Yet there is no website where people can easily view thousands of property photos, and as a broker I wanted to sell my properties on a site that people enjoy looking at and using.

Market Opportunity

We are targeting brokers/agents as well as buyers. As for real estate professionals, there are over a million licensees in the U.S. alone. With no side and banner ads, Househappy allows buyers to search effortlessly, without being bombarded with ads and popups. Brokers/agents also don’t have to worry about other peers being advertised next to their property listings.

How We Differentiate From the Competition

Househappy will always be free to search and post. Brokers/agents do not pay for the additional exposure of listings, unlike other real estate portals. Also, we are global and more visual.

Business Model

Househappy will always be free to buyers, brokers/agents and sellers. I plan to monetize the site by developing a real estate services directory. There are more than 300 services that are based around the purchase and ownership of a home—everything from inspectors, plumbers, electricians, and movers. The directory will have its own tab on the site and will not affect the visual display of the properties posted on Househappy. My mission is to keep the site clean and simple, free from visual noise.