The 234 Apartment

There is nothing simple or minimal about the concept of selling real estate or renting out apartments. It’s one of the most lucrative and competitive businesses in the world today. However, when it comes to selling and marketing such services online, a minimalist design and approach have proven to be a winning combination time and time again. With WordPress offering millions of custom and premium themes, it’s never been easier for independent and big name realtors and brokers to go live with site designs of their own — many of which focus more on the visuals, then filling up the site with clutter and unnecessary information and navigation. To help spread awareness and inspiration on just how important and effective a minimalist site design can actually be, let’s take a look at some of the top realtor and rental property site designs on the internet today. Duchess Apartments When it comes to minimalistic designs , few colors work better than white and black. It’s this combination ...

When Matt Metzger and Carly Wingert showed up to view apartments early Friday afternoon at a complex on the south end of town, the property management office was closed. Another tenant pointed them to the mailbox with applications they could take and fill out. But it was empty. So they were off to make more calls. They'd already looked at a couple of places, including one that still was under renovation. "The struggle is real," Wingert said, still cheerful nonetheless. "It's not easy at all," Metzger said. After looking at just a handful of units, they were already talking about how to adjust their budget and possibly work overtime to afford a suitable home.  Wingert and Metzger plan to finish their degrees at the University of Montana — he's studying wildlife biology and she's interested in literature and the environment. They're among a slew of students looking for housing around the same time. Despite all the construction that's been ...

Halifax Regional Police are warning apartment hunters to steer clear of clever scam artists posing as military personnel online .  Watch for "posts from someone in the military looking for a renter to take care of a residence while away overseas, gone away for deployment or anything like that," said Det. David Comer with the integrated financial crime unit . More ads like this will start popping up on Kijiji and Craigslist in the next couple of weeks, he said, particularly as university students return to the Halifax and are looking for last-minute rentals. The ads are aimed at convincing would-be renters to send a damage deposit or rent. The problem is there's no apartment. Here are some ways to avoid falling victim . 1. Photos or verbal agreements If a landlord or owner is unavailable to show the property, Comer said that's reason to be wary. Potential renters should be concerned if there are only photos or verbal agreements in place. Sending deposits without act...

Granite countertops and stainless steel appliances have been installed in the first Portofino Apartments on 34th Street, just west of Milwaukee Avenue, before the grand opening July 19 .  Sara Fierro, director of operations for Asken Properties , said five buildings are scheduled to open for residents to begin moving in July 15. The clubhouse, a 3,500-square-foot building, will also be ready for the office staff to move in by that time. Up to and through the grand opening event , those who sign a lease at Portofino will be given a free iPad Mini , Fierro said. Door prizes will also be given out during the grand opening event July 19 in the Portofino clubhouse. In December, she hopes 210 apartments will be ready for rental. “We’re opening up five buildings July 15 , which is about 35 apartments. But every two weeks after that, we’ll keep opening up another couple of buildings,” Fierro said. Units in Portofino won’t be the cheapest in town, Fierro said, but she believes they are compe...

Earlier this month, Skift published a comprehensive look at Airbnb’s Road to an IPO, or initial public offering on the stock market. While the story primarily focused on all of the many things the company is doing (and needs to do) as it pursues that inevitable IPO, it wasn’t necessarily a story about what it takes for a company like Airbnb to go public. Indeed, what Airbnb is doing right now in its efforts to become a “super brand of travel,” or a new breed of online travel agency (OTA), speaks to the very future of travel. Already, we’ve seen the company expand into tours and activities with the November launch of its Trips business, adding to its already robust 4-million-listing- strong Homes business . CEO Brian Chesky has also hinted the company may soon enter the flights sector as well. It’s a glimpse of what we as travelers can expect to see and to experience in the next few years as platforms like Airbnb continue to evolve and to attempt to solve the many pain points we st...