A new real estate tech company wants to disrupt the current market and become the Uber of apartment rental brokers.
Cribitt — already running in New Jersey — is now launching in Midtown West and coming to Brooklyn.
Co-founder Stephen Steiner, an experienced real estate investor and manager, says renting an apartment was inefficient in that it typically took a lot of phone calls to coordinate a viewing because of the numerous parties involved.
Along with the renter, these parties could include the spouse or partner, roommates, any guarantors — such as parents — plus the broker; and often, Steiner says, the renters were noshows.
“I thought I could do it better, and I embarked on this journey to connect a renter and agent in a very immediate way,” Steiner said.
While Cribitt can be reached on the Web, it’s all about the functionality of the app. Now, when the parties are together, you open the app, click the unit you want to see, and Cribitt will instantly send the request to one of its 52 city brokers.
A broker will respond and like Uber, it provides the name, photo, cell number, location and arrival time on the app map.
To apply for the apartment, forms can be filled out and the application fee paid, right in the app.
To view a different apartment, you can keep working with that broker or ask the app to set up a tour at the next building with another broker.
There is no charge to look and rental fees are similar to the ones charged by other agencies. “No fee” listings are paid by the building owner.
Steiner, who is also trying to lure new part- and full-time hires, says his fee split is higher: 90 percent rather than a more common 50 percent — and he’ll help folks get their state salesperson licenses.
One thing to keep in mind is that Cribitt only has access to the approximately 7,000 “open” listings and not those controlled by other brokerages.