Here at HotPads, we try to give our users as much information as possible so that housing shoppers can make more informed decisions about their next home. To do this, we have included demographic and housing stats for cities and neighborhoods, complete with Wikipedia articles about the designated areas!
When surfing, users can quickly view area facts including Population Density, Median Income, Median Rent, and the percentage of people that rent.
When you are first taken to a city, a blurb appears with some quick facts about the area. Here, you can get a general feel about the city, but you can also choose to get more information.
When you "click for more information," you will be taken to a page that provides a great deal of information about the area.
- WIKIPEDIA ARTICLES discuss various aspects of the areas you are interested in.
- BIRDS EYE VIEW lets you see the area from the sky
- DEMOGRAPHIC CHARTS give you a feel for the people, housing, and transportation in an area
Wikipedia Articles
As users search for available rental or for sale housing, they can view relevant neighborhood Wikipedia articles for the city, congressional district, or neighborhood. The content of these articles is generated by the Wikipedia Community and provides neighborhood descriptions, histories, and other relevant information.
Views from Microsoft's Bird's Eye View and Google Maps
As housing shoppers hunt for their next home, they will get a "Bird's Eye View" of potential neighborhoods thanks to an integration with Microsofts' Virtual Earth.
In addition to Bird's Eye View, users can also view satellite imagery from Google Maps.
Demographic Charts
Users are now able to determine the average rent and the distribution of the different sizes of buildings (number of units) in particular areas. Users can get a feel for the area by looking at building sizes. The area to the right has most residents living in large apartment communities.
Average Rent
Housing shoppers can see the average rent in areas based on Census data.
They can also see the rent distribution of HotPads' current listings based on number of bedrooms.
Age Distribution
Users are now able to compare different areas based on the age of its residents.
Here is a chart showing the age of residents in Washington, DC:
Based on the graph, housing shoppers can see that this particular neighborhood has a lower percentage of residents under the age of 20 and a higher percentage of people between the ages of 20 and 30 than the national average and other neighborhoods in the city. This data is based on the 2000 Census.
Income Distribution
Users can also view the income distribution of different areas (zips, neighborhoods, cities, counties, states). Here is the income chart for Washington, DC:
