Mr Williamsburg, Revolutionary ideas on real estate!Hampton Roads Virginia

I get tons of call from W&M students looking for off campus housing and am glad to hear of a a new solution  soon be just a click away.

   Zilify, a website created by a group of students from the Mason School of Business at the College of William and Mary  aims to streamline the off-campus housing process and provide prospective renters with more options than ever before.

In the near future, students will be able to create a Zilify account and browse nearby residences that are on the market. By entering a price range and a number of occupants, users can view properties with corresponding minimum prices. Landlords are then expected to contact prospective buyers who match their specifications to work out a deal.

In addition to price listings, Zilify will provide students with pictures, owner specifications and a downloadable copy of the house’s lease. Over  250 houses in close proximity to the College will be listed on the website.

Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Chris Crisalli ’13 stated “We’re not a real estate agency,” Crisalli said. “We are a company that provides an efficient medium for students to look at and potentially contact the owners of off-campus housing. We’re bringing houses to students that they’d never have thought they’d have the chance to get. There are going to be houses that you see on the website that have belonged to the same organization for twenty years.”

Couture also noted the difficulties that students face living in an area where legacy rather than the market can dictate many residential transactions.

“We kind of think it’s an unfair process,” Couture said. “Houses constantly get passed down within organizations and between friends. It’s all about who you know, and if you don’t know anybody, you can’t find anything.”

According to its founders, Zilify will be running within a week or two. Students will be able to create their own accounts and begin browsing through the catalog of houses that will be available on the website.

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