The multi-billion-dollar real estate data giant Trulia is going hyperlocal across America this month with the launch of an enhanced digital experience for its free app. The new project is called Trulia Neighborhoods and it’s the result of a research project into what life is like in cities around the U.S.
The Trulia Neighborhoods experience aims to amalgamate local knowledge and customs, hard logistical information like parking and safety, and original photography and drone footage to offer users a completely new way to discover a neighborhood they will love. The new digital experience can be accessed now through the Trulia app for iOS or Android, or by visiting its neighborhood website.
“Prior to Trulia Neighborhoods, there wasn’t a resource that showed consumers what life is really like in a neighborhood,” Tim Correia, senior vice president and general manager for Trulia, said in a statement. “Our research found consumers were determined to find this type of information and even developed a series of hacks to source these valuable insights. It was clear it was time to rebuild the home and neighborhood discovery experience from the ground up and empower consumers with all the information to make the best decision for themselves.”
The research project was launched in response to extensive consumer research Trulia commissioned with New York-based market research firm Harris Interactive, followed by the deployment of research teams across U.S. neighborhoods to capture unique “day-in-the-life” content to lend an authentic sense of what a neighborhood is like.
From this research, Trulia discovered that its users crave more neighborhood information and details. In its research, the company found that 85 percent of home buyers who plan to buy a home within 18 months say that the neighborhood is equally or more important than the house itself.
The service drills down from birds-eye view services like Google Maps, where families might see there is a park in the neighborhood, but no information on safety or crime. It’s also a more familial way to capture and broadcast the kinds of demographic information deployed by municipalities and tourist boards.
In addition to high-resolution photo galleries and unique aerial drone footage, Trulia’s researchers have also curated Inside the Neighborhood stories to offer a multimedia experience that depicts what life is like for people who live there. In addition to Yelp-like top lists of restaurants and amenities, the company also says Trulia Neighborhoods will allow buyers and renters to evaluate even intangible aspects of a community such as its vibe, friendliness, and street noise.
The enhanced program is not a prototype and will launch nationally. However, Trulia has put a special focus on five American municipalities in San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, California; Austin, Texas; and Chicago, which will include enhanced photography and drone footage. Trulia plans to introduce more than 1,100 additional enhanced metro areas by the end of the year.
The new digital experience comes in the wake of two other neighborhood-specific products launched by Trulia this year including What Locals Say, a social review platform, and Local Legal Protections, a tool that helps the LGBTQ community understand non-discrimination laws that exist for housing, employment, and public accommodations.
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