NeighborhoodScout

Andrew Schiller conceived NeighborhoodScout while working on his doctorate in geography at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts.{{cite news|last1=Wiggin|first1=Teke|title=Follow the Leaders: Andrew Schiller, CEO of NeighborhoodScout|url=http://www.inman.com/2014/11/24/follow-the-leaders-andrew-schiller-ceo-of-neighborhoodscout/|accessdate=29 September 2015|work=Inman News|publisher=Inman News|date=November 24, 2014}}

In an interview with Inman News, Schiller discusses that he used to move around often for jobs or for school, and was often in a position to make expensive decisions about the best places in which to buy or rent. “But asking friends or real estate professionals always led to answers that were an inaccurate mix of what my friend or agent thought I wanted, combined with what they themselves want in a neighborhood. As a result, the suggestions were never right.” Schiller founded Location, Inc. in 2000 and launched Neighborhoodscout.com in 2002.

By 2006, Location, Inc. reported that NeighborhoodScout had nearly 70,000 subscribers and had served over 1 million users since inception.{{cite web|last1=Resende|first1=Patricia|title=RI Firm Aims to Help You Find the Best Place to Live|url=http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/blog/mass-high-tech/2006/07/ri-firm-aims-to-help-you-find-the-best-place.html?page=2|website=Boston Business Journal|publisher=Mass High Tech}} In 2015, NeighborhoodScout reported to serve over 1 million users each month.{{cite web|title=Location, Inc. of Worcester Expands its Staff|url=http://www.golocalworcester.com/business/locations-inc.-of-worcester-expands-its-staff|website=Go Local Worcester|publisher=Go Local}} NeighborhoodScout earns revenue from customer subscriptions and advertising. They also refer homebuyers to real estate agents and collect a referral fee when they transact on a home.{{cite news|last1=Prevost|first1=Lisa|title=The Data-Driven Home Search: Using Data to Find a New York Suburb That Fits|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/20/realestate/using-data-to-find-a-new-york-suburb-that-fits.html?_r=1|accessdate=29 September 2015|work=The New York Times|date=July 18, 2014}}

In 2003, The Wall Street Journal used NeighborhoodScout in an example of how more homebuyers are turning to the web, rather than their agents, to find real estate data to fuel their decisions. In 2008, real estate mogul Barbara Corcoran listed NeighborhoodScout as one of the "best real estate sites."{{cite news|last1=Corcoran|first1=Barbara|title=High-speed house hunting: 18 best real estate sites|url=http://www.today.com/money/high-speed-house-hunting-18-best-real-estate-sites-2D80555290|accessdate=29 September 2015|work=Entrepreneur|publisher=TODAY Money|date=February 28, 2008}} NeighborhoodScout lists have been published in Bloomberg Business, Forbes, CNBC,{{cite news|last1=Kane|first1=Colleen|title=10 Perfect Suburbs|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2011/08/31/10-Perfect-Suburbs.html|accessdate=29 September 2015|work=CNBC Life|publisher=CNBC LLC|date=August 31, 2011}} TIME,{{cite news|last1=Friedman|first1=Megan|title=Where Are America's Most Dangerous Neighborhoods?|url=https://newsfeed.time.com/2010/10/06/where-are-americas-most-dangerous-neighborhoods/|access-date=29 September 2015|agency=TIME Newsfeed|publisher=TIME, Inc.|date=October 6, 2010}}{{cite news|last1=Veiga|first1=Alex|title=Web sites help homebuyers find good schools|url=http://www.nbcnews.com/id/29308077/ns/technology_and_science-tech_and_gadgets/t/web-sites-help-homebuyers-find-good-schools/#.Vgq79tVVikp|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202001856/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/29308077/ns/technology_and_science-tech_and_gadgets/t/web-sites-help-homebuyers-find-good-schools/#.Vgq79tVVikp|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 2, 2017|accessdate=29 September 2015|agency=The Associated Press|publisher=NBC News|date=February 20, 2009}} the Wall Street Journal,{{cite news|last1=Coombes|first1=Andrea|title=Best Places to Retire Near Metro Areas|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB126417344627933203|accessdate=29 September 2015|work=The Wall Street Journal, Marketwatch|publisher=Dow Jones & Company, Inc.|date=April 24, 2006}} CBS{{cite news|last1=Morales|first1=Tatiana|title=Second Home As An Investment|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/news/second-home-as-an-investment/|accessdate=29 September 2015|work=CBS News|publisher=CBS Interactive, Inc.|date=July 16, 2004}} and CNN Money.{{cite news|title=Best Big-City Bargains|url=http://time.com/money/3318962/best-big-city-bargains-best-places/|accessdate=29 September 2015|work=TIME Money|issue=Best Places to Live 2014|publisher=Time Inc.|date=September 21, 2014}}

In 2011, financial journalist Stacey Bradford of CBS MoneyWatch featured NeighborhoodScout and CEO Schiller in a How-To article about finding the best neighborhood. Bradford counseled readers that sites like NeighborhoodScout are helpful at providing the type of information about areas that real estate agents are prohibited from divulging because of the Fair Housing Act.{{cite news|last1=Bradford|first1=Stacey|title=Families: How to Find a Great Neighborhood|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/news/families-how-to-find-a-great-neighborhood/|accessdate=29 September 2015|work=CBS Moneywatch|publisher=CBS Interactive, Inc.|date=January 21, 2011}}

In 2014, NeighborhoodScout released a feature that allows users to filter neighborhood by crime statistics, school quality, housing values, and demographic characteristics such as languages, ethnicity, race, and income. The feature was criticized by the National Fair Housing Alliance who were concerned that showing racial statistics on real estate websites may steer homebuyers to filter their searches based on race.{{cite news |last1=harney |first1=kenneth |title=Some realty sites describe neighborhoods' racial and ethnic makeup; is that legal? |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/realestate/some-realty-sites-describe-neighborhoods-racial-and-ethnic-makeup-is-that-legal/2014/06/19/58a7cdfc-f587-11e3-a3a5-42be35962a52_story.html |access-date=12 January 2023 |agency=Washington Post}} The CEO of NeighborhoodScout contested the claim it violates the Fair Housing Act, and said the site could actually help to promote integration. In an interview with Inman News on the topic, Schiller noted that searching for areas based on race and ethnicity is “not necessarily contemptible,” and provided an example of a Korean customer who used NeighborhoodScout to find areas populated by other Koreans.{{cite news|last1=Wiggin|first1=Teke|title=Fair housing group investigating display of racial data on real estate websites|url=http://www.inman.com/2014/06/23/fair-housing-group-investigating-display-of-racial-data-on-real-estate-websites/|accessdate=29 September 2015|work=Inman News|publisher=Inman|date=June 23, 2014}}

{{reflist|2}}

• {{Official website|www.neighborhoodscout.com}}

{{Online real estate databases}}

Category:Online real estate databases

Category:Companies based in Worcester, Massachusetts