RISMEDIA, Oct. 24, 2007-In an effort to address the large and growing Hispanic market, while also helping more minorities access information about available rental property units within the United States, Rentals.com announced the launch of its new Spanish-language Web site at www.rentals.com.
“Providing rental information in Spanish is part of Rental.com’s goal to increase minority access to our comprehensive real estate listings,” said Steve Huey, senior vice president and general manager, Rentals.com. “It is also an invaluable tool for property managers who specialize in the Hispanic market and use online listing services to advertise available apartments and homes for rent.”
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the estimated Hispanic population in the United States as of July 1, 2006 was 44.3 million, making people of Hispanic origin the nation’s largest ethnic or race minority. At that time, Hispanics constituted 15 percent of the nation’s total population. (This estimate does not include the 3.9 million residents of Puerto Rico.)
Hispanic Rental Market Facts
– Hispanic renter households grew from 31 percent in 1990 to 43 percent in 2004. The reach of Hispanic renters has extended beyond Texas, California and Florida to fast growth in Georgia, Washington, North Carolina and South Carolina (Jan. 1, 2006 Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard (JCHS) survey)
– U.S. Hispanic Internet users are on the rise from 15.7 million in 2005 to 17.7 million in 2007 (eMarketer, 2006 Internet Usage survey)
– Regardless of language preference, Hispanics want access to online information in both English and Spanish (Jan. 2006 Captura Group, “Connecting with the U.S. Hispanic Market Online”)
For $20, Rentals.com advertising customers may upgrade their rental property listings to include Spanish versions. Premier clients are able to use this offering complimentary for 60 days from the official date of launch – Sept. 19, 2007.
The Spanish language has many dialects and regional variants, some of which are quite divergent from standard written Spanish also known as neutral Spanish. While all Spanish dialects use the written standard, many spoken varieties differ.
“We sought to create an immersive experience that makes sense across dialects and regional variants,” said John Ujda, vice president, product management, Rentals.com. “As a result, we worked with DrTango, a firm specializing in Web site translation, to ensure accuracy and authenticity. In addition, we created our ‘Foreign Language Wizard,’ which enables English-only speaking landlords to create a listing in Spanish.”
Advertising Key Features & Benefits
– Ability to reach the Spanish-speaking rental market and expand lead portfolio
– Spanish and English listing capability allows property managers to reach Hispanic renters through their language of choice
– Easy and convenient listings process includes the “Foreign Language Wizard,” which allows property managers and landlords to select descriptive property phrases in English and have those translated into Spanish
– No Spanish knowledge is required to list in Spanish
For more information visit www.rentals.com.
