"What impresses us most about our relationship with ECOM Media Group is that not only do we receive good advertising value, we have been provided a complete solution to all our online needs.”
In 1998, ECOM developed the technology that powered its inaugural service, Rent BC . Today, ECOM powers over 90 rental listing websites through college & universities, associations, regional listings services and strategic partners. Our effective tools and creative solutions make us a leader in the online rental advertising market. In the section below, we provide a series of questions and answers designed to further explain who we are and what we do.
What do we do? Our OCH101 initiative provides universities and colleges with the means to solve their off-campus housing needs. We do this by providing a managed online off-campus housing solution at no cost to the schools. Additionally, our online rental listing service is university branded (for example, see the University of Maryland site here), very user friendly, always currently updated with relevant information, and is accessible 24/7 through the school’s website. And, we enable landlords and property managers to quickly and easily update information regarding their rental property.
What problem do we provide a solution to? At many colleges, 75% to 80% of the student population lives off campus, thus putting pressure on schools to address this housing issue. Frequently, however, budgetary allocations fail to provide much in the way of resources necessary to address this obligation. With OCH101 universities are able to provide a free solution that is painless to implement and does not task their resources. Universities find that our off-campus housing service quickly becomes an invaluable resource for their students, faculty and staff.
In addition to being completely cost effective, OCH101 provides values to schools by eliminating many of the problems typical of off-campus housing departments at universities: poor access to information about local apartments; requiring students to come to campus in order to access housing information; often, the information is out of date (i.e., apartments are no longer available); and poor quality of information (i.e., failing to provide enough information such as proximity to the Campus, amenities, photos, mapping, etc.).
With OCH101 universities are able to provide a free solution which is painless to implement and does not task their resources. Universities found that this off-campus housing service has quickly become an invaluable resource for their students, faculty and staff.
Who benefits? Current and prospective students can search for their new home from any location well ahead of time utilizing the University’s website. This free service saves them precious time, provides an abundance of information, and gives them one less thing to worry about during an already stressful time.
Where do the listings come from? OCH101 has thousands of rental listings across North America which becomes instantly available to your University. OCH101 will work with you to market your OCH service to private landlords and property management companies in your community. Additionally, OCH101 already works with many large property management companies such as AIMCO, American Campus Communities, Equity Residential, JPI, Pinnacle, Riverstone, Sawyer, and Zoom to name a few.
How can we help you? By providing this solution to you at no cost and managing all customer service and support issues through email and/or a direct toll free OCH101 Customer Support Line.
How can we afford to do this? OCH101 receives its revenue from the people that benefit financially from this service. The landlords in your community listing their rental properties.
Is there anything else we should know? Yes, 10% of this revenue is donated back to the universities and their students! OCH101 can also provide our popular “Roommate Finder” service to assist students find suitable roommates with similar interests and life styles. We provide this service for free to college & universities that utilize our OCH service. Please look at an example with University of Maryland Roommate Finder
Conclusion. If your goal is to provide your students with a proven quality managed Off-Campus Housing Listing solution at NO COST than you have found it! Call us today to find out how departments such as Housing, Off-Campus Housing, Commuter Services, Student Governments’s and Student Unions’s have helped their students by utilizing the Off-Campus Housing Support Team.
ECOM Media Group Inc.Landmark Technology Center Suite 106 - 1726 Dolphin Ave. Kelowna, BC Canada V1Y 9R9 Toll Free: 800-862-9874
