SAN JOSE, Calif., April 16, 2013 /PRNewswire/
-- Realtor.com®, which is operated by Move, Inc.,
today announced its top five favorite pet-friendly rental markets
in the nation. Although the majority of households in the United States own a pet (62 percent,
according to ASPCA[i]), it can be difficult to find rentals that
allow co-habitation with furry friends. Odds are better in the
cities below, which have the highest number of pet-friendly rental
listings among realtor.com-tracked markets and plenty of off-leash
areas for man's best friend to roam:
Rank
|
Cities
|
Total
Number of Pet-Friendly Listings
|
Number
of Dog Parks[ii]
|
1
|
Houston,
Texas
|
1,381
|
22
|
2
|
Chicago,
Ill.
|
1,012
|
21
|
3
|
Miami,
Fla.
|
897
|
16
|
4
|
Austin,
Texas
|
623
|
18
|
5
|
Charlotte,
N.C.
|
793
|
8
|
(Photo:
http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130416/LA95306-a)
(Photo:
http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130416/LA95306-b)
If owning a pet is a must and owning a home isn't quite within
the realm of possibility, chances are you'll have an easier time
finding a rental in one of these markets that will welcome you and
your pet with open arms. In Miami,
for example, about 42 percent of rental listings tracked on
realtor.com® are pet-friendly. Nearly 1,400 properties
in Houston are ready to roll out
the welcome mat for pet-owning renters, compared with just 24 in
Columbus, Ohio.
A story surfacing in our No. 2-ranked Chicago caught the attention of
realtor.com®. In March, Otis the dog helped his owners
turn around their Chicago
apartment rental in less than 24 hours. By making stealth
appearances in each shot in the ad, Otis, "the scene-stealing dog,"
and his apartment listing went viral, gaining national media
attention. Inspired by his story,
realtor.com® jumped on the opportunity to hire the
Great Dane-German Shepherd mix to represent our pet-friendly rental
listings.
"We know how important it is for renters to find a home that
meets all their needs and the needs of their furry family members,"
said Barbara O'Connor, executive vice president of marketing at
Move Inc. and owner of a black rescue dog named Maddie. "We think
Otis will do a great job of representing our dedication to
pet-friendly listings and, as an extension, our commitment to
delivering the best tools available to help renters find the right
house or apartment for them."
Otis found his perfect home with owners John
and Sara Kanive when he was adopted from
Chicago's Almost Home
Foundation as an eight-week-old pup. Almost Home is an
all-volunteer, not-for-profit 501(c)(3) charitable organization
dedicated to rescuing stray and abandoned animals from high-kill
shelters. In hopes that other animals also find dream homes, Otis
is donating a portion of his realtor.com® salary to the
foundation.
"We loved Otis' story and reached out to
his owners immediately to see if they would
consider helping other home seekers find pet-friendly listings,"
said Dave Arnold, executive creative
director at realtor.com's ad agency Pereira & O'Dell.
"He's a natural spokesdog and soon-to-be national symbol for
tracking down pet-friendly listings first."
Recognizing pet-friendly rental listings is about to become even
easier with the help of Otis. Realtor.com® will be
making photos of the spokesdog available as a tool to help REALTORS
amplify their pet-friendly listings on realtor.com®. Check out
Otis' appearance in this San Diego apartment listing, and be sure
to look for him on realtor.com® and beyond in the coming
months!
ABOUT realtor.com®
Operated by Move, Inc. (NASDAQ: MOVE), realtor.com® helps
connect people with the content, tools and expertise they need to
find their perfect home. As the official website of the
National Association of REALTORS®, realtor.com® empowers consumers
to make the smartest decisions when it comes to finding a home by
leveraging direct connections with more than 800 MLSs to deliver
the most accurate and up-to-date listing information in
neighborhoods across the country, and by making timely and
meaningful connections between consumers and REALTORS®. Whether
through desktop, mobile or tablet versions, realtor.com® is where
home happens.
About Pereira & O'Dell
Pereira & O'Dell (www.pereiraodell.com) is an
international award-winning advertising agency that combines
techniques from traditional advertising, digital, PR and design to
create innovative campaigns, programs and products that are in sync
with how consumers behave today. The agency was recently named
to both Advertising
Age and Creativity 2013 A-Lists based on
the company's business performance, impact on clients' businesses
as well as industry leadership and innovation. Among the Pereira
& O'Dell client roster are Mattel, Intel, Skype, BevMo!,
Corona and Henkel North America.
[i] According to the ASPCA:
http://www.aspca.org/about-us/faq/pet-statistics.aspx
[ii] According to Bring Fido: www.bringfido.com
SOURCE Move, Inc.