Iris is a SF-only rental marketplace with a few differences from existing platforms:
1. Search by natural language (“1BR near BART under $3.2k”) or images (upload inspiration photos)
2. Verified listings only from property managers, owners, and authorized agents
3. SF-specific filters: rent control toggle, transit lines, neighborhood context
What surprised us since launch:
1. A large share of inventory never shows up cleanly on national portals
2. Renters care more about context (block, transit, light, noise) than raw filters
3. Narrow vertical focus (one city) lets us build features Zillow can’t justify
Would love feedback from people who’ve built:
- Vertical marketplaces
- Local-first products
Happy to answer questions.
-- Manan Shah
willparks•1mo ago
manan08•1mo ago
We’re focused on one city because real estate is inherently hyperlocal. Being the default marketplace for SF requires local supply controls and city-specific features that don’t generalize well at national scale. (For example, we have something as simple as a rent control toggle)
National platforms are built for everyone, which usually means generic filters and shallow context. SF renters care about things like rent control, transit lines, block-level differences and other details that get flattened at national scale.