Chinese Expats Looking for Safety, Luxury Apartments Turn to Ehomie
Facing a decline in potential customers because of fewer student visas, the online brokerage is also branching out with concierge and co-living services.
A rental unit apartment building in the East Village neighborhood of New York.
Photographer: Gabby Jones/BloombergAfter viewing 40 apartments online and touring 10 in person in the spring, Sicheng Wan finally decided on a $3,000-a-month one-bedroom in a luxury building in Jersey City, New Jersey, a one-transfer commute from his graduate studies at Columbia. The rental platform the Chinese expatriate used: Ehomie.
By offering an all-in-one internet service, Ehomie New York Inc. is like a combination of StreetEasy, Zillow, and Facebook Marketplace for Chinese renters, using an embedded application in the social media app WeChat and a separate brokerage service on its website. The company targets overseas Chinese students and new graduates looking to rent, sublet, or co-sign an apartment, as well as sell and buy second-hand furniture in 16 cities across North America, the UK, and Australia.