Park At My House

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= ParkatmyHouse aims to provide a convenient and cheaper parking alternative while simultaneously providing an opportunity for home and business owners to earn from their under-utilised land.

URL = http://www.parkatmyhouse.com/


Description

1.

" The idea came … while I was looking for a parking space in a residential suburb in San Francisco near a major baseball ground. There was a lack of on-street parking but plenty of unused residential parking available. I wanted to knock on the lady’s door, offer her a “tenner” and it’s win-win!

I believe it’s the right moment for ParkatmyHouse to take off because … we are still feeling the effects of the recent financial crisis and for many households, an additional 30 pounds per week can make a significant difference. With petrol prices hitting record levels, ParkatmyHouse can help reduce the overall cost of motoring by finding cheaper and more convenient parking spaces..

The biggest misperception about ParkatmyHouse is… the service is only for events, airports or commuter parking. I know of some customers who use ParkatmyHouse to rent a space for 30 minutes while they drop their kids off at school, rent a parking space on their street for the visiting parents or an underground space to store a classic car." (http://www.collaborativeconsumption.com/archives/the-movement/anthony_eskinazi_founder_of_parkatmyhouse.php)


2. Susanna Kim:

"Anthony Eskinazi, CEO and founder of ParkatmyHouse.com wants to bring convenience to drivers and dollars to driveway owners across America.

More than 150,000 people in the U.K. have earned more than $5 million from the site, Eskinazi said. Its marketplace is supposed to allow anyone with an address or geographic point with a latitude and longitude to list their parking space, whether in Antarctica, Australia or Africa.

Eskinazi, 28, launched the website in 2006, focusing on his local area in the U.K. But Eskinazi conceived of the idea while he was a graduate student at the University of California, Berkeley. Eskinazi remembered one particular time when he had trouble finding parking to watch a San Francisco Giants baseball game.

“You don’t want to go to an official parking lot because it’s expensive and you have to leave a game early to avoid traffic,” he said.

But he saw a business opportunity in the nearby parking spaces reserved for residents and businesses.

The website collects 15 percent of the parking fee driveway owners take in.

Before ParkatmyHouse launches a full-scale marketing campaign in the U.S., the company is focusing on building a database of customers’ driveway locations.

“When we have enough inventory, we’re going to open up the site properly,” he said.

Eskinazi said the company plans to release a mobile app in the first quarter. The company received a round of financing from BMW i, a venture fund based in New York City under the umbrella of the luxury car company.

Eskinazi hopes to hire more sales and marketing employees, most likely in New York, to add to the current team of five.

The company is beefing up its workforce to expand globally. It’s not just homeowners who can list their available driveways. Garage and business owners can also list their available spaces. Eskinazi said a number of religious institutions, which usually have spaces available on weekdays and evenings, list their parking spots in the U.K.

One church near the busy Kings Cross Station in London has earned $180,000 from the website in the last three years, more than half of the church’s annual income, Eskinazi said. That extra income has helped boost the church’s services at its daycare and rehabilitation center.

“This has not just helped them but has helped drivers,” Eskinazi said. “We see ParkatmyHouse as a win-win situation.”

He said drivers and property owners have been using websites like Craigslist as a parking marketplace for years. But while Craiglist is a “great service,” ParkatmyHouse offers more, such as marketing your spot on the website, a payment process, a secure booking and payment system, and extra insurance.

Users do not have to exchange personal information or even communicate. All transactions for a pre-booked space can be accomplished through the website.

Eskinazi also hopes to decrease the emissions and time wasted when drivers circle around a block on the hunt for a parking space.

“It doesn’t matter if you are driving electric vehicle or gas guzzler,” he said. “Every journey begins with a parking spot. “ (http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/business/2012/01/homeowners-rent-out-driveways-for-money/)