DogPads.net finds “pads” for dogs (and their owners)

New website provides information to dog owners searching for a Chicago area home.

Chicago, IL, Tuesday, October 21, 2008 - According to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association 2007-08 National Pet Owners Survey, 44.8 million U.S households own a dog  which totals 74.8 million dogs owned in the United States. Dog owners who are looking for a new place to call home for their dog (and them) now have a place to go on the internet that provides a free service to help them find their next home. DogPads.net is a unique website designed for dog owners who are looking to buy a Chicago area condo or townhome that welcomes dogs. Real estate broker associate Jim Gramata of Keller Williams Lincoln Park Realty recently launched his dog-centric home buying website whose purpose is to provide a search service for buyers to help find all available active “pads” which meet their (pooch and buyer) search criteria. Currently designed sites focus on pet owners looking to rent homes, however, Gramata shifted this idea to provide a search site for dog-owners looking to buy a home in a pet-friendly building. 

“The dogpads.net site was created out of lots of slobber and perspiration for the dog lovers out there looking for a home who would absolutely never consider living in a home without their pets. Dogs are a part of the family as much as any other member. They are part of the home buying decision-making process.” Gramata went on to say the mission of the site “is to supply a service to home buyers who are interested in filtering out the thousands and thousands of properties that do not welcome dogs saving them time and the frustration of learning this later. Why even look at a property if it would not allow your dog?”

Some of the current features of the site include a free report of available properties sent by email that meet the buyer’s search criteria including property pet restrictions, buyer’s neighborhoods of interest and price ranges. A second more advanced search method includes a secure dedicated website where buyers can login and receive and review daily online reports of active properties that meet the buyer’s search requirements. The buyer can make notes, get more detailed property information and can view interior pictures when available or request showing appointments. 

Another feature coming soon will give buyers the ability to independently search for properties by stretching a box over an area of a neighborhood map and seeing real time what active properties fall within their search parameters which will greatly improve the delivery of information.  “Buyers will have more interactive control of where they look since search criteria and interests can change daily. We want to put the search process in the buyers hands as much as possible.” Gramata said.

There is a “Your Dogs” page dedicated to posting pictures of the visitors dogs, as well as a Chicago ‘Dog Blog’ page and a page called Dog Spots which highlights local businesses that are dog-friendly.  “We want the site to contain useful information from local businesses and organizations that share the same philosophy that dogs (and all animals) are an important part of the family and deserve a home in this great city of ours.” When asked if this meant the site would eventually be dominated by corporate sponsors, Gramata replied, “We do not want to create a site whose sole purpose is to sell advertising space for companies. Our mission is genuinely to distribute valuable information to our site visitors while improving their (and their pets) experience of finding a home in Chicago.” 

The ‘beta’ version of the site is live now at www.dogpads.net and Gramata reports there are currently visitors who are using the site and are actively searching for properties in the area. ”We are happy to report that so far the DogPads.net site has been very well received. We are diligently creating daily search reports for each of our current home buyers who are trying to help them find their dog (and them) their next home.” The site is a refreshing innovative service long overlooked for home buyers and their dogs and if the site continues in the direction it has started it will continue to enhance the pet-friendly home-buying experience for dogs (and their owners) for years to come. 

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Jim Gramata is a licensed real estate broker in the State of Illinois and is currently with Keller Williams Lincoln Park located at 2106 N. Clark Street Chicago, IL 60614.  He has been working in the real estate industry for over seventeen years which he began after he received his Masters of Architecture degree from The University of Illinois-Chicago. In 1991, he founded the Gramata Development Corporation where he designed and built single-family homes throughout Chicago area. His company mission and vision expanded in 2006 when he began his real estate sales and marketing team with the Gramata Realty Group. His dogs names are Norman (black lab, 14) and Gracie (terrier mix, 6). Jim can be reached at 773-315-6103 or at rememberjim@kw.com .