GaragePointer.com is a new startup that seeks to supply car owners with a garage to store their cars, and garage owners with the ability to make cash off their extra space. It’s an innovative online matchmaking service that works just like Airbnb connects travelers with homes and apartments.
“Finding safe, convenient and reasonably priced parking is problematic, particularly for people who own high-end luxury cars and collectible automobiles,” remarked co-founder Donald Osborne, a classic vehicle appraiser, in the company’s announcement. “We created GaragePointer to address the needs of these people, for collectors who have simply run out of space in their own garages, for boat owners and anyone else looking for convenient storage.”
Available urban garage space may sound mythical, but it is there, Garage Pointer insists. There are a couple sources of these unused spaces. One is the family garage in closed-in suburbs, where empty nesters store clutter in their garages. Homeowners can clear out their junk and put their garage bays on GaragePointer for easy income, the company says.
Additionally, urban planners in many cities demand that new condo buildings include one and a half or two parking spaces for each unit, even though urban dwellers may own just one car or none at all. These surplus underground spots are sitting idle, waiting to provide a place for your pride and joy.
Obviously, there are liability concerns, and GaragePointer says that it will have insurance comparable to that of self-storage units covering customers. For now, the service is soft launching in California, Oregon and Washington states as a free service for the next 60 days.
After that, Garage Pointer will roll out nationally, and listings for garages will be free, but both garage owner and renter will pay a one-time $20 fee to the company when a match is made.
Prices are set by the garage owners and the rate typically depends on the urban density and local real estate conditions, according to the company. So far the range has been between $75 and $350 per month.
Once you’ve got your garage bay rented via GaragePointer.com, then you’ll be ready for Craigslist, eBay, or BringaTrailer.com to locate the classic ride to park there.