REDMOND, Wash., Aug. 12, 1998 — The Microsoft HomeAdvisor online real estate service, a comprehensive guide to finding homes and loans, today announced online distribution agreements with several portals and Internet services as well as an advertising deal with Yahoo! Inc. As some of the most visited destinations on the Web, these new marketing alliances put the reach of HomeAdvisor among the most extensive on the Internet. The deals were announced as HomeAdvisor moves from a preview, intended for consumer feedback and usability testing, to its official site at http://www.homeadvisor.com/ .
HomeAdvisor will now be available to users through links on Infoseek, Switchboard, Pathfinder, WhoWhere?, Tripod, Big Yellow, GTE InterNet and DoubleClick, which represents U.S. News & World Report, USA Today, Worth magazine and many other sites. HomeAdvisor will also be promoted to users of Yahoo! finance and real estate categories.
In addition, HomeAdvisor will be the exclusive home-buying channel featured on microsoft.com, hotmail.com, MSN.com and throughout The Microsoft Network, which reaches more than 30 percent of Internet users, according to recent Media Metrix figures. Users at each of these destinations will have access to home listings and loan offerings on HomeAdvisor, as well as the site’s acclaimed neighborhood information and home-buying tutorials.
“We are very excited to have secured this many far-reaching marketing agreements at this stage in our product’s history,” said Ian Morris, lead product manager for HomeAdvisor. “Wide-scale distribution dramatically increases the visibility and reach of real estate listings and loan offerings on HomeAdvisor, giving our information providers exactly the type of exposure they are looking for on the Internet.”
Leading Internet companies agree that the relationships create a valuable opportunity. “We’re proud to offer HomeAdvisor to our users,” said Linda McCutcheon, president of Time Inc. New Media. “As we know from the many people who rely on our own Money.com for personal financial information, the comprehensive information from HomeAdvisor on homes and loans delivered in plain English provides the definitive value that Web users are seeking.”
Charter lenders, real estate brokers and data providers have already seen significant benefits from their alliance with HomeAdvisor. “We are very excited about the new customers that we are seeing as a result of our relationship with Microsoft,” said Paul Bognanno, president and CEO of Principal Residential Mortgage Inc. “Consumers want convenience, control and choice when it comes to making home-loan decisions, and HomeAdvisor offers all three. HomeAdvisor provides us with a great new way to deliver our services to online consumers.”
As a testament to its success, this week HomeAdvisor is adding LoanWorks, a full-service online mortgage lender based in Irvine, Calif., to its lineup of lender providers, which also includes Principal Residential Mortgage, HomeSide Lending Inc., and American Finance and Investment Inc. The industry-friendly approach of HomeAdvisor has also led to a number of new agreements with real estate brokers such as Coldwell Banker Realty Pros Ltd., Douglas Elliman, and Prudential Long Island Realty.
“As soon as we saw the HomeAdvisor site, we knew it was something we wanted to be a part of,” said Dorothy Herman, president, Prudential Long Island Realty. “It provides our sellers with great
exposure for their listings while alerting prospective buyers to new homes through features like the HomeTracker. This will help our agents be even more productive.”
About HomeAdvisor
HomeAdvisor is the Internet’s most complete guide for finding homes and loans, combining Microsoft’s technology with services and expertise from the most trusted names in the real estate industry. The site empowers consumers through every step of the home-buying process and is the first Internet site to fully integrate content and services such as neighborhood, crime and school statistics with homes, loans, editorial content and expert advice. Part of The Microsoft Network of online products and services, HomeAdvisor launched in July 1998 and is free on the World Wide Web at http://www.homeadvisor.com/ (connect-time charges may apply).
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software for personal computers. The company offers a wide range of products and services for business and personal use, each designed with the mission of making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take advantage of the full power of personal computing every day.
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