RE/MAX Brokers and MSN HomeAdvisor Put the Internet to Work For Real Estate Professionals

REDMOND, Wash., Nov. 16, 1999 — The MSN TM HomeAdvisor TM online real estate service today announced a study of RE/MAX International Inc. offices nationwide demonstrating that HomeAdvisor sent more than 11 times as many qualified leads to real estate professionals than Realtor.com. The announcement comes just one year after Microsoft® signed an agreement to place more than 500 RE/MAX offices on the Microsoft home-buying site. These numbers, in addition to similar findings by brokers nationwide, clearly position HomeAdvisor as a national leader in delivering qualified leads to real estate professionals.

During the six-week test period, a sampling of 25 RE/MAX brokers received 11,327 qualified leads from MSN HomeAdvisor, compared with 1,076 leads from Realtor.com during the same period. Many brokers showed a dramatic increase in Web traffic as a result of their relationship with HomeAdvisor. RE/MAX Mega Group in San Antonio, Texas, for example, received 906 leads from HomeAdvisor, accounting for more than 40 percent of its Web traffic. By comparison, Realtor.com only generated a single lead.

“Aside from building our own Web site, advertising our listings on HomeAdvisor is the single best thing we have done to market our listings online,”
said Amy Olsen, broker-manager of RE/MAX Mega Group.
“With literally hundreds of leads coming in each month, all for free, Microsoft is proving again and again to be an excellent industry partner.”

Many other brokers in the study are also receiving similar results:

  • RE/MAX Suburban Chicago – 314 leads from HomeAdvisor, eight from Realtor.com

  • RE/MAX Memphis, Tenn. – 443 leads from HomeAdvisor, 13 from Realtor.com

  • RE/MAX Properties Inc.,
    Colorado Springs,
    Colo. – 356 leads from HomeAdvisor, 207 from Realtor.com

  • RE/MAX Advantage, Atlanta – 469 leads from HomeAdvisor, none from Realtor.com

  • RE/MAX American Dream, Baltimore, Md. – 785 leads from HomeAdvisor, 17 from Realtor.com

“We compete directly against companies with significantly more marketing dollars, but still receive more leads from the Web each month, thanks to HomeAdvisor,”
said Cathy Werner, broker-owner of RE/MAX American Dream in Baltimore, Md.
“By posting our complete contact information on every listing for free, Microsoft ensures that we’re the first point of contact for potential home buyers in our area.”

Other brokers around the country are finding the same results. The Corcoran Group, New York City’s leading residential real estate firm, recently announced that it received more than 1,100 leads from HomeAdvisor in a recent month, as opposed to 11 from Realtor.com. Similarly, John L. Scott Real Estate released data that shows HomeAdvisor consistently delivers more than 14,000 leads to its agents each month, as opposed to just over 1,000 from Realtor.com.

“HomeAdvisor is a clear leader among real estate Web sites in providing brokers and agents with qualified leads from ready-to-buy consumers,”
said Ian Morris, group product manager for MSN HomeAdvisor.
“We’re thrilled to see the results pouring in from hundreds of brokers nationwide and look forward to helping even more agents and brokers leverage the full marketing potential of the Internet to expand their businesses.”

About MSN HomeAdvisor

MSN HomeAdvisor is the Internet’s most complete guide for finding homes and loans, combining Microsoft technology with services and expertise from some of the most trusted names in the real estate industry. It 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. HomeAdvisor has received numerous industry accolades, including the Inman Innovator Award as best residential real estate site, PC Magazine’s Top 100 Web site and Yahoo! Internet Life’s Best of the Best award. Part of the MSN network of Internet services, HomeAdvisor launched in July 1998 and is free on the World Wide Web at http://homeadvisor.MSN.com/ (connect-time charges may apply).

About MSN and Microsoft

MSN is the network of Internet services from Microsoft that helps people better organize the Web around what’s important to them. Located on the Web at MSN.com TM ( http://MSN.com/ ), the MSN network of Internet services helps people easily stay in touch with friends and colleagues, make smart and secure purchasing decisions, and get more done. MSN offers award-winning e-mail functionality; personal communications services; wireless services information; customizable access to news; popular sites for travel, investing, automotive services, shopping and more; an online community; a Web search engine and directories; and top-rated Internet access.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq
“MSFT”
) is the worldwide leader in software for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software – any time, any place and on any device.

Microsoft, MSN, HomeAdvisor and MSN.com are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.

Other product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.

Note to editors: If you are interested in viewing additional information on Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft Web page at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/ on Microsoft’s corporate information pages.

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