Realtor.com
Industry | Real Estate |
---|---|
Founded | September 14, 1995[1] |
Website |
www |
Realtor.com is an online resource for home buyers, and sellers with a comprehensive database of for-sale properties and the information, tools and professional expertise to help people purchase a home. As the official site of the National Association of REALTORS, realtor.com pioneered the world of digital real estate 20 years ago, and today prides itself on making all things home simple, efficient and enjoyable. Realtor.com is operated by News Corp [NASDAQ: NWS, NWSA] [ASX: NWS, NWSLV] subsidiary Move, Inc. Realtor.com is operated by News Corp [NASDAQ: NWS, NWSA] [ASX: NWS, NWSLV] subsidiary Move, Inc. Realtor.com was founded on Sept. 14, 1995 with Move, Inc. taking over operations of the site on Nov. 26, 1996.
Website features
Leveraging relationships with 99 percent of multiple listing services (MLSs), realtor.com displays more than 1.7 million active, for-sale listings, which account for more than 97 percent of all MLS-listed for-sale properties. More than 90 percent of the listings are updated every 15 minutes.[3] Buyers and sellers can download the realtor.com mobile apps to access realtor.com on the go. Consumers can learn about local market statistics, national housing trends and more on the site’s data portal, and realtor.com’s News and Advice section features housing news and trends, tips for buyers and sellers, and advice for homeowners. Mortgage rate calculators and home affordability tools helpful to potential home buyers can also be found on realtor.com, including a “rent versus buy” comparability tool and an interactive mortgage rate widget that tracks statewide mortgage rates and terms, comparing them to the national average. Consumers can also learn about real estate agents through realtor.com’s Find a Realtor tool, including recent transaction history, certifications and designations, qualified ratings and reviews, and a map-based activity search. Realtor.com also features a growing rental property database, including photos, school and neighborhood information, and property history as well as search filters for property type (condo, apartment or house), rental price, pet policy and more.
House Talk
In February 2016, realtor.com announced the launch of House Talk™,[2] an online community created for the millions visiting the site to get answers to their home-related questions.
Celebrity Marketing Campaign
Realtor.com kicked off its marketing campaign with well-known actress Elizabeth Banks in May 2015[3] with its first commercial and new tagline, “Real estate in real time.” The commercial was directed through Uber Content by Fred Savage, actor and former star of The Wonder Years, and was a mainstream success.
Realtor.com extended its relationship with Elizabeth Banks with additional videos such as the five-episode digital video series “The Home Buying Process in Plain English.” The digital series was developed to give consumers practical and entertaining advice on the start-to-finish stages of the home buying process. The collection of webisodes have been viewed more than three million times since the launch.
In June 2016, realtor.com released a new tagline, “Dream Home. Own Home. Find Home,”and new set of commercials with Elizabeth Banks. Continuing her run as realtor.com's spokesperson, Elizabeth Banks drops in on people's dreams about their perfect homes to tell them they can make it a reality.
The new campaign also includes digital and social videos, including a five-part home buying series on YouTube.[4]
History
- In 1995, members of the NAR created realtor.com as “National Electronic Advertising Program,” then Real Property Ads (RPA) and later realtor.com. The initial website featured listings from the San Diego MLS, Sandicor.
- In November 1996, NAR Directors approved RealSelect (Homestore) as the operator/owner of the realtor.com domain.
- In April 1997, realtor.com and the NAR announced a partnership with USA Today Online to be featured in their classified section.
- In April 1997, realtor.com and NBC signed an agreement making realtor.com the exclusive real estate site in the NBC Interactive Neighborhood (NBC-IN).
- In 1999, Homestore went public.
- In October 2000, Homestore acquired Move.com.
- In January 2002, Homestore was sued in violation of the Securities Exchange Act by issuing misleading financial statements.
- In February 2006, Homestore changed its name to Move, Inc.
- In December 2007, Move signed a contract as the exclusive content distributor with online leader, MSN Real Estate.
- In January 2011, Move announced a partnership with AOL to power the AOL Real Estate experience.
- In November 2014, News Corp acquired Move, Inc.[5]
- In May 2015 Realtor.com revealed a new logo and national advertising campaign that positioned their brand as the best – and truest provider of real estate information and services for buyers, sellers and renters in the U.S.
Realtor.com mobile
- June 7, 2016 – Android 7.5 mobile core app release
- May 25, 2016 – iOS 9 core app release
- October 7, 2015 – iOS 9 “Express” home search app[6]
- September 10, 2014 - Find™ application for real estate professionals
- June 24, 2014 - Realtor.com and Bankrate™ mortgage application
- May 22, 2014 – Windows 8 application
- March 28, 2014 – iPad application solution
- May 15, 2013 – Rental application for iPhone and Android
- January 13, 2010 – iPhone application
- November 1, 2010 – Android application
- November 18, 2010 – Windows 7 application
- November 7, 2007 – Exclusive Realtor.com URL for iPhone
Recognition and awards
OMMA Awards
- 2015 "Use of Humor" category for "The Home-buying Process in Plain English with EB”[7]
W3 Awards
- 2015 Gold Award Winner: The Home-Buying Process in Plain English - Branded Content - Branded Content: Business to Consumer
- 2015 Gold Award Winner: The Home-Buying Process in - Video Features - Individual
Performance
- 2015 Silver Award Winner: The Home-Buying Process in - Online Video - Web Series
- 2015 Silver Award Winner: The Home-Buying Process in - Microsite - Real Estate
One Screen
- Winner for Branded Content for "The Home-buying Process in Plain English with Elizabeth Banks”
Ad Week
- 2015 Winner of Best Female Talent by Elizabeth Banks[8]
Webby Awards
- 2016 Winner for Online Film & Video Series[9]
- 2016 Winner – People’s Voice
- 2016 Winner for DIY / Home Improvement Video
DMA Echo Award 2001 150K Celebrity Remodel Featuring Kelly Emberg
Brand Film Festival
- 2016 Finalist to be featured at the festival[10]
SF Big Awards
- 2016 Brand of the Year
- 2016 Video Campaign of the Year
HousingWire Rising Stars™
- 2016 Rising Star – Chief Marketing Officer, Nate Johnson[11]
Controversy
Former CEO of Homestore, Stuart Wolff, was convicted of falsifying company books in 2006.[12] Wolff had 18 felony counts against him, including lying to the company’s accountants and auditor, filing false reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission and insider trading.
Wolff was one of four former Homestore executives to admit to wrongdoing in this revenue scheme. Wolff and others attempted to boost the price of Homestore stock, by engaging in “roundtrip transactions” which dramatically overstated revenues and assets. Homestore.com was not charged because of its honesty and cooperation with prosecutors.
Legal action against Zillow
On June 6, 2016, Zillow agreed to pay $130 million to Move[13] for a 2014 lawsuit in which Move alleged misappropriation of trade secrets after Errol Samuelson, former president and chief strategy officer of realtor.com, left to join Zillow as chief industry development officer.
Move and the National Association of Realtors sued Zillow and Samuelson in March 2014, later adding Curt Beardsley as a defendant.[14] Beardsley, former EVP of industry development at Move, along with Samuelson, were both accused of stealing trade secrets and destroying evidence.
Zillow said the allegations were without merit and argued in a counterclaim that the plaintiffs released Zillow’s confidential information and trade secrets due to the filing of a whistleblower letter in court, written by Chris Crocker, a former Zillow employee. The settlement agreement was reached with both parties agreeing to dismiss all claims and counterclaims with prejudice, and neither party admitting liability, wrongdoing, or responsibility by any of the parties.
See also
References
- ↑ realtor.com foundation
- ↑ realtor.com launches House Talk
- ↑ Ad of the Day: Elizabeth Banks Gets Comically Obsessed With Real Estate for Realtor.com
- ↑ The Home-Buying Process in Plain English with Elizabeth Banks
- ↑ News Corp. to buy parent of Realtor.com for $950 million
- ↑ Realtor.com® Launches New iOS9 "Express" Home Search App
- ↑ Winner of the 2015 "Use of Humor" cateogry
- ↑ Elizabeth Banks wins Ad Week 2015 Best Female Talent
- ↑ 2016 Webby Award for Online Film & Video Series
- ↑ 2016 Finalist at Brand Film Festival
- ↑ Chief Marketing Officer, Nate Johnson named 2016 Rising Star
- ↑ Wolff sentenced to 4.5 years in prison
- ↑ Zillow agreed to pay $130 million to Move
- ↑ Move inc sues former exec