RISMEDIA, Nov. 13, 2007-Realogy Corporation, a global provider of real estate and relocation services, announced it has signed a multi-year agreement with eNeighborhoods® to deliver a national Internet Data Exchange (IDX) solution for its CENTURY 21®, Coldwell Banker®, and ERA® real estate brand Web sites. As a result of this agreement, consumers visiting these brand Web sites will be able to view all of the available MLS listings in a specific market, based upon their initial search criteria. eNeighborhoods, a division of Dominion Enterprises, is a provider of real estate-related home and neighborhood information.
“We continue to build upon an Internet marketing strategy that provides consumers easy access to the information they want, while supporting our affiliated brokerages with the customizable tools they need to be more successful,” said Alex Perriello, president and chief executive officer, Realogy Franchise Group. “Coupled with our proprietary LeadRouter system, the eNeighborhoods advanced IDX technology will provide our affiliated brokers and agents with a competitive advantage in their markets and also deliver an even better property search experience for consumers.”
The agreement calls for eNeighborhoods to display IDX listings in Realogy brand-customized views that conform to all applicable MLS standards. According to the company, this initiative will enable the vast majority of U.S. property listings to be searchable through each of the Realogy brand sites in the summer of 2008, including the future Web site of Realogy’s newest brand, Better Homes and Gardens Real EstateSM. In addition, each brand’s individual franchisees will have the opportunity to add customized individual IDX features on their local brokerage Web sites.
Realogy brand franchise affiliates that pair the new IDX solution with Realogy’s proprietary LeadRouter system will have a distinct competitive advantage in their local marketplaces. The LeadRouter system converts Internet-generated consumer inquiries into voice calls that are delivered to sales associates’ cell phones, allowing sales associates to respond to online consumer inquiries via telephone within minutes.
According to the company, Realogy’s residential real estate brands now collectively have more than 130,000 sales associates across the nation actively using the LeadRouter system. LeadRouter has helped Realogy’s affiliated agents respond immediately to more than 2.5 million consumer inquiries managed through the system since 2005. Industry surveys have shown that the majority of agent-assisted homebuyers used the first agent they interviewed and over 70 percent of home sellers contacted only one agent in determining who would assist them with their home sale.
“In addition to our brand brokers benefiting from our IDX solution, consumers will benefit as well from a usability standpoint,” said Craig Cuyar, Ph.D., chief information officer, Realogy Franchise Group. “All of the property listings will be displayed in a consistent and clear format, regardless of the listing source. Visitors to our brand Web sites will be able to find all the local market information they are looking for faster and easier. With the added benefit of our LeadRouter technology, visitors will be able to quickly contact one of our affiliated sales associates to secure professional guidance throughout the home buying process.”
For more information, visit www.realogy.com.
