RISMEDIA, Nov. 17, 2008-Yahoo! Real Estate announced that more than 140 franchisors, brokers, multiple listings services (MLSs) and other listing services now participate in its listing syndication program. The program allows participants to market property listings to millions of online home buyers for free. According to the company, the listings syndication program, along with several new product initiatives and upgrades, has helped Yahoo! Real Estate become one of the top real estate websites with 5.1 million unique visitors in September, according to comScore Media Metrix.
“Yahoo! is a brand that consumers trust to provide unbiased information with no sales pressure,” said Steve Schultz, senior director of Yahoo! Real Estate. “Yahoo! Real Estate is committed to working closely with the industry to promote an open exchange of real estate listings information and to provide brokers, MLSs and agents with the greatest opportunity to attract home buyers to their listings.”
Yahoo! Real Estate’s up-to-date listings database includes more than 4 million properties. Recent additions to the program consist of dozens of new brokers, including Alain Pinel Realtors, Baird & Warner, Counselor Realty.com, Edina Realty, Edward Surovell Realtors, F. C. Tucker Company, Inc., Long Realty Company, Patterson-Schwartz Real Estate, Real Estate One, RE/MAX Unlimited of greater Cincinnati, and Watson Realty Corp. In addition, Yahoo! Real Estate accepts listings from MLSs, including San Antonio MLS, Georgia MLS and SoCal MLS.
According to a recent study in Northern Nevada published by Threewide/ListHub, Yahoo! Real Estate was the #1 source of consumer traffic and leads for listings syndicated online. The study compared over 20 leading real estate search websites and found that Yahoo! Real Estate traffic produced 32% of consumer “clicks” and 40% of leads for approximately 8,700 listings distributed by the broker members of Northern Nevada Regional MLS (NNRMLS).
Luke Glass, president of Threewide Corporation noted, “In almost every region, our data shows Yahoo! among the top sites in bringing direct measurable value to our broker customers. With its newest enhancements, Yahoo is positioned to continue providing industry leading results.”
Yahoo! Real Estate recently launched three key product initiatives, which enhance the experience for users, partners, and advertisers. First, it launched support for an industry wide listings syndication standard. With this standard, real estate brokers, MLSs, and other listing services can distribute their listings data in one common format across multiple sites, making it easier and more cost effective to get critical information to consumers.
Second, Yahoo! Real Estate launched a new listings search experience that features improved listings navigation, larger property photos and a richer visual experience. The new listings search experience is currently available in beta and can be found at http://beta.realestate.yahoo.com.
And third, Yahoo! Real Estate extended its partnership with Homes & Land, who will now sell featured listings on Yahoo! Real Estate. Featured listings allow agents to promote specific homes at the top of the property search results. Premium positions ensure listings are noticed first by Yahoo! users, leading to greater exposure and ultimately more leads.
For more information, visit www.realestate.yahoo.com.
