Real Estate Media Holdings, LLC, a Lion Equity company, has broadened its investment in the real estate marketing space by adding Homes & Land, a leading real estate media brand, to its portfolio along with the additional brands Estates & Homes, Rental Guide and Home Guide. The group purchased NewPoint Media Group, publishers of The Real Estate Book, in June of 2012.
Both The Real Estate Book and Homes & Land publish local real estate magazines in hundreds of markets across the U.S., Canada, and the Caribbean through a network of independent business owners. In addition, both brands power high traffic consumer websites, RealEstateBook.com and HomesandLand.com with millions of homes listed for sale, as well as mobile, social, and direct mail marketing tools for real estate professionals.
“Real estate marketing, and specifically, locally distributed print advertising, is a very strong business model,” said Ari Silverman, co-founder and partner in Lion Equity Partners. “Reaching local buyers and sellers is paramount to an agent’s business and hyper local offline advertising does that very effectively. We’ve experienced this with The Real Estate Book and feel that adding Homes & Land will strengthen our investment in the industry and further build the return to our investors.”
A recent study conducted by Borrell Associates on the marketing spending habits of agents, brokers, and builders indicates that they have not abandoned their commitment to local print as part of an integrated marketing strategy. In fact, the forecast suggests spending will increase. The category represents nearly 650 million in spending and is expected to continue to grow 8% over the next 5 years.
“Many would have you believe consumers shop for homes exclusively using the web,” said Scott Dixon, President of NewPoint Media Group, publishers of The Real Estate Book. “Our experience is that when a consumer is in the zone, in terms of shopping for a home, any and all information regarding the most important financial investment in their lives is deemed relevant and useful. Local real estate magazines offer a useful reference point for shoppers and a way for top real estate agents to distinguish themselves from others in the market who rely solely on their company’s website and Zillow or Trulia.”
“Zillow and Trulia, who announced their consolidation earlier this week have effectively become a public MLS system, while our offering is targeted to showcase those premier agents who offer their clients marketing services above and beyond simple web exposure,” Dixon added.
Homes & Land and The Real Estate Book are the tools top agents use to stand out in their local market,” added Allen Harrod, President of Homes & Land. “A website does not sit on the coffee table like a high quality magazine. When searching for their most valuable asset, consumers demonstrate a higher level of credibility and confidence in an agent who also advertises in print. They realize that this agent is a professional who makes a conscious decision to invest in quality advertising, a step above just anyone who puts their photo and phone number online.”
Jim Levitas, co-founder and partner in Lion Equity Partners summed up their commitment to each brand. “Both Homes and Land and The Real Estate Book have been in business for over 30 years, and while, they, like most media, took hits during the downturn, it’s been exciting to watch the steady return of advertisers to this highly relevant media.”
“These brands have been and will remain wise investments for their advertisers, independent business owners, and for us,” Levitas said. “We knew the opportunity to combine both under one holding company would benefit all. Both management teams are leaders in the industry and we’re excited about the future.”
For more information about these companies, visit www.lionequity.com, HomesAndLand.com and NewPointMediaGroup.com.
