RISMEDIA, Oct. 16, 2007-In a move to strengthen its competitive advantage in the online market, Prudential Real Estate Affiliates, Inc., a Prudential Financial, Inc. company, announced that its suite of proprietary technology products will now be under the Online Advantage umbrella. The Online Buyer AdvantageSM and Online Seller AdvantageSM tools allow Prudential Real Estate sales professionals to provide consumers with collaborative functionality and innovative online marketing capabilities to assist them in the home buying and selling process.
“Our Online Advantage helps our affiliates to capture a large share of consumers searching for real estate online, and it efficiently helps connect buyers with sellers through our advanced technology and exclusive online relationship,” said Laurie Keenan, president, Prudential Real Estate Affiliates, Inc. “No other real estate company offers this powerful combination of a proprietary lead generation and management tools, online buyer activity data and Yahoo! Real Estate to share on a local level.”
The online customer market has grown significantly this decade, as 80% of home buyers begin their search online, according to the National Association of Realtors®. Prudential Real Estate is known for being an innovator in technology usage, and remains committed to supporting members of the Network with new tools for team building, increased productivity and customer service. It was the first brokerage to achieve a certified online presence through the Realtor® Secure program from the National Association of Realtors.
The company describes the Online Buyer AdvantageSM (OBASM) as a proprietary system keenly focused on providing buyers a productive platform to collaborate with Prudential Real Estate sales professionals. Introduced in 2004, OBASM is presently used by millions of prospective buyers. It gives sales professionals and brokers powerful back office tools to efficiently manage online customers from contact to contract. OBASM connects more than 350 member companies of the Prudential Real Estate Network with buyers across the country, serving market areas in 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Online Seller AdvantageSM (OSASM) is an information and marketing tool that presents sellers with detailed online activity information about their specific property and their neighborhood and maximizes exposure for the seller’s property. Through an exclusive arrangement with Yahoo! Real Estate, OSASM brings together the two companies’ brand strength, marketing clout, and technological capabilities in advertising properties for sale.
“The Online Advantage product suite empowers consumers who are buying or selling a primary residence, a second home, or relocating to a new neighborhood,” said Russell Capper, president, Prudential Real Estate Services Co. “Prudential Real Estate is committed to providing consumers and real estate professionals with more innovative online choices, information, and control.”
Prudential Real Estate and Relocation Services is Prudential’s integrated real estate brokerage franchise and relocation services business. Prudential Real Estate franchises are independently owned and operated. Companies are selected based upon outstanding performance records, high levels of customer service and shared business values with those of Prudential. Prudential Real Estate provides franchises with business strategies using Operation Reviews as well as numerous benefits, including an exclusive marketing relationship with Yahoo! Real Estate, access to Prudential Real Estate’s Online Seller AdvantageSM program designed to provide real-time information to sellers with the touch of a keystroke, as well as the Prudential Military AdvantageSM program catering to both active and retired military personnel with specialized marketing tools to fit the needs of military families on the move. Prudential Real Estate is one of the largest real estate brokerage franchise networks in North America, with nearly 2,100 franchise offices and approximately 68,000 sales professionals in the franchise Network as of December 31, 2006.
For more information, visit www.prudential.com.
