Market Digest

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

On the heels of integrating Google Maps Street View(TM) in 680 cities nationwide, RealEstate.com today announces several new search features created specifically to empower and to educate home shoppers browsing the site’s nearly two million listings.

Now, house hunters visiting RealEstate.com can get their fingers on neighborhood information for more than 22,000 cities nationwide while searching homes for sale online. When a home listing is displayed, a RealEstate.com visitor can browse local neighborhood information such as housing statistics and recent price trends, crime statistics, weather, demographic statistics such as average income levels and cost of living data, as well as average commute times specific to the area someone is searching.

For additional locality information, visitors can also narrow their home search and choose to view a neighborhood’s topography through all-new terrain maps. This aerial view, as well as new traffic pattern maps provided by Google Maps(TM), gives visitors a birds-eye view of a neighborhood’s landscape as well as typical traffic a new homeowner could expect to experience.

RealEstate.com Vice President of Product Excellence Greg Hanson says, “House hunters in today’s market are savvier than ever and demand detailed and current real estate information at their finger tips in seconds. Each of the new features we’ve added to RealEstate.com are very helpful individually but together, truly create an online real estate experience unlike any other Web site out there.”

The following enhancements, all designed to deliver a superior online home search experience, are now available for the nearly two million listings nationwide through RealEstate.com:

– Local Neighborhood Information — RealEstate.com provides several different and very important data points for house shoppers to consider when searching for a new home in more than 22,000 U.S. locations. Accessible community and neighborhood information like crime statistics and average price trends is data that will help house hunters make critical decisions when determining which new home is right for them. All available neighborhood data is easy-to-find and posted right below a home listing.

– Terrain and Traffic Mapping — Now on RealEstate.com, a visitor may look at topography and traffic maps for all available home listings. These new layers of mapping capabilities are easy-to-use and available in each map shown to the right of listings. A visitor can toggle over the icons included in the map and select either the terrain view or the traffic view for each for sale home listing.

– Narrow that Search — Unlike before, RealEstate.com visitors can dynamically narrow their search through several different filters. After search results are displayed, a visitor can then continue to narrow — or even expand again — their view without having to start the house shopping process all over again.

– Powerful Real Estate Listings Engine — RealEstate.com is powered by a dynamic real estate listings engine that contains current for sale homes throughout the nation. A constant stream of real estate listings data is updated to the RealEstate.com engine throughout the day ensuring visitors have a real-time view of what is on the market in the specific area they are searching.

– Google Maps Street View(TM) — As was recently announced, RealEstate.com now features Google Maps Street View(TM) for all available home listings. This feature provides visitors a drive-by snap shot of homes and a 360 degree tour of the streets and the neighborhoods where they are house shopping. Street View is currently offered in 40 metro areas. RealEstate.com offers its visitors Street View access to home listings in approximately 680 cities within those metros. Where Street View imagery is available, a visitor will alsosee a “Street View” link located below the listing information.

The new enhancements on RealEstate.com are the latest innovations in a series of tools and services created, tested and offered by the company. Founded in 2003, RealEstate.com has grown to become one of the largest national data providers in the online real estate arena, providing visitors a constant stream of current real estate listings updated 24-hours a day, home valuations, and helpful tips and tools all presented in one easy-to-use Web site.

For more information about RealEstate.com and to test drive some of its latest innovations, visit www.realestate.com .

About RealEstate.com

RealEstate.com gives consumers a better way to buy or sell a home through a comprehensive suite of real estate services, tools and helpful advice as they progress through their home buying or selling process. The site provides access to nearly 2 million home listings, 97 million home values and a unique deep-dive view into more than 22,000 cities across the US (100% US city coverage).

In addition to the RealEstate.com portal, the company operates five distinct business lines including RealEstate.com, REALTORS(R), a company-owned real estate brokerage that operates in 14 markets with more than 900 sales agents; a Broker Network, a strategic lead generation program for real estate brokers that provides them with incremental, targeted, and high-quality leads; iNest, a lead generator that specializes in newly-constructed homes and offers consumers an exclusive cash bonus program; Domania, a provider or innovative customer acquisition and retention products for banks, mortgage lenders and REALTORS(R); and also, a network of geo-targeted advertising opportunities throughout the RealEstate.com portal.

RealEstate.com is an operating company of IAC (NASDAQ:IACI) .

REALTOR(R) — A registered collective membership mark that identifies a real estate professional who is a member of the National Association of REALTORS(R) and subscribes to its strict Code of Ethics.

Google, Google Maps and Google Maps Street View are trademarks of Google Inc.

Source: RealEstate.com

Web site: http://www.lendingtree.com/