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Yahoo!(R) Inc. (Nasdaq:YHOO), a leading global Internet company, today announced an extensively revamped site which combines access to one of the industry's most comprehensive databases of real estate listings with a new set of tools and services that provide everything home seekers need to buy, sell or rent a home accessible through Yahoo! Real Estate (http://realestate.yahoo.com).Yahoo! Real Estate combines access to more than 3 million homes with easy-to-use tools such as interactive maps, access to millions of instant home valuations through www.zillow.com, mortgage tools with access to local market rates and more. Tightly integrated with Yahoo!'s powerful search and maps technology, Yahoo! Real Estate gives users all the information they need to find the ideal home, and even an agent and financing -- all in one easy to navigate Web site.
"Finding a home is one of the most important -- and often most expensive -- buying decisions a person makes in life. We've found that house hunters are most interested in prices, proximity to schools and restaurants, financing options and home values," said Andrew Braccia, Vice President of Search and Marketplace, Yahoo!. "By integrating our leading maps, local and search products into Yahoo! Real Estate, we are giving home seekers fast and easy access to the comprehensive information they need to make the right buying or renting decision."
Yahoo! Real Estate has integrated maps and local community information to transform the online buying and renting experience online. With house hunters spending an average of 8 weeks(1) researching homes before making a purchasing decision, they are hungry for information about their soon-to-be surroundings. Yahoo! Real Estate has added maps with satellite imagery so house hunters can easily see where homes for sale or rentals are located and their proximity to roads and other landmarks. Integration with Yahoo! Local allows users to also see "inside information" about their potential new neighborhood such as the location of parks, schools, restaurants and read reviews written by other Yahoo! users. Users can also see a market snapshot of each community with average house prices, and historical price trends. Local mortgage interest rates and trends can be accessed on feature-rich graphs so users can make more informed financing decisions. In addition, links to Yahoo! Answers allow users to post specific questions about a neighborhood, mortgage rate or rental, and access a living repository made up of real life experience, advice and opinion.
When beginning a home search, 77 percent(2) of all home seekers use the Internet to find everything from listings, financing options and home values. To improve the search experience, Yahoo! Search has created new shortcuts that make it fast and easy to find real estate information. Examples include:
-- Listings Shortcut: Go to Yahoo! Search and type "Chicago real estate" and it will return links to Chicago listings based on 3 different price ranges.
-- Mortgage Rate Shortcut: Go to Yahoo! Search and type "Miami mortgage rates" and quickly see the latest regional mortgage rates directly in search results
-- Home Values Shortcut: Go to Yahoo! Search and type "Home Values" and users can easily enter an address for an instant home valuation.
-- Prudential Home Listing: Through an agreement with Prudential Real Estate, home seekers can even search for details on a home they see offline, by searching the "Pru ID" found on a home's for sale sign.
Yahoo! Real Estate provides a complete set of tools and access to comprehensive listings including MLS properties in partnership with Prudential Real Estate, classifieds, apartment rentals, for sale by owner, foreclosures, and new home listings. Yahoo! users can easily access this information by visiting http://realestate.yahoo.com or by utilizing Yahoo! Search or other Yahoo! properties such as Finance, HotJobs, and the Yahoo! home page.
(1) 2005 National Association of Realtors(R) Profile of Home Buyers & Sellers
(2) 2005 National Association of Realtors(R) Profile of Home Buyers & Sellers
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