Classified Ventures Launches HomeHunter.com

Classified Ventures will
launch
HomeHunter.com, a site designed to drive traffic, leads and sales to real
estate agents and brokers by combining advanced technology with the local-
market reach of newspapers and their Web sites.


Classified Ventures, the Internet services business formed by eight newspaper
companies, companies, is showcasing its new product at the National
Association of Realtors annual convention and trade show in Anaheim, CA. Under
the new program, participating affiliate sites will share a common technology
platform and the HomeHunter.com name.


Zip2 Corp., a provider of Internet platform
solutions for media companies, will supply HomeHunter.com’s underlying
technology. Affiliates will begin rolling out the distinctive real estate
platform in early 1999.


Select affiliates, including the Los Angeles Times,
Washington Post, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, and several Knight
Ridder
newspapers, among them the Miami Herald, Philadelphia
Inquirer
and San Jose
Mercury News
, will preview their sites at NAR this weekend.


“This strategic partnership represents a powerful vote of confidence and
recognition for our company and its solutions,” said Elon Musk, Zip2 founder
and executive vice president.


“Local newspapers and local real estate professionals have worked together for
generations to develop innovative, effective marketing solutions for local
home sellers and buyers,” said Bob Bellack, general manager of real estate for
Classified Ventures. “HomeHunter.com brings a powerful new dimension to this
proven partnership.”


“With their reach, strong local content, reputations for reliability, and
integrated print and online marketing power, our affiliates are uniquely able
to drive traffic to their real estate Web sites and the advertising and
listings of their real estate customers,” said Marc Kravitz, vice president of
HomeHunter.com.


Zip2’s real estate platform allows listings to be searched by multiple
criteria, from price to proximity, while mapping and direction features enable
consumers to get directions to open houses from any starting point.


Affiliates will decide for their markets–after discussions with local MLS
associations and brokers–how listings will be displayed, what categories of
information will be offered, and what types of decision-support tools to be
provided. HomeHunter.com also will provide a range of advertising services to
agents, offices and brokers to complement their other local marketing efforts.


Other resources on affiliate sites include mortgage and local school
information, community and neighborhood demographic, lifestyle, income and
transportation data, and insurance quote and credit report services.

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