Microsoft’sMSN HomeAdvisor service has re-upped its deal with Builder Homesite Inc. (BHI), a consortium of U.S. home builders and operator of NewHomeSource.com.
The deal (financial arrangements were not disclosed) gives visitors to MSN HomeAdvisor (which claims six million visitors a month) access to BHI’s listings of new homes by builder or community. Visitors can sort through home listings by square footage, number of bedrooms, price or date available.
BHI said its consortium of U.S. builders sold 225,000 homes in 2001, representing more than $46 billion in gross revenue.
MSN HomeAdvisor, launched in 1998, offers a variety of new-home-buying tools, including virtual tours, finance calculators and neighborhood information. The operation says traffic has surged 38 percent in recent months as a result of record new-home sales figures and the increase in home refinancing due to lower mortgage rates.
BHI was founded in Austin, Texas in 2000 by a consortium of 31 of the nation’s largest homebuilders. It also has marketing deals with eBay, various newspaper Web sites, Realtor Web sites, CitySearch and Yahoo!.