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Allison Vail

Sr. Public Relations Manager,
RealEstate.com

Direct: 704-943-8339

Email: allison.vail@realestate.com

Recent Press for 2007*

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Local real estate firm bought

A local real estate firm specializing in big-ticket sales has evidently proven its worth to a national Web-based firm. Charlotte, N.C.-based RealEstate.com has purchased Distinctive Homes and Land, a former Windermere franchise. The sale, which closed last week, came to delight of the agency's broker, Nikki Mehalic-Halle...RealEstate.com, which is owned by LendingTree, has been working to establish operations in Tucson since January, when it opened its first local office, said John Dwyer, RealEstate.com market leader for Tucson. Dwyer said RealEstate.com was attracted to Distinctive Homes and Land's corporate culture and sales numbers. The agency focuses mainly on the upper end, which has not suffered much in the broader real estate slowdown.

Protect Yourself Amid the Mortgage Mess

It's a scary time to be shopping for a new home. Whom can you trust? When it comes to the meltdown in the mortgage industry, there's more blame flying around than there are mosquitoes on a Wisconsin lake....Tap into information by using services such as Zillow.com's home-value tools, IAC/InterActiveCorp's (Nasdaq: IACI) RealEstate.com, and Move's (Nasdaq: MOVE) various housing sites, including Realtor.com.

100 Most Influential Real Estate Leaders: 2007

Inman News has compiled a list of the 100 most influential people in real estate, reflecting the industry's best and brightest, as well as outside figures whose actions influence the home buying and selling business. The people on this list embrace leadership, innovation, ingenuity, power and persistence. ...IAC's Doug Lebda and RealEstate.com's Bret Violette were both included in this year's list.

Bypass Real Estate Agents and Save?

These days, many home buyers and sellers are tempted. The price of homes has soared over recent years, and buyers are feeling pinched when they check out what they can buy. Sometimes, they mull over the idea of going it alone. After all, you can go to any open houses on your own, and you can make an offer on any home on your own. Likewise, you can put out signs and sell your home on your own, too....And meanwhile, with or without an agent helping you, you might find some useful information at sites such as Zillow, Tullia.com, Move's (Nasdaq: MOVE) Realtor.com, IAC/InterActiveCorp's (Nasdaq: IACI) RealEstate.com, HouseValues (Nasdaq: SOLD), and ZipRealty (Nasdaq: ZIPR).

As the Zillow Turns

It's happening. Real estate site Zillow.com is morphing before your very eyes. It is making the transition from industry disruptor to enabler. Don't see it yet? Well, blink and you just might miss it. The spunky site has been around for a little more than a year. When it launched back in February of 2006, promising free and immediate residential real estate market value estimates, I grew immediately concerned for companies like HouseValues (Nasdaq: SOLD) that thrived on generating leads for real estate agents through a more cumbersome gimmick. I was right. Shares of HouseValues have plummeted by more than 67% since I wrote that article. Even if you argue that the real estate market is soft, other online real estate plays like Move (Nasdaq: MOVE) and RealEstate.com parent IAC (Nasdaq: IACI) are holding up a whole lot better.

One-size Web site does not fit all

A one-size-fits-all approach to online information may not suit all Web users, said Peter Horan, CEO of media and advertising for Barry Diller's InterActiveCorp. ...IAC, for example, acquired InsiderPages.com and will operate that site as a separate but parallel brand to Citysearch.com. Both sites offer business listings, ratings and reviews but will target different audiences. ...IAC also operates the Ask.com search site and local-search site Ask City, at http://city.ask.com, as well as numerous real estate-related brands including RealEstate.com, a portal that offers online lead-generation services for real estate professionals and company-owned real estate brokerage services for consumers. The company operates about 60 brands and had net income of about $192.6 million in 2006.

On second thought...

Most people have experienced buyer's remorse in some form, whether it's feeling guilty over the price paid for a new pair of shoes or a jab of regret after splurging on some unneeded tech gizmo. But when it comes to one of the most expensive purchases in a consumer's life, a home, feelings of remorse can be a lot more intense, easily rattling otherwise confident home buyers and causing them to second-guess what they liked about a house in the first place. Luckily, many local real estate markets today are buyer's markets; there's lots of inventory to look at and often ample time to negotiate on price, said Eric Cunliffe, senior vice president of RealEstate.com. Those factors greatly decrease the chances of buyers completely changing their minds -- and wishing they'd gone for a different house -- after the fact.

Oh, Great -- Another Financial Site?

Whether or not you believe there's a glut of personal finance sites online, two big companies seem to think there's room for one more. Dow Jones (NYSE: DJ) and IAC/InterActiveCorp (Nasdaq: IACI) are teaming up to create a new community-driven destination for investors, budgeters, and just about anyone weighing a financial decision. ...The unlikely, interlocking beauty of Dow Jones and IAC The pieces fit together a lot better than you may think. Consider these lesser-known IAC properties: - RealEstate.com: A suite of resources for home sellers and prospective buyers. - LendingTree: The popular lead-generating service for lenders. - HomeLoanCenter.com: Similar to Lending Tree, but with a mortgage focus. - Interval International: A timeshare exchange service with more than 1.8 million members.

Swanepoel Trends Report Recognizes RealEstate.com for its 'Online and On-The-Ground' Strategy

RealEstate.com has been named in the 2007 Swanepoel TRENDS Report as one of the Top 10 Trendsetters for 2006. Those considered for this list were named after the four-month study revealed each of the 10 had caused meaningful change and/or introduced dynamic new products during 2006. Referring to its "online and on-the-ground" strategy, RealEstate.com was recognized for integrating an online portal, lead generation system and a traditional real estate office, all under the RealEstate.com brand.

RealEstate.com doubles physical footprint, plans nationwide expansion

RealEstate.com, the real estate Web site owned by Barry Diller's IAC/InterActiveCorp, has doubled its physical presence by entering four more cities, putting the company in competition with traditional brokerages in what executives say is the start of a nationwide expansion.

Executives of the unit, which is a subsidiary of the IAC unit LendingTree LLC, hope the brokerages will help close more deals as the Web site drives potential buyers to the agents on the ground. In all, the company estimated it has 315 agents working as independent contractors.

"This links back to our overall strategy," said Tom Reddin, chief executive officer of IAC Financial Services and Real Estate. "Our strategy is online and on the ground online with a killer consumer proposition when they're at the dreaming stage or research, then also on the ground."

RealEstate.com announces new Web site, lead-generation tools

RealEstate.com, which is operated by LendingTree LLC, has announced a Web site redesign that is intended to enhance property searches, and also announced a new "warm transfer" lead-generation program that immediately connects online consumers with real estate agents via telephone. RealEstate.com has real estate brokerage operations and also operates an online lead-generate business for a network of real estate agents.

Student housing a good investment

The latest research is pointing directly to what may be the best real-estate investment opportunity for the remainder of the decade and perhaps beyond: student housing ...

"There's always a replenishable flow of tenants" with student housing, says Holly Slaughter, a consumer experience expert and research manager at RealEstate.com in Charlotte, N.C. Faculty and staff members are another good source of tenants, says Slaughter of RealEstate.com. "They're more stable, more responsible and they tend to stay longer."

6 Ways to Save on Your Home Projects

Holly Slaughter, consumer education expert with Charlotte-based RealEstate.com, says that consumers can save lots of money on repairs through simple preventive maintenance. By spending a little time and money on keeping a home's operating systems in order, owners can avoid shelling out the big money on complicated and expensive repairs, Slaughter said.

An example? By drafting a monthly maintenance plan for replacing the air filters throughout a home--including not only the residence's furnace, but its heat pump, dryer and, even, refrigerator--owners can lengthen the life span of these big-ticket appliances. "A few bucks on a filter could save hundreds on energy costs and possibly thousands on replacement costs," Slaughter said.

Recent Press for 2006*

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Give a Room a Crown

If you're not up for spending five figures on home renovations, consider a smaller fix, like decorative molding. While many new homes include at least some trim, others are left bare, with nary a window casing in sight. "Trim work can really add interest, depth, and sophistication to your house," says RealEstate.com's consumer expert Holly Slaughter, "and put money back in your pocket at resale."

Brokers Share Survival Strategies for Changing Times

In a climate of shrinking sales and growing inventories in many real estate markets across the country, RealEstate.com is building and growing its brokerage company business, said Bret Violette, senior vice president of the Western region for RealEstate.com's E-Brokerage Business. "It's actually a great time for us to be building our business," he said, as agents are looking for companies to provide them with tools that can help them to weather lean times. It can be difficult, for example, for individual real estate agents to secure effective lead generation and to build their own Web presence, he said.

"Immediate response is everything -- it's a ticket to get you into the game. I think the only way to treat the Internet consumer is the same as if they walked right into your office, the same as having them in your waiting room," said Violette.

Haunted Houses: Should You Be Scared of a Stigmatized Home?

If a seller is uncertain whether an unusual fact about the home is material, it might be a good idea to disclose it anyway, said Tom McLean, general counsel for RealEstate.com.

"The last thing you want is ... to end up in litigation down the road," he said. Buyers, however, should still ask for any details they'd like to know. "If you're a buyer, what you want to do is ask as many questions as you possibly can," McLean said. Even though many states have rules aimed at protecting the seller who hasn't disclosed certain details, laws don't give them permission to lie, he said.

Smart Remodeling Leads to Quick Sale of Florida Condo

Though it's tough to predict what each individual home seller will do, there definitely are decisions to make, says Holly Slaughter of RealEstate.com, a Lending Tree Inc. Web site for home sellers and buyers. "A seller has to reassess and ask himself, 'Should I renovate? Should I wait and hold onto it? Am I at a disadvantage?'" Slaughter said. "Today, that's more important than ever, especially when inventory has risen."

How to Make Your First Time a Charm

When you're interested in a house, don't just call the real estate agent listed on a for-sale sign or the agent hosting an open house. Those agents are obligated to get the highest price and best terms for the seller. Instead, ask friends for referrals or check Internet referral services such as ... RealEstate.com to find a buyers' agent or buyers' broker. They are usually paid out of the commission that has already been agreed to by the seller.

Buyer Be Aware - of Clout

In a buyer's market, who's in the driver's seat? That's easy. "The power is in the buyer's hands," said Holly Slaughter, consumer-experience expert at RealEstate.com. "Unless it's the Hope Diamond, everything is negotiable."

... As more houses hit the market, more savvy sellers are willing to throw in some goodies to get their houses sold. "Ask for the lawn furniture, the washer and dryer," Slaughter said, "but make sure you tell your real estate agent to get all of this in writing, because you want to make sure that what was promised is delivered."

Lower the Red Flags, Raise Your Buying Power

Jeff Lyons, general manager of RealEstate.com, says that knowing what to avoid when it comes time to negotiating with the seller is equally essential. "One of the worst things a buyer can do is get caught up in a heated, emotional battle over a home, as it can really drive up the price you might have been willing to pay," he says. "Knowing when to walk away can mean the difference between paying more than what a home is worth or more than you can afford."

RealEstate.com operates brokerages in four states

RealEstate.com, an online real estate portal that launched brick-and-mortar brokerage operations earlier this year, now has operations in Colorado, Oregon, Utah and Washington. ... RealEstate.com's brokerage offices offer to advertise sellers' properties in local and regional newspapers and magazine as well as at RealEstate.com and other Web sites, Bret Violette, senior vice president and general manager for the Western division of RealEstate.com's company-owned brokerage operations, said. For buyers, the company employs a customer service team "that will immediately respond to their inquiries, then pass them on to local RealEstate.com agents after initial contact."

State lifts ban on real estate rebates

RealEstate.com, which offers gift cards to consumers who transact with Realtors in its affiliate network, was pleased with the South Carolina decision. "By allowing real estate brokerages to offer incentives and rebates, both agents and consumers can have a competitive edge in negotiations - something that couldn't be more important in today's changing market," said Eric Cunliffe, senior vice president and general manager of the RealEstate.com Broker Network.

Don't Assume Anything

There are 1.3 million real estate agents in the U.S. Nine of 10 people buying a home use one, as agents have access to multiple listing services and know title insurance, escrow and disclosure procedures, which differ state to state. Make sure your agent will represent just you. Avoid situations in which buyer's and seller's agents work for the same firm -- dual agency can lead to conflicts. Ask friends to recommend agents, or search for one at RealEstate.com.

Beware False Housing Hopes

The Commerce Dept. said that starts of construction on privately owned housing units in May, adjusted for seasonal factors, rose 5% from their April level to an annual level of 1.96 million. That seemed to indicate that housing construction had touched bottom, or that it was at least trending down very gradually, with plenty of ups amid the downs. "The starts number is a good sign," says Jeff Lyons, general manager of RealEstate.com, a Web site for home buyers that is owned by the LendingTree unit of InterActiveCorp. (IACI)

Avoid The Buy Of The Storm

"Insurance companies will refuse to provide any type of insurance -- auto, commercial, homeowners, flood sic, anything. Since you can't close the transaction without insurance, buyers will have to wait out the potential storm, hope for the best and wait for insurance carriers to give the OK to move ahead," said Jeff Lyons, general manager with RealEstate.com, a LendingTree, Inc. service based in Charlotte, NC. "Even if the home didn't endure any damage, you should get a pre-sale inspection. With the amount of potential water damage that could have been sustained, sellers might find they have an unexpected problem with mold," said Lyons.

7 Deadly Sins of Remodeling

Homeowners can find plenty of information on which improvements will help boost the value of their houses. But significantly less attention is paid to what to avoid when remodeling your home, Holly Slaughter, consumer experience expert, said. "Knowing the positive as well as the negative will make you a more educated home seller and will give you an advantage and a leg up over other home sellers in your neighborhood ... When remodeling for resale, don't waste time with renovations that won't pay off. If you must have a pool, it helps to install a new patio, porch and alternative entry way, Slaughter said, but you still may have to lower your expectations on who will be interested in buying.

The Real-Estate-Broker Wars

Discount operators, which typically offer fewer services than traditional brokers, also are adding more amenities. Owners.com, an online marketplace for people selling their own homes, recently joined with RealEstate.com, a unit of IAC/Interactive Corp., to connect consumers with local real-estate agents willing to provide sellers with an estimate of their home's value at no charge.

RealEstate.com Studies "Bridging" Homeowners

Realestate.com calls the buyers and sellers who are crossing the bridge from one home to another "Bridgers." The site has looked into the emotional aspects of selling a home and buying another or buying a home while selling a previous home. The findings are interesting. Sixty-two percent of bridging homeowner respondents were successful dual-closers, meaning they were able to close on their existing home and move into their new home without a significant lapse in time. The remaining bridging homeowners were either homads -- those who sold their homes but had not yet closed on a new one -- or dual-owners, those who closed on a new home but had not yet sold their original home.

Realestate.com Boosts Services

Tom Reddin, chief executive of IAC's financial-services and real-estate arm, said RealEstate.com has begun offering brokerage services in Portland, Ore., and Denver in recent weeks. Within the next few weeks, he said, the services will be offered in Seattle and Salt Lake City. "If it's as successful as we think it will be, we'll expand" to more cities, Mr. Reddin said ... The plan is to attract consumers through IAC Web sites, including RealEstate.com, LendingTree.com and Domania.com. Mr. Reddin said the new service would differentiate itself from rivals by responding faster to customer inquiries and "showcasing" home listings on IAC Web sites.

RealEstate.com opens brokerages in West

RealEstate.com's Portland and Denver brokerage divisions offer full residential real estate services. For sellers, the company offers advertising in local and regional newspapers and magazines, RealEstate.com and other major Web sites ... according to a description on the Web site. For buyers, the company has a customer service team that will immediately respond to their inquiries, then pass them on to local RealEstate.com agents after initial contact.

Inflation report pushes up 30-year mortgage rate

We might have seen a hint of a slowdown on Tuesday, when the report on March housing starts came in ... "It wasn't a surprise and is no big deal," says Jeff Lyons, president of RealEstate.com. "It's still going to be an incredibly strong year," he says, adding that housing starts were stronger in the first three months of this year than they were in the first quarter of 2005, the record year. "It's going to take us a little time to work out of the heights of the last couple of years to a more sustainable level," Lyons says. Rising interest rates "make it a little tougher for people to buy homes, so things slow down a bit. "But he still expects 2006 to be the third-strongest year on record for housing starts, after 2005 and 2004.

Real Estate Brokers Are Racing For Shelter

Other companies are investing in technology ... Others are working with referral services such as newcomer Legacy or IAC/InterActiveCorp's RealEstate.com and LendingTree. These businesses take a split of agents' commissions and give consumers rebates or gift cards worth up to $2,000.

'For Sale' Signs Rise, Home Sellers Cut Prices as Fed Tightens

Housing markets around the nation are cooling, mostly as the result of the Federal Reserve's drive to push up interest rates. ... High-end properties and markets that had the biggest increases during the boom are cooling the most. "The markets that were the high flyers over the past couple of years have more adjusting to do," says Jeff Lyons, general manager of RealEstate.com, a consulting firm in Charlotte, North Carolina. "Entry-level buyers are still strong, while buyers looking to step up to bigger houses are becoming more cautious."

Curb appeal: How to help a house sell

The real estate market continues to slow, so it is critical for agents and sellers to focus on what will sell quickly, and for that ever-changing "right price." Put another way, if you live on a street with four houses for sale, how do you make yours stand out among the competition? A recent RealEstate.com survey of 500 sellers and 100 real estate agents across the country found both groups agreed that enhancing a lawn or landscape was the top priority for getting a house ready to sell. It boils down to first impressions.

Online home-hunting gets more sophisticated

Kim Gorsuch-Bradbury, senior vice president of networks at RealEstate.com, said research showed that as many as 80 percent of consumers begin their search for property online. "It's a logical place for consumers to search and educate themselves," she said. ... "The premium has shifted to agents being an expert on the area," said Gorsuch-Bradbury....

Manhattan Swept Up In Zillow's Midnight Ride

.RealEstate.com -- which links customers to local brokers, provides search tools, and assists in the mortgage process through the conglomerate's LendingTree brand -- is preparing to step into the brokerage business in some markets this year. ... Mr. Diller's RealEstate.com currently brings in revenue by having brokers bid for potential buyers who have signed up with a customer profile. The customer is given a choice of four brokers, and if the individual closes with the broker, they can receive a rebate of $2,000 or more.

5 tips for selling a home in a buyer's market

In many real estate markets during the last three years, sellers have wielded more power than buyers. That's still the case, but now buyers are choosier, homes are staying on the market longer, and prices aren't rising as quickly as they once did. ... "The big thing is you've got to accept what the market is, and make the most of it," says Jeff Lyons, general manager of RealEstate.com. ... He advises sellers not to expect an extension of the supersonic price appreciation that some markets saw in the last couple of years. ... Lyons adds: "You're going to want to prepare to be flexible."

Sales may ease nationally in 2006, but the Baltimore area's influx of people is likely to keep demand and prices up; No home bust in sight

Jeff Lyons, general manager of Realestate.com, believes that the Internet could become a more valuable tool as home sales slow. Many times in red-hot markets across the country, buyers were finding out about houses going up for sale before they were on the market. "It was very local and very relationship-based in those hot markets," Lyons said. "So as things balance out a little bit, I think the Internet is better able to help people."

Recent Press for 2005*

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House and Home Column

The winter holiday season is usually regarded as a hiatus in real estate circles, but some homeowners are rethinking that strategy. Although 60 percent of the home sales occur in the spring and summer, that still leaves 40 percent for low seasons. Mindy DuQuette, senior manager at RealEstate.com, said the right strategies can make off-season home sales a good time to make a deal. Low-season shoppers and sellers usually are highly motivated and not prone to drag out negotiations, DuQuette said.

Technology in a cooling real estate market

Tom Reddin, CEO of Real Estate at IAC Financial Services and Real Estate... shared insights about how consumers' and agents' use of technology and the Internet might change next year if the housing market indeed slows as many are predicting. ...Agents will need to be immediately available to respond to buyers who are interested in the property, Reddin said, pointing out contact management tools, PDAs and cell phones as technology devices agents can use to keep themselves close to the deal. Brokers too will want to think about implementing systems for handling consumer inquiries they get from the Internet.

Realtor discounts, rebates more common

Buyers and sellers are facing more choices than ever, thanks to the Internet, which has opened the door to discount brokers, flat-fee real estate programs, rebate offers - even $1,000 gift cards. ...Lending Tree.com and its subsidiary Realestate.com offer additional incentives to use their brokers. Customers who use agents listed with Realestate.com can receive gift cards to Home Depot and American Express valued up to $2,000 depending on the price of the home. ... A similar agreement with a handful of airlines partnering with Realestate.com allows buyers to rack up mileage for using agents who are in their network or their financing program.

RealEstate.com Reports Seller, Agent Survey Findings

Two recent surveys were commissioned by RealEstate.com of 500 sellers and 100 licensed practicing real estate agents examines the "critical elements involved in selling a home." While 44 percent of agents recommend that sellers start thinking about the homeselling process two to three months in advance before putting the home on the market, only 23 percent of sellers reported that they did so.

Real estate survey reveals seller, agent views
Schools, pricing are important factors in sales process

Most home sellers and real estate agents agree that the asking price of the home should be set at 5 percent to 10 percent above what the seller would actually accept, according to a survey commissioned by RealEstate.com.... "Selling a home can be an anxious and intense time for homeowners - and there aren't nearly as many resources available to today's home sellers as there are to home buyers," said Holly Slaughter, brand manager and consumer experience expert at RealEstate.com.

RealEstate.com launches filtering program for online leads

RealEstate.com consumer leads will enter into a filtering process before being delivered to real estate agents, the company said today. ... "Only 42 percent of the leads we receive will pass our four-point filtering process," said Andrew Taylor, general manager, RealEstate.com Agent Network. "Our Smart Touch Filtering process allows us to gauge the lead's initial value before it ever gets to the agent, so we know that we're only sending them the top-quality leads they want."

The Magic Touch

"The only people who think there is an easy fixer-upper out there are people who haven't done it before," said Jeff Lyons, general manager of consumer Web site RealEstate.com. "Finding a house that needs only a fresh coat of paint for 50 percent below market value is unrealistic." ... "The structural issues, things like the roof and plumbing, . . . are going to be the toughest to resolve and will give you the lowest return on your dollar". ...

Ky. real-estate agents begin battle of the perks

Bowing to pressure from the U.S. Justice Department, the Kentucky Real Estate Commission agreed in July to stop enforcing its ban on inducements and rebates that Realtors can offer consumers to win business. The Justice Department had sued the state in March, claiming the ban restricted competition and caused homebuyers to pay higher prices. ...RealEstate.com, meanwhile, extended its incentive programs to Kentucky residents about a month ago, said Mindy DuQuette, a spokeswoman for the Charlotte, N.C., company. ... DuQuette said 138 Kentucky Realtors are part of the network and that with the change in the law, 368 consumers who have deals pending are eligible to receive the company's incentives upon closing.

RealEstate.com to enter brokerage business

RealEstate.com, the online real estate portal owned by LendingTree, is planning to enter the real estate brokerage business in select markets during the first half of 2006, company officials said today. ... "We've generated a tremendous amount of pure Internet volume and the majority of brokers in our network are not as interested in that volume as they are the affinity business and LendingTree," Reddin said. "We see it as a market opportunity we can't ignore."

Rates rise yet again

For months, long-term mortgage rates fell even as the Federal Reserve was raising short-term interest rates. The Fed's chairman called the decline in long-term rates a "conundrum." ... If the job market continues to strengthen, expect mortgage rates to keep rising, says Jeff Lyons, general manager of RealEstate.com. He expects home sales to continue at a strong clip, and for the Fed to keep raising short-term rates. "What the long rates do if that plays out, they're probably going to continue to inch up," he says.

Setting the price right

"You need to be smart about it and make sure you take an objective view," said Mindy DuQuette, senior manager of corporate communications for Realestate.com. "It's not trickier to price a home now, you just need to make sure you do all the right things." ... She suggests homeowners do a comparative market analysis themselves, online. Realestate.com offers a quick "comp" that gives sellers a high and low range, then an option to fill out more information and request a Realtor to come out and do what she calls a "pre-appraisal" on the home.

Boom in second homes leading developers, residents into new areas

Across the country, previously unheralded communities are being transformed by a boom in second home purchases fueled by demographics, cheap loans and a real-estate market some believe is in a bubble. ... Three factors are driving the surge, said Jeff Lyons, general manager for the Charlotte-based Web site realestate.com: Aging, wealthy baby boomers approaching retirement age, heightened interest in real estate investing, and continued low interest rates.

Emotional joyride of buying a home

RealEstate.com conducted a survey of recent first-time home buyers because "we thought that by finding out what buyers were thinking, we could help them become more successful," said the Web site's Jeff Lyons. ... The most surprising finding, Lyons said, was to the question: What was the emotional high point of your first home-buying experience? The fact that "the closing is a higher point of the emotional experience for the majority of buyers than finding the right house or having the offer accepted was unexpected," he said.

First-time buyers' wild ride

First-time buyers go through a series of emotional highs and lows in the home-buying process, based on 11 key "satisfaction milestones" identified in research from RealEstate.com. Those milestones include everything from the initial dreams of homeownership and what that might entail to the harsh realities of home-inspection reports. ... "What's amazing in many ways is that completing the process is the absolute emotional high. You might have thought it was finding the right house or closing the deal. But that first night in the house, that was the real 'ah ha,'" said Holly Slaughter, senior marketing manager for RealEstate.com, who oversaw the study.

It's 'Jack be nimble' for homebuyers in this seller's market

In these days of multiple contracts and frenzied buying, sticking to the basics may be your best strategy in offering the winning bid, said Jeff Lyons, general manager of RealEstate.com. He said sellers are evaluating three things: the offer price, a sense of certainty the offer will go through and a willingness on the buyer's part that any special needs, such as a timely settlement date, will be met. ... "The key is to focus on the fundamentals," said Lyons. "You want to offer a competitive price and convince the seller the financing is in order. Also, you want to do anything you can do to reduce contingencies."

On the lookout for home sweet home

Whether you're dipping your toe in or ready to take the plunge, you want a home. How do you find it? More and more people are starting their search at home. According to a survey done by RealEstate.com, a Web site owned by home-financing company LendingTree, 40 percent of homeowners said they used the Internet to research listings at the beginning of their search.

Reward for buying home: flight to Hawaii; Loan Company Offers Miles to Consumers

About 170.2 million frequent-flier miles good on five major airlines were awarded last year to people who bought, sold or refinanced homes or took out a home-backed line of credit using online loan company LendingTree. ... LendingTree and RealEstate.com buy blocks of frequent-flier miles from the five participating airlines -- Delta, US Airways, Continental, United Airlines and Northwest Airlines. Consumers pay nothing extra to participate in the airline mileage awards program, LendingTree spokeswoman Mindy Neubauer said.

"So you want to be a real estate tycoon?"

What you should do before investing in real estate, according to Jeff Lyons, general manager of RealEstate.com [is] determine if you are committed to it. "This isn't something that is necessarily easy. You have to decide if you are ready and can keep up with your investment," Lyons said. ... "Identify the areas of town you are interested in. Learn about those markets, specifically in terms of home prices and what is going on with development around there."

Innovative builders, buyers get 'smart'

Developers and technology companies today have a lot of bright new ideas about so-called "smart homes." Statistics from the ALQ/Real Estate Intelligence Report from February show that 51 percent of builders said buyers are again starting to ask about smart home technology, although 31 percent thought the smart homes would not really catch on for a few more years. ... "Builders are laying the groundwork for these smart homes for a reason," he says. "More recently, buyers are citing innovation as one of the top desires in a new home. The idea of the smart home is becoming more of the norm."

A LendingTree Site Aims to Help Home Buyers and Sellers...Click with an Agent

Now LendingTree is about to spend millions of dollars promoting Lebda's latest vision, a Web site that offers to match buyers and sellers with real estate agents. Just as LendingTree.com changed the way many Americans shop for loans, Lebda believes RealEstate.com can change the way they shop for homes. ... Both sites, he said, give power to the customer. LendingTree.com allows people to compare interest rates offered by several lenders. ... "We're really in the business of providing people with choice," said Lebda, who sold LendingTree to IAC/InterActiveCorp in 2003 but remained as CEO.

Are More Second Homes Investments?

"Homes (as investments) have done well in people's minds for two reasons, It's an asset to hold onto. You walk in with the expectation that you are going to be here, and that allows for appreciation and compounding to take affect," said Jeff Lyons, general manager, of RealEstate.com in Charlotte, NC. ... "Also you finance the purchase with leverage. If you get a 10 percent return (in appreciation) over a couple of years with 20 percent down that's a 50 percent return on your investment. Still, if it's an investment decision, you need to run the numbers and make good investment decisions," Lyons added.

RealEstate.com builds equity

Quite simply, RealEstate.com is intended to be the premier destination site online for real estate, says [IAC/InterActiveCorp Financial Services and Real Estate's President and COO Tom] Reddin. "It's consumer brand marketing strategy," says Reddin. "LendingTree is a great brand, but it stands for lending, and it's top of mind when consumers hear lending, but with RealEstate.com, we wanted a brand that stands for real estate. It's more intuitive."

Recent Press for 2004*

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Online Referrals for Home Sales Gain a Toehold

LendingTree, best known as a place to shop for mortgages, is one of the bigger sites trying to expand its agent-referral service. People who use an agent from a brokerage firm that participates in the LendingTree program can receive such rewards as a Home Depot gift card valued at as much as $2,000, depending on the price of the home. ... In next year's first quarter, LendingTree plans to put both offers, plus other home-shopping information, on an enhanced version of its RealEstate.com site.

LendingTree Beefs Up One-Stop Realty Spot

In its quest to build RealEstate.com as a comprehensive one-stop online destination for real estate consumers, LendingTree today added a new-homes construction piece to its offerings with the acquisition of iNest. "A large part of real estate in the U.S. is new home construction," Reddin said. The purchase of iNest is "another sign and step to our long-term commitment to the real estate space," he added.

A Tree Grows in the Real Estate Garden

"We know how to build the consumer relationships and maintain an extensive array of channels through which that business will flow," says Reddin. "Once we deliver the customer, our affiliated companies will then deliver the services to fulfill that customer's needs-whatever they may be. Through our affiliated partners we combine the very best in high-tech and high-touch service delivery." Expect to see ServiceMagic customers migrating to the LendingTree/RealEstate.com service offerings.

Responsive real estate agents rank high with consumers

Responsive real estate agents earn the most kudos from consumers, according to a survey conducted by RealEstate.com, an operating business of LendingTree Inc. The survey, which collected 702 responses from consumers who visited the Web site to find a real estate agent, found that 43 percent of consumers most appreciated that their real estate agent was "very responsive."

Barry Diller's Mea Culpa

"We're making big investments across our spectrum and have...ambitious goals for advancing everywhere," Diller wrote. Among the biggest chunks are those going into expanding IAC Travel into new markets and boosting the real estate business. IAC is building recently acquired RealEstate.com into a full-service competitor to Realtor.com and integrating the portal with IAC services like mortgage-shopping site LendingTree.com. ... THE REAL THING? ... Former Coca-Cola marketing executive Tom Reddin, the chief operating officer of LendingTree, has been put in charge of IAC's real-estate operations.

Brand Names Move Into Technology Space

Thomas Reddin, president and COO of LendingTree, believes the online portion of the real estate industry - those companies whose core product or service is exchanged on the Web - is still too new in its lifecycle. ... "That portion of the industry is very young, and therefore the opportunities for massive consolidation are limited," he said. However, Reddin believes online and offline companies will be less defined as separate entities and instead blend or consolidate together as the real estate industry evolves. He pointed to banks as an example of a sector in which most consumers use a combination of bricks and mortar, telephone and Internet-based service channels.

"Point. Click. En Garde!"

LendingTree has flourished as a mortgage referral service. The company, which Douglas R. Lebda founded in 1996 while he was in business school, generated 0.7 percent of all mortgages in the country last year. This year, it expects to have 1 percent of all mortgages. But its real estate referral service has not generated much consumer interest. Last year, LendingTree handled $1.7 billion worth of real estate transactions, earning $16 million in fees from brokers. ... Enter Mr. Diller and his big checkbook -- and bigger ambitions. ''No amount of big thinking I have ever done prepared me for how big they think at IAC,'' Mr. Lebda said, referring to InterActiveCorp.

Real Estate Book Partners with LendingTree

Network Communications, Inc.(NCI), parent company of TREB, has entered into an agreement with LendingTree to provide LendingTree.com and its new subsidiary Realestate.com with real estate listings, which will "soft launch" on February 5th, 2004. ... "It's a better consumer experience," says Reddin. "Most people will buy a home through a Realtor. Realtors are our partners."