Inman

HomeFinder.com expands online real estate search network

HomeFinder.com, a real estate search site owned by three media companies, has forged a partnership with GateHouse Media that will power the real estate search for an additional 250 websites, the company has announced.

HomeFinder.com, which is owned by Gannett Co. Inc., The McClatchy Co. and Tribune Co., will, as a result, power real estate searches for about 350 newspapers, and will provide access to 3.5 million national real estate listings displayed at HomeFinder.com.

GateHouse has about 494 community publications and 250 related websites that reach an estimated 10 million people per week. HomeFinder is a part of Classified Ventures, a media-owned venture that also operates Cars.com, Apartments.com and HomeGain.com, and attracts an estimated 16.4 million consumers per month.

As a part of the agreement, "(Several) of GateHouse’s larger markets will be charged with selling HomeFinder.com’s product set, (which) includes enhanced listings, locally targeted media placements and its newly launched single-property websites."

In August, HomeFinders.com began beta testing a new website-creation platform for individual properties that features a set of prebuilt templates, and pulls from MLS data and provides for automatic updates for any changes in the listing. The service costs $12 per month per website, with lower prices available for multiple single-property websites.

Earlier this month, HomeFinder.com announced an agreement with Century 21 that allows Century 21 real estate professionals some reduced costs to purchase enhanced listings on HomeFinder.com and its network of newspapers. Century 21 real estate professionals "will also have access to detailed online reporting to measure the effectiveness of their marketing spend with HomeFinder.com," according to the announcement, and the agreement also allows home shoppers "to directly reach out and connect with Century 21 professionals."