Realtor.com operator and REA Group launch global property network

Realtor.com operator Move and REA Group — which operates listing portals in 11 countries — have launched what their parent company, News Corp., says is the “world’s largest source of global property listings.”

The network, hailed by Move CEO Ryan O’Hara as an “important step forward in the evolution of real estate,” offers users of the participating property search sites access to 3 million listings in 56 countries, according to News Corp.

It shows how the news giant can leverage the synergies between its many property search sites into something greater than the sum of their parts.

A screencap of the new site.

The network will generate 200 million visits globally every month and will later come to include content from News Corp.’s Mansion Global and India-based PropTiger, as well as other partner sites.

“With more global properties than any other source, it’s a capability that no competitor can match,” said News Corp. CEO Robert Thompson in a statement about the property network.

“We are creating a whole new world of property for consumers, and premium audiences on a global scale for advertisers.”

REA Group operates listing portals in:

• Australia
• Italy
• Luxembourg
• Germany
• France
• Malaysia
• Singapore
• Hong Kong
• Macau
• Indonesia
• Thailand

The network expands the coverage of realtor.com’s international section, realtor.com/international, from listings — which are presented in multiple languages and currencies — to 56 countries from 46.

It also beefs up realtor.com’s coverage in some markets previously searchable on realtor.com/international. In Como, Italy, for example, realtor.com/international’s property count has jumped from “a handful” to more than 400 listings, Move spokeswoman Christia Farrell said in an email.

Brokers who list properties sites part of the network can advertise those properties “with a single action” across the network, Farrell said.

Those Realtors “who wish to take full advantage” of the reach of the network may syndicate their listings through ListHub, Move’s listing syndication platform, Farrell said.

Brokers who subscribe to ListHub’s reports, she added, will be able to access traffic and lead data on the international exposure of their listings generated by the network.

Realtor.com is currently piloting a version of its international section with listings from the network. It can be accessed at http://internationalbeta.realtor.com/ or by visiting realtor.com/international and clicking the “beta” button at the top.

The full launch of the new international section is slated for this winter, Farrell said.

Email Teke Wiggin