New Online Real Estate Question and Answer Feature on Realtor.com
September 01 2009 - 9:15AM
PR Newswire (US)
Ask A REALTOR Gives Chicago-Area Sellers, Buyers Direct One-Click
Access to Realtors With Answers On Local Real Estate LOS ANGELES,
Sept. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Ask a Realtor, a new online question and
answer feature recently launched by Realtor.com, offers homeowners,
sellers and buyers answers to real estate questions from
Chicago-area Realtors who know and understand the local market.
This free online feature is now available on the Realtor.com Blogs
homepage at http://www.realtor.com/blogs. Through Ask a Realtor,
visitors to the Realtor.com Blogs site can now ask questions
free-of-charge and anonymously that will be answered only by
licensed real estate professionals. Questions can be on any real
estate-related topic ranging from local market trends, mortgages
and home values to buying, selling, home inspections and more.
Questions will be forwarded to a local Realtor or to one that
specializes in the area of expertise most relevant to each
question. Most participating Realtors in the Ask a Realtor program
are active members of the Realtor.com Blogs community. Answers are
emailed directly to the consumer by a Realtor.com moderator, and
some are posted on the homepage of Realtor.com Blogs for everyone
to read and enjoy. In addition, all questions and answers are
archived on the Realtor.com Blogs site, listed chronologically and
by subject, for future reference in an easily accessible
knowledgebase so other visitors can benefit from the professional
expertise. While questions can be posed anonymously, visitors to
the blogs can also request a personal follow-up by the responding
Realtor, thereby establishing a relationship with a local real
estate professional at any stage in the decision-making process.
"Ask a Realtor creates an informal yet highly informative, free
service for anyone interested in or involved in real estate," said
Realtor.com President Errol Samuelson. "Because homeownership is
often one of the biggest investments consumers make in their lives,
Ask a Realtor was developed to help people navigate real estate,
establish relationships with local Realtors, and as a convenient
method to ask questions that'll be answered by licensed
professionals with hands-on experience in the local market. We look
forward to helping millions of people become better informed as
they engage with real experts offering real estate answers through
Ask a Realtor." Samuelson continues by explaining that
Realtor.com's approach differs from comparable online sites in
which anyone can attempt to answer a real estate question. "By
design, the answers published on Ask a Realtor will come only from
active members of the National Association of REALTORS ,
professionals with real estate expertise adhering to a strict code
of ethics and conduct," said Samuelson. "That combination of local
knowledge and professionalism sets Ask a Realtor apart." Typically,
Realtors have approximately 10 years of professional real estate
experience, while brokers have 25 years of professional real estate
experience.(1) Ask a Realtor also provides an additional solution
for Realtors to showcase their skills and market their brands on
both the local and national levels to buyers and sellers that don't
already have a relationship with a Realtor. Chicago-area Realtor
and Ryan Hill Realty agent, Tony Lazzari says, "Often when people
are searching for a home, they want to talk to an expert in the
area but don't always know a local real estate professional. With
Ask a Realtor, they'll have a local expert at their fingertips.
Having served the Chicago area for the last decade, I'm excited to
be part of this network that helps people learn about real estate."
ABOUT REALTOR.COM Realtor.com , where the world shops for real
estate online, is operated by Move, Inc., (NASDAQ:MOVE) and is the
official Web site of the National Association of REALTORS . Ranked
as the #1 homes-for-sale site, Realtor.com currently offers
potential home buyers access to over four million property
listings, as well as the most brokers and agents. It also provides
REALTORS and the home sellers they represent with the Internet's
largest real estate marketplace, reaching more than 8.3 million(1)
consumers in June 2009. Agents and companies have the power to
customize Realtor.com resources to maximize their brand and
productivity. REALTOR and Realtor.com are registered trademarks of
the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS . REALTOR is a federally
registered collective membership mark, which identifies a real
estate professional who is a Member of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF
REALTORS and subscribes to its strict Code of Ethics. All other
trademarks appearing above are the property of Move, Inc., or of
their other respective owners. [1] 2009 NAR Member Profile [2]
comScore Media Metrix, July 2009 This press release may contain
forward-looking statements, including information about
management's view of Move's future expectations, plans and
prospects, within the safe harbor provisions under The Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements involve
known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may
cause the results of Move, its subsidiaries, divisions and concepts
to be materially different than those expressed or implied in such
statements. These risk factors and others are included from time to
time in documents Move files with the Securities and Exchange
Commission, including but not limited to, its Form 10-Ks, Form
10-Qs and Form 8-Ks. Other unknown or unpredictable factors also
could have material adverse effects on Move's future results. The
forward-looking statements included in this press release are made
only as of the date hereof. Move cannot guarantee future results,
levels of activity, performance or achievements. Accordingly, you
should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking
statements. Finally, Move expressly disclaims any intent or
obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect
subsequent events or circumstances. DATASOURCE: Realtor.com
CONTACT: Julie Reynolds, +1-805-557-3080, , or Pierre Kacsinta,
+1-805-557-3128, , both of Move/Realtor.com; or Victor White,
AccessPR, +1-415-844-6287, Web Site: http://www.realtor.com/
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