New Online Real Estate Question and Answer Feature on Realtor.com
September 01 2009 - 11:15AM
PR Newswire (US)
Ask A REALTOR Gives San Francisco Bay 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 San Francisco Bay 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.
Danville, California native and San Francisco Bay Area Realtor,
Kevin R. Kieffer says, "Ask a Realtor is a great way for anyone to
ask questions about our real estate market and to connect with a
Realtor that has local experience and connections. I'm excited to
participate, and help people who might be contemplating a move or
just curious about San Francisco Bay Area real estate or housing
trends." 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 of
AccessPR, +1-415-844-6287, , for Realtor.com Web Site:
http://www.realtor.com/
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