PARSIPPANY, N.J. and LOS ANGELES (May 6, 2009) — Century 21 Real Estate LLC, the franchisor of the world’s largest residential real estate sales organization, and REALTOR.com®, the #1 homes-for-sale site, are pleased to announce an industry leading alliance to showcase every CENTURY 21® listed property on Realtor.com. The CENTURY 21 program, aptly named the "Gold Standard Partnership," provides every CENTURY 21 broker with visibility for their listings on the nation’s most visited real estate Web site 365 days a year. The CENTURY 21 System is the only national real estate franchise to provide this significant online exposure to its System members.
The Gold Standard Partnership provides tremendous value to both buyers and sellers who work with CENTURY 21 brokers and agents. Century 21 Real Estate LLC has subsidized the cost of the program for every CENTURY 21 franchise owner. The Showcase Listing Enhancement offering includes:
"Through this powerful alliance with REALTOR.com, we are demonstrating our commitment to deliver enhanced value to consumers through our brokers and agents and online advertising," said Bev Thorne, senior vice president of marketing, Century 21 Real Estate LLC. "This underscores our transition from national television advertising to national online advertising. Our business results confirm that we are generating 20 percent more leads for our agents via online advertising. The Gold Standard Partnership is part of our ongoing efforts to position our System members with a competitive advantage that enables them to deliver unparalleled value to consumers."
According to the National Association of Realtors®, 87% of buyers begin their home search on the Internet while only 3% of home buyers found their home through other forms of advertising.[1]
As a result of this online marketing alliance, CENTURY 21 brokers and agents now have ongoing access to the many marketing benefits offered by Realtor.com to generate buyer interest and provide maximum exposure for home sellers.
"Realtor.com delivers maximum listing exposure to potential buyers and sellers at all stages of the home ownership cycle," said, Matthew Moore, head of sales and marketing at Realtor.com. "Through this new marketing program, we enable more opportunities for local CENTURY 21 professionals to get in front of the largest audience of prospective clients, increase their pipeline of inquiries, and ultimately help more satisfied home buyers and sellers."
Moore said that the new agreement is significant because it showcases CENTURY 21 listings on Realtor.com by prominently featuring them on a highly visible "virtual store shelf," giving local CENTURY 21 brokers and agents a powerful online marketing presence.
[1] National Association of REALTORS® 2009 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers
[2] comScore Media Metrix, March 2009
Media Contacts:
Matt Gentile, CENTURY 21 Real Estate LLC
973.407.6102
Matt.Gentile@Century21.com
Julie Reynolds, Move, Inc
805.557.3080 or 818.264.5594
Julie.reynolds@move.com