In its second real estate technology acquisition since July, eNeighborhoods has acquired WyldFyre Technologies from Homestore. The purchase price was $8.5 million in cash.
WyldFyre provides software that enables real estate professionals to access and manage multiple listing service data. It’s flagship product, WyldFyre Listings, enables realty brokers and agents to access MLS information and customize CMA and listing reports for their clients. WyldFyre Listings includes several add-on marketing modules such as CMAPro, BuyersTour and StreetMaps.
“Selling WyldFyre allows us to concentrate on our continuing, staged investment program in core media and advertising solutions for the real estate industry, including Realtor.com, HomeBuilder.com, RENTNET and Welcome Wagon, along with software that allows our real estate customers to manage relationships with their prospective and current customers more effectively,” said Mike Long, chief executive officer of Homestore.
The WyldFyre MLSAlliance product enables MLS organizations to expand access to listing inventory beyond traditional MLS boundaries. It provides MLS members with a single Web-based interface to multiple MLS databases, while maintaining each MLS provider’s control over its own data. Nearby MLS organizations can share data without having to merge their databases or their organizations.
The 25,000-member Southern California MLS, based in Anaheim, Calif., uses the MLSAlliance service, along with six other major MLSs in Southern California. “With MLSAlliance, our members have the advantage of using one service, one ID and password, to search listings throughout Orange County, Los Angeles, and the Inland Empire,” SoCal MLS CEO Russ Burgeron said.
Boca Raton, Fla.-based eNeighborhoods compiles and sells home and neighborhood information products. Real estate agents use the data to market their services by providing neighborhood reports that can be printed, sent by e-mail or posted on a Web site. ENeighborhoods’ parent company Siegent Inc., in May received an initial $5 million minority investment from Summit Partners, a private equity and venture capital firm. Siegent compiles U.S. home and neighborhood information. Siegent said it plans to use the funding to accelerate growth through a series of acquisitions.
The acquisition strengthens eNeighborhoods’ MLS connectivity and is another step in the company’s strategy to provide an integrated suite of marketing products and services. “The acquisition of WyldFyre continues our planned expansion, as we strive to increase and improve the level of services provided to our customers through both internal development and the acquisition of other great technologies,” eNeighborhoods CEO Stu Siegel said.
Silicon Valley, Calif.-based WyldFyre Technologies was founded in 1992.
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