Real estate franchise giant Realogy Corp. today launched a Web site that aims to feature thousands of open houses held by agents and brokers of all the corporation’s affiliated brands, including Century 21, Coldwell Banker, ERA and Sotheby’s International Realty. The site will also include open house information for those held by Realogy’s company-owned brokerages operated by NRT Inc.
OpenHouse.com promises more exposure for open house listings, allowing prospective buyers to view open house schedules for multiple brokerages, request more information or schedule private showings, print route planners and maps, and sign up for e-mail alerts about future open house events.
Realogy’s broker and sales associate networks include about 315,000 members and about 650,000 residential real estate listings throughout the country.
OpenHouse.com was in a pilot phase earlier this year, according to a company announcement, and the number of open house listings posted at the site has jumped from several hundred to more than 20,000 on a typical weekend.
The site also has grown its audience about 80 percent in the last two months, the company said, and site visits have climbed 25 percent since January. Realogy said it plans a consumer-facing marketing campaign later this year.
“OpenHouse.com is a part of our larger listings distribution and Internet marketing strategy,” said Alex Perriello, president and CEO of the Realogy Franchise Group. “The site provides valuable information directly to the online consumer that is based on their specific wants and needs, all while driving incremental leads and Web traffic to our affiliated brand networks as a result of direct consumer information requests.”
The company plans to enhance the site with Web 2.0 technologies that tap into search and social book-marking, rich media, user-generated content and social networking technologies in the next few months, according to the announcement. The company also said it will consider partnerships with content providers as it looks to expand the site’s coverage.
Realogy Corp. is owned by an affiliate of Apollo Management LP, a private equity and capital markets investor.
