Scripps Networks Digital has acquired Realogy Corp.’s OpenHouse.com — a Web site where homebuyers can find information about open houses — adding it to a suite of HGTV Web sites including FrontDoor.com that provide information through the homeownership lifecycle.
Realogy and its brands will maintain their association with OpenHouse.com through a continued marketing relationship with HGTV’s FrontDoor.com, which includes an online listings distribution agreement for all of Realogy’s property listings, Scripps said. Realogy Franchise Group was FrontDoor’s initial listings partner when Scripps launched the site in 2007 (see story).
OpenHouse.com helps homebuyers find open-house schedules and addresses, view home photos and details, and hundreds of thousands of virtual home tours, as they create an open-house touring schedule. Realogy opened up the site to brokers and agents outside of the Realogy brand in January 2008 (see story).
Scripps said FrontDoor.com is positioned to take the site’s online open-house marketing to a broader audience. Integration with FrontDoor’s 4 million listings and the expert knowledge and content from HGTV "will be a win for consumers and real estate professionals alike," said Vikki Neil, general manager of home brands for Scripps Networks Digital, in a press release.
In August, FrontDoor announced a listings distribution and content partnership with more than 250 newspaper Web sites around the country. That deal followed a similar partnership with Internet Broadcasting, announced in June, in which FrontDoor listings and "expert relevant content" are distributed to television station Web sites.
***
What’s your opinion? Leave your comments below or send a letter to the editor.
