The question of which realty site is #1 continues to simmer, as both Realtor.com and HomeAdvisor stake out opposing claims to the top spot.

First, HomeAdvisor -- which is owned by Microsoft and is part of the MSN network -- claimed the top prize by citing the latest numbers from MediaMetrix, a leading online traffic measuring service.

The Media Metrix numbers for March showed that HomeAdvisor had 3.6 million unique visitors during the month, followed by Realtor.com (3.3 million), the HomeStore sites (3.25 million), the Springstreet sites (1.85 million) and HomeGain. (1.1 million).

The Homestore sites include Homestore.com, Move.com (acquired from Cendant in March) and CompleteHome.com. The Springstreet sites include Springstreet.com, Rent.net, and SelfStorage.com.

But wait, says HomeStore, which operates Realtor.com, official site of the National Association of Realtors.

According to Nielsen/NetRatings, says HomeStore, Realtor.com had 4.87 million unique users in March, making it the #1 realty site.

Going further, HomeStore claims that the HomeAdvisor numbers are "misleading" and "overstated."

"Documented examples of practices that Homestore believes are misleading," says HomeStore, "include the mapping and attribution of 'non home and real estate specific' pages from MSN into the 'home and real estate' Microsoft HomeAdvisor web site by including the word "HomeAdvisor" in urls unrelated to the HomeAdvisor site.

Examples, says HomeStore, include:

• When a user clicks on "Classifieds" from the MSN homepage, that user is taken to a general page on classifieds that includes everything from personals to automobiles, yet that user is counted as a 'home and real estate' HomeAdvisor unique user.

• When users use the 'search' or 'imagery' functionality on Terraserver.com, Microsoft's satellite picture site, they are also counted as a 'home and real estate' HomeAdvisor unique user.

"As a result, says Homestore, it "believes that the unique user count, length of visit and total minutes of users on the Microsoft home and real estate website, HomeAdvisor.com, are overstated."

But HomeAdvisor offers a different view.

"The numbers according to Media Metrix, the standard measurement service for our industry, are clear," said Matt Heinz, product manager at HomeAdvisor.

"HomeAdvisor saw 3.6 million unique users last month, Realtor.com saw 3.3 and the HomeStore sites saw 3.25. This represents a tripling of HomeAdvisor traffic in the past six months. We're very proud of this accomplishment and what it means for the growing volume of customer leads generated for our real estate partners."

The Media Metrix data, said Heintz, "represents the same independent reporting that in February gave Realtor.com the slight edge in traffic. HomeAdvisor has and will continue to do everything possible to bring more value to our customers and partners by leveraging the more than 250 million consumers visiting MSN every month. This includes creating new and innovative features such as the use of satellite imagery that drive additional traffic to our partners. The fact that our traffic has tripled in the past 6 months and that we are now driving more than 5,000 leads a day to our real estate partners is a testament to the success of these efforts."

"We're not sure how this has become such a complicated issue," Heinz noted.

"The data from Media Metrix clearly showed that HomeAdvisor led the home and real estate category in terms of unique users for March, followed by Realtor.com and the HomeStore sites respectively. No matter how you slice it, HomeAdvisor was the most-visited home and real estate Web site according to Media Metrix for the month of March, and we are delighted with that validation of our award-winning content and tools.

"In the end, however, this comes down to the best user experience for consumers and the best value for partners," he said. "As is evidenced by our consecutive string of awards and reviews, as well as the thousands of customers leads from HomeAdvisor to real estate partners every day, we have succeeded on both fronts."

For more articles by Peter G. Miller, please press here.

Published: April 17, 2001

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Peter G. Miller, also known as OurBroker®, is the author of six real estate books -- including The Common-Sense Mortgage -- and is the original creator and host of America Online's Real Estate Center. Peter's weekly columns appear in more than 100 newspapers nationwide, he is also published in a variety of other media outlets and he is a frequent speaker at national events and conventions. Peter welcomes your questions, comments, and news releases via e-mail at .