MSN(r) HomeAdvisor(tm) (http://homeadvisor.com), a comprehensive Internet resource for home buying, selling and ownership, today announced it has grown to more than 1.5 million listings of homes available for sale to consumers nationwide. At the four-year anniversary of the site's launch, MSN HomeAdvisor is now one of only two sites with such comprehensive coverage across the country, giving consumers a single source for searching homes, and helping real estate agents promote their homes for sale to a growing base of buyers who use the Internet.

The Wall Street Journal recently reported that 70 percent of all consumers - up from 37 percent three years ago - begin their search for a home online. To better serve this group, MSN HomeAdvisor continues to extend its service offerings by building strategic relationships with the real estate industry's leading organizations.

The MSN HomeAdvisor 1.5 million listings milestone was made possible through hundreds of agreements with Realtor associations and multiple listing services (MLS), 74 of which are new real estate partners this year. These include numerous, formerly exclusive MLS organizations such as the Charleston Trident AOR, Charleston, S.C.; Realtors Association of Greater Miami and the beaches; and the Gulf Coast MLS in Mississippi. These three organizations together represent more than 18,750 Realtors.

"MSN HomeAdvisor has used its technical expertise and resources to build a powerful real estate site that enables us to display our available homes to potential buyers throughout our marketplace and across the country," said Lorraine Krohn, executive director of Mississippi Gulf Coast Multiple Listing Service Inc. "By using MSN HomeAdvisor as an advertising vehicle, real estate professionals can more efficiently use their marketing resources to generate more qualified leads."

"MSN HomeAdvisor continues to expand on its award-winning content and services to help consumers across the full spectrum of the home-buying and ownership life cycle," said Ryan Hamlin, general manager of MSN HomeAdvisor. "We will continue to introduce new products and features for consumers and work with our industry partners to provide the most comprehensive home-buying, selling and ownership experience on the Web."

MSN HomeAdvisor offers home-ownership features such as home improvement calculators, decorating ideas and design galleries to help consumers create and maintain their ideal home. New content includes home improvement advice, tips on healthy living and cooking basics. Consumers also can search thousands of recipes with detailed cooking directions in several different categories.

Published: July 30, 2002

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