Home buyers can soon find and finance their dream home over the Internet thanks to a new strategic alliance between the nation’s leading on-line mortgage provider and a top on-line property listing service. Intuit Inc. (NASDAQ: INTU) and Moore Corporation Limited (TSE, ME, NYSE: MCL) announced today that they will link two of the leading real estate-related Internet sites, QuickenMortgage and CyberHomes, to create a one-stop home-shopping experience for home buyers. The co-branded view will debut in conjunction with the second release of QuickenMortgage on March 31, 1998.
Benefits of the New Strategic Partnership
"Through this innovative relationship, consumers can now search for a new home without leaving the comfort of their current one," said Scott Cook, chairman and co-founder of Intuit. "In one shot, a consumer can research a home, find a realtor and shop and apply for a mortgage online."
Potential home buyers can access CyberHomes’ more than 500,000 home listings and sort listings by specific criteria, including location, price, and special amenities. Color photographs, interactive maps and direct contact information, including phone numbers for 250,000 real estate agents and brokers, can also be accessed on-line.
Consumers interested in purchasing or refinancing a mortgage can also receive personalized cost comparisons from 11 of the nation’s top lenders and submit mortgage applications online through QuickenMortgage.
"We view this as a win-win situation for consumers and Realtors," said Nino Tarantino, vice president and general manager of Internet services of Moore Data Management Services. "Consumers can find home purchasing services in one convenient place, and Realtors receive a magnitude of qualified leads for each home listing due to the increased traffic."
Each home listing includes the real estate agents’ name and a hyperlink to their e-mail address if they have one. A directory of real estate agents is also prominently featured for consumers’ perusal. "Our mission in working with QuickenMortgage is to connect qualified home buyers with agents," commented Tarantino.
Currently, Quicken.com enjoys more than 44 million page views per month, and Intuit expects that to increase substantially due to the recent announcement of a relationship with America Online.
The Logistics
Consumers visiting www.QuickenMortgage.com , the popular multi-lender mortgage site, or www.Quicken.com , the most comprehensive personal finance site, will access www.CyberHomes.com content through multiple links.
Similarly, consumers visiting www.CyberHomes.com will be able to link directly to the mortgage loan services provided on the www.QuickenMortgage.com site. The relationship creates a seamless one-stop home- and mortgage-shopping experience, regardless of the consumers’ entry point.
