Industrial News

Garrick Newman, founder of TheHomeHunter.com launched the original version of the site in 2002, with the intention of offering his own listings Internet exposure and home- buyers an easy, searchable database to find properties that fit their specific criteria. It was one of the first websites on the Gulf Coast of Florida to allow the public to access the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) -- the Real Estate industry's most protected database of agent-listed property.

"As you could imagine, we became quite popular with both home sellers and home buyers," Newman said. "After five years of branding the site locally and out of state through TV, radio, newspapers, billboards and magazines, we were bursting at the seams and ready to offer our site and our web traffic to everybody."

TheHomeHunter.com has no affiliation with any Real Estate or "by owner" company and uses the same logo with the new tag "Florida's Real Estate Classifieds Online-You Place The Ad, We Show The World". It now offers any seller, by owner or by agent, a place to advertise their homes, condos, land and rentals for a nominal fee of $9.95 a month ($14.95 for a featured spot). There are no distracting banner advertisers or pop-ups and the contact information is that of the owner or agent.

"We are not a referral site which means potential buyers can search free without inputting any of their personal information," Newman adds. "One of the biggest problems with the now dozens of free Real Estate sites that have diluted the web, is that they take listings from the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) and then turn around and charge other agents a fee to receive the leads." "As Realtors, we thought these sites offered great Internet exposure for our listings, but this practice has all but eliminated the original listing agents' contact information and has forced truly interested buyers to either click away or even worse, into the hands of other competing agents with their own listings to sell."

The new site will continue to be marketed in print and other media, out of state to attract potential buyers directly, but will soon add the UK, Europe and Canada to the mix.

"We've done our homework and are very excited about our overseas campaign- We hope that we will fill the need for Florida sellers wanting to get their property seen by these overseas investors," Newman said. "We will continue to follow the weak dollar and moving trends, marketing wherever we see a potential for Florida buyers- it's what we have been doing for years and now hope to spread our success to others."

TheHomeHunter.com has launched its test market in four Gulf Coast Florida counties: Manatee, Sarasota, Hillsborough and Pinellas and is offering the public and agents in these areas free access in the hopes of getting the site populated with properties. The launch will gradually move across Florida, adding counties until the entire state is represented.

For more information on this site visit www.TheHomeHunter.com
Public Relations contact:
Garrick Newman, PA
888-589-8898
garrick @ thehomehunter.com