Halstead Property

Diane M. Ramirez
President
dramirez@halstead.com
(212) 381-3203

City's Top Real Estate Listings Website Celebrates Successful First Year Rebny's Residentialnyc Com

Looking for a home in New York City? Thousands of home-seekers have found just what they were looking for by making ResidentialNYC.com their first stop for buying or renting a home.

Launched last fall, ResidentialNYC.com is the first comprehensive website enabling the public to link to thousands of exclusive home listings in New York City, which previously were only available to brokers. The site offers the most accurate and timely listings of any real estate website. Listings are provided by thousands of ResidentialNYC.com member brokers for available condos, coops, townhouses, and homes, both for sale and for rent. In its first year, ResidentialNYC.com has achieved more than 20 million hits, 200,000 unique visitors, and 800,000 page views.

ResidentialNYC.com is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY), New York City real estate's leading trade association. The listings on ResidentialNYC.com are exclusive and are brokered by participating members of the REBNY Listing Service (RLS), which offers for co-brokerage an average of 10,000 New York City listings each day. Each company participating in both the RLS and ResidentialNYC.com is held to a strict code of ethics and all brokers are licensed by the State of New York.

Since the launch of the site a year ago, ResidentialNYC.com has experienced many successes. The number of firms participating has jumped from 56 to 70 firms, representing thousands of brokers. The average number of exclusive listings on any given day has nearly doubled to almost 6,000. In addition, the website has entered into several media partnerships to further promote the site.

One such partnership, launched in October 2008, brings the site together with New York Residential TV, the weekly real estate show which airs Sundays at 9 a.m. on Tribune Company's WPIXTV, CW11. As part of the partnership, a weekly segment offers insights on the residential real estate market from REBNY President Steven Spinola, who also gets the chance to interact with viewers by answering their e-mailed questions.

Started in November, ResidentialNYC.com also partnered with local cable news network NY-1 for a weekly real estate segment, which the station will promote around the clock. The real estate report sponsored by ResidentialNYC.com will provide viewers with the latest news and information about the market, hot neighborhoods, and trends.

ResidentialNYC.com has also partnered with Metro newspaper to produce a seasonal glossy magazine insert that builds on the weekly At Home with Metro' section in the newspaper. This publication, circulated with newspapers in the Spring and the Fall, features markets updates, hot neighborhoods, and advice for buyers, sellers, and renters. The most recent edition was released in October and can still be found at the offices of many ResidentialNYC.com member firms. The Fall 2008 issue features, among other things, the impact of schools on the market, the Brooklyn enclave of Cobble Hill, and a guide for New York City renters.

One of the most exciting developments since the launch of ResidentialNYC.com is its planned upgrades to the site, which will be completed this month. The new platform will offer significant improvements for users of ResidentialNYC.com. Visitors to the site will be able to search for open houses on a particular date and will be able to search for keywords that may be found in a real estate listing, for example 'dog friendly' or 'good for families'. A new section called Market Tips is set to be rolled out, as well, which will archive webcasts from various ResidentialNYC.com brokers discussing relevant market topics. In addition, there will be enhanced mapping and street-view capabilities with the new platform.

ResidentialNYC.com will also complete a new search engine optimization by the end of this year. This means that when potential homebuyers search for New York City real estate or similar search terms, the site will be one of the first listed, bringing potential homebuyers a step closer to finding the most accurate and timely listings available on the web.

While the features and ease of use of ResidentialNYC.com are beneficial to consumers, one of the most important benefits is access to exclusive listings from the most knowledgeable brokers out there.

Why turn to a ResidentialNYC.com broker? Fred Peters, president of Warburg Realty Partnership and a member of ResidentialNYC. com's Board of Directors, explains, "Someone's first step in purchasing, selling, or renting property in New York City is to choose a real estate firm to represent that individual's interests. All ResidentialNYC.com brokerage firms and their associated brokers and salespersons are members of REBNY; as such, they honor REBNY's Code of Ethics & Professional Practices, which outlines and clarifies the broker's responsibilities to protect buyers and sellers."

"ResidentialNYC.com is one of the most cost-effective marketing tools from an agent perspective, and we have experienced the hits to prove it," adds Diane Ramirez, president of Halstead Property LLC and also a member of ResidentialNYC.com's Board. "The site also contains recent sales listings, cites general market statistics, and discusses the popularity of various City neighborhoods. These are valuable tools for consumers in their search for a home."

In addition, ResidentialNYC.com posts quarterly reports containing market information about the City's major property types, such as co-ops, condos, townhouses, and single-family homes.

ResidentialNYC.com also provides valuable information for consumers. "Buying and selling real estate in New York City is different than anywhere else in the US and the world," notes Steven Spinola, REBNY President. "Our site offers an online guide to the process, including what clients may expect of their brokers, the differences between condominiums and cooperative apartments, the purchase process, and tips for hiring an attorney and obtaining a mortgage. ResidentialNYC.com covers virtually every aspect of the home buying process."

The real estate guide section also includes information on the approval process for co-ops and condos, closing procedures and costs, and a glossary of building and apartment terminology and definitions.

The bottom line, according to REBNY President Steven Spinola, is that, "ResidentialNYC.com should be your first stop when looking to buy or rent a home in New York City. Our listings are the most accurate and timely of any website and REBNY brokers are the most knowledgeable and professional. The website makes it easy for consumers to find exactly the home they are looking for."

By Peter Haas

Monday, December 01, 2008