HomeFinder
HomeFinder is an online real estate listings company based in Irvine, CA. The company offers search tools and resources for rentals, rent to own homes, homes for sale, and foreclosures.[1]
HomeFinder is one of the leading sales tools for brokers, mortgage lenders, and agents.[2] It features mortgage tools, listing services, and advertising options for real estate professionals, individual home sellers, and others.
Company History[edit]
Originally known as Homescape.com, HomeFinder has been actively serving real estate professionals and other customers since 1999, making it the longest continually active real estate portal in the United States.[3]
HomeFinder was founded in Chicago by Classified Ventures, LLC in 1997. Strategic ownership partners have included Belo Corporation, Gannett Co., Inc., Knight Ridder, The McClatchy Company, Tribune Company, LA Times, Chicago Tribune, Miami Herald, and The Washington Post Company. Real estate technology company Placester, Inc. owned HomeFinder.com in 2016.[4] Michael Sawtell purchased HomeFinder from Placester in February 2017.[5]
Leadership[edit]
HomeFinder has been led by CEO Michael Sawtell since 2017. Before HomeFinder, Mr. Sawtell was President and COO of Local.com twice, the first being in 2000-2005 and again in 2011 to 2014. He also founded DigitalPost Interactive[6] and WebsitesforHeroes.com in 2006.[7] Most recently, Mr. Sawtell was an executive consultant for Keller Williams Realty and EVP/GM of Consumer Solutions for RealtyTrac (Attom Data Solutions). At RealtyTrac, Mr. Sawtell led RealtyTrac.com and Homefacts.com [8], a pair of real estate-focused consumer portals, and spearheaded the development and release of HomeDisclosure.com, an award-winning home diligence site.[9]
Doug Breaker was CEO of HomeFinder from 2011 – 2015. Mr. Breaker is currently the CEO of Scripted.
Operations[edit]
HomeFinder currently employs 10 people. In addition to its corporate headquarters in Irvine, CA, the firm has offices in Chicago, IL and Baltimore, MD.
Acquisitions / Partnerships[edit]
In February 2019, HomeFinder announced a partnership with Rental Beast, a SaaS real estate platform, to integrate Rental Beast’s rental application tool called Apply Now with the HomeFinder portal. The partnership will allow users to apply for listings directly from the HomeFinder website.[10]
Awards / Recognition[edit]
In 2010, HomeFinder expanded their home search database to include newspaper listings and other information from NewHomeSource.com. At the time, it was one of the largest search initiatives in the online real estate marketplace.[11] In May 2018, HomeFinder was recognized by Consumer Affairs in Housing Wire as one of the top 5 sites for streamlined home searches. The website was compared against other real estate websites for buying and selling assistance metrics. The firm earned high marks for mobile efficiency, iOS and Android compatibility, and overall productivity for real estate agents, buyers, and sellers. Other companies in the comparison study included Realtor.com, Apartments.com, and Homes.com. [12]
Community Involvement[edit]
HomeFinder is active in the local community through volunteer efforts and corporate sponsorships. The company sponsors the Quail Hill Barracudas Swim Team in Irvine, CA.
References[edit]
- ↑ https://homefinder.com/about
- ↑ https://www.socaltech.com/the_homefinder_group_led_by_realtytrac_vet_acquires_homefinder_com/s-0069111.html
- ↑ https://homefinder.com/about
- ↑ https://www.crunchbase.com/acquisition/placester-acquires-homefinder-com--f4f11494#section-overview
- ↑ https://www.forbes.com/sites/tomtaulli/2018/09/08/bringing-a-troubled-company-back-to-life/#654479433e88
- ↑ https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/digitalpost-interactive
- ↑ https://archive.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=50102
- ↑ https://www.realtytrac.com/news/realtytrac-neighborhood-portal-homefacts-launches-real-time-email-alerts-available-for-117-million-u-s-properties/
- ↑ https://www.bisnow.com/national/news/technology/homefindercom-acquired-by-california-tech-startup-70855
- ↑ https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/rental-beast-teams-with-homefinder-300791963.html
- ↑ https://www.builderhomesite.com/uncategorized/bdx-and-homefinder-com-bring-largest-collection-of-new-home-listings-to-national-site-and-online-network-of-130-newspapers/
- ↑ https://www.housingwire.com/articles/43298-consumer-affairs-use-these-5-sites-to-make-your-home-search-easier
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