Norfolk, Va. (February 19, 2015) – Homes.com®, leading online real estate destination and provider of real estate marketing solutions, has released Local Connect, a new advertising program allowing real estate agents and brokers to target local home buyers. Local Connect will provide real estate professionals access to highly engaged consumers as they search for their next home.

Homes.com launched Local Connect to bridge the gap between consumers searching for their next home and real estate pros targeting active home buyers and sellers. The product provides clear competitive advantages to pros, including prominent advertising on the listing detail page and contact form of basic Homes.com listings. To ensure consumer inquiries are directed back to the listing agent or broker, they are prominently displayed as the legal representative of the homeowner.

"With 90% of Homes.com visitors actively searching for their next home and 80% not yet working with a real estate professional, Local Connect positions pros in front of active buyers and sellers searching for their next home," said David Mele, president of Homes.com. "Our new advertising product is the result of extensive discussions with agents, brokers, MLSs and industry partners to find the best way to connect engaged consumers with buyers' agents as they search for their next home. Local Connect clearly displays the listing agent at the top of every lead form and ensures that consumer leads are always routed back to the listing agent or broker, regardless of whether the listing is displayed for free or through paid advertising."

Homes.com Local Connect advertising offers:

• Local Targeting: Geo-target consumers searching for homes by zip code.
• Prominent Ad Placement: Advertisers are prominently displayed on listing detail page contact forms directly below the listing agent, providing maximum visibility in targeted zip code areas.
• Maximum Branding: Ads include a photo or logo, phone number and endorsements.
• Mobile Access: Phone number is click-to-call from mobile devices.
• Consumer Leads: Consumer property inquiries are sent to advertisers and the listing agent.

"Local Connect allows listing agents and buyers' agents to take advantage of the fast-growing home search platform of Homes.com," Mele said. "Our traffic was up 58% in January 2015, compared to prior year, with more than 23 million site searches conducted in the month. We want to be sure that potential home buyers are connected with an engaged, qualified and knowledgeable real estate professional when searching for their next home on Homes.com."

For more information on Homes.com's Local Connect ads, click here.

About Homes.com

Homes.com is a leading provider of real estate marketing and media services, including brand advertising, property listing exposure and syndication, search engine marketing and instant response lead generation. Homes Connect by Homes.com offers the real estate industry's first-ever, all-inclusive marketing platform for agents and brokers featuring single-login convenience. Over 12 million consumers visit Homes.com each month to search nearly 3 million properties for sale or rent, to locate real estate agents in their area, and to find useful home buying tips. For more information, visit www.Homes.com.