eBay Real Estate Marks Launch of New Homes Marketplace With Special Auction On
June 15th Through 24th Featuring Homes From Leading U.S. Builders
Business Editors
SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 20, 2002--
New Category Features Thousands of Custom Designed
and Model Homes
eBay Real Estate (www.ebayrealestate.com) today announced the
launch of its new homes category, along with an online auction in June
to feature a variety of in-demand properties from communities
throughout the US. Builder Homesite, Inc. (BHI), a consortium of top
US homebuilders, is placing thousands of listings in the eBay new
homes category, representing custom designed and model homes from
leading builders like KB Home, Beazer Homes, Coventry Homes, Pioneer
Homes, Plantation Homes, David Weekley, American Heritage, and
Hammonds Homes. The new homes category, located within eBay Real
Estate, offers homebuyers a wider inventory and a faster, easier way
to preview and make an offer for properties online.
"This is the first step in a long-term commitment between eBay
Real Estate and homebuilders that make the home-buying process more
enjoyable, fair and less stressful for consumers," said Doug Galen,
eBay vice president and general manager of eBay Real Estate. "We're
reducing the anxiety normally associated with buying a home by using
the Internet and the eBay auction format to make the process more
transparent and allow homebuyers to more closely follow the progress
of their bidding online."
To showcase a number of the properties listed within the channel,
eBay Real Estate will hold the first of many national, high-powered
auction events June 15-24. In-demand homes from top builders and
communities nationwide will be made available on eBay during this
event, and potential homebuyers can preview the homes on eBay and
NewHomeSource.com, the consumer Web site of BHI, beginning in early
June. Subsequent events featuring similarly high-profile properties
will follow periodically throughout the year.
Bruce Karatz, chairman and CEO of KB Home said, "eBay Real Estate
and its auction-style marketplace are great avenues for communicating
the advantages of buying a new home and generating buzz for our grand
openings and other special sales events." Ian McCarthy of Beazer Homes
agreed, and added, "Beazer Homes is dedicated to its online presences
and is excited about this new opportunity to reach homebuyers
searching online for their dream home. The Internet serves as a great
showcase for our available homes and provides a powerful new channel."
New home postings on eBay Real Estate will contain everything
necessary to help buyers make a more informed purchasing decision,
including photos of model homes, architectural drawings, floor plans,
maps, community information and property descriptions. Potential
buyers can also contact builders directly for further information or
to arrange tours of homes in their area. In addition, eBay Real Estate
offers first-time buyers an online library of "how-to" articles for
help with purchasing a new home.
"The new homes channel and the kick-off auction event are great
opportunities for home buyers to preview and make an offer on homes
from some of the most credible and trusted names in home building,"
said Tim Costello, president and CEO of Builder Homesite, Inc. "By
participating in the auction event next month, many homebuyers can be
the first to bid on exclusive inventory in sought-after locations from
around the country."
About eBay Real Estate
eBay Real Estate is the world's online marketplace for real
estate-related properties and services. Launched in August of 2000,
eBay Real Estate operates five core categories within its marketplace:
residential homes, timeshares, foreclosures, plots of land and
commercial real estate. Both individual buyers and sellers and real
estate professionals can enjoy a complete offering of services that
make purchasing or selling a home safer, easier and more efficient.
eBay Real Estate is a business unit of eBay, Inc. and can be found at
www.ebayrealestate.com
About Builder Homesite, Inc.
Builder Homesite, Inc. is a consortium of 30 of the nation's top
homebuilders including: American Heritage Homes, Beazer Homes USA,
Inc., Capital Pacific Holdings, Centex Corporation, D. R. Horton,
Inc., David Weekley Homes, Del Webb, The Drees Company, Gateway Homes,
Hammonds Homes, Highland Homes, K-Hovnanian Enterprises, Inc., John
Wieland Homes, KB Home, Lennar Corporation, McGuyer Homes, M.D.C.
Holdings, Medallion Homes, Morrison Homes, Neumann Homes, Orleans
Homebuilders, Perry Homes, Pulte Homes, Ryan Building Group, The
Ryland Group, Inc., Signature Homes, Sivage Thomas Homes, Standard
Pacific Homes, Toll Brothers, Village Homes of Colorado, and
Weyerhaeuser Real Estate. The first product release by Builder
Homesite was NewHomeSource.com, a website offering the most
comprehensive information and selection of new homes available on the
Internet. Since launch over 30 other builders have added their
listings to the site and major web portals have chosen NewHomeSource
as their new home search engine.
--30--nj/sf* dc/sf
CONTACT: eBay Inc.
Kevin Pursglove, 408/376-7458
kevinp@ebay.com
or
Cosmo Public Relations, Inc.
Michael Azzano, 504/891-7080 (Press)
michael@cosmo-pr.com
KEYWORD: CALIFORNIA
INDUSTRY KEYWORD: REAL ESTATE INTERNET E-COMMERCE
BUILDING/CONSTRUCTION
SOURCE: eBay
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