Realtor.com signs visual services contract with iPIX

Real Estate Weekly, August 13, 2003

Realtor.com, the official Web site of the National Association of Realtors, and Internet Pictures Corporation announced recently that they have signed a new multiyear visual content services agreement.

Realtor.com will continue to use Rimfire imaging services as the primary application for its members to upload photos into Realtor.com. Also, Homestore, the parent company that operates Realtor.com, will integrate Rimfire services for use across its entire family of Web sites, including HomeBuilder.com and Homestore Apartments & Rentals.

iPIX and Realtor.com have worked together since 1998. They will now leverage Rimfire's image management capabilities to streamline existing image upload workflow for Realtors. iPIX and Realtor.com plan to develop Rimfire enhancements that are tailored for real estate to create a powerful visual online sales tool for the industry.

"Internet imaging is a vital component of our value proposition for the real estate community and to an increasingly sophisticated and demanding consumer. Realtor.com has more than 5.6 million unique users viewing listings each month," said Allan Dalton, president of Realtor.com. "According to the NPD Group, a leading global market information company, property photos are considered very important to 92 percent of homebuyers looking at online listings. We did a great deal of due diligence in deciding whether to build an in-house imaging backbone or outsource a solution. We are confident that we made the best decision in choosing to leverage iPIX's expertise."

"By expanding our relationship with Realtor.eom and extending the relationship to Homestore's other sites, we are ensuring that real estate professionals have the resources they need to manage their images easily and effectively," said Sarah Pate, executive vice president and general manager for iPIX.

"Soon, agents and brokers will be able to utilize compelling new solutions created specifically for the real estate industry by iPIX and Realtor.com. Building upon Rimfire's submission and management tools and incorporating the RETS standard will allow iPIX and Realtor.com to develop some of the most powerful industry tools available to Realtors."