WALNUT CREEK, Calif., Jan. 31 /PRNewswire/ -- Reply! Inc. (http://www.reply.com/), a leading provider of online services for consumers and performance-based marketing solutions for the real estate and automotive industries, today announced the acquisition of Connecting Neighbors, one of the real estate industry's most prominent online marketing companies.
"With Reply!'s acquisition of Connecting Neighbors, the company has firmly positioned itself as one of the most powerful and dynamic provider of online marketing solutions for the real estate industry," said Payam Zamani, president and CEO of Reply!. "We see tremendous opportunities to bundle and expand our combined service offerings for the benefit of real estate agents and the consumers we serve."
This transaction provides:
-- The addition of over 4,000 real estate customers, which increases
Reply!'s real estate account base to over 10,000 professional accounts
-- All Connecting Neighbors members with access to Reply!'s quality
customer referrals in their local markets
-- Reply!'s member agents with the ability to exclusively sponsor online
marketing programs for their local neighborhoods
-- An additional experienced 50-person field sales force to sell Reply!'s
combined industry leading online marketing programs and referral
services to agents and brokers nationwide
-- Significantly increased revenues, important new capabilities and
additional real estate industry expertise to strengthen Reply!'s
service offerings
Serving more than 8,000 neighborhoods across the United States and Canada, Connecting Neighbors is North America's leading provider of Internet-based neighborhood marketing programs for real estate agents and Realtors(R). Founded in 1999, the company has been led by its president, Sean Fox, for the past two years, during which time the company doubled its revenues. Fox previously held senior management positions with a number of real estate marketing companies, including bamboo.com, Ipix, Homestore, and Access Technology Services. Fox will join Reply! as Executive Vice President running Connecting Neighbors.
"Reply! is well positioned to become the premier provider of online marketing and lead generation services for the real estate industry. Our quality programs will enable real estate professionals to rapidly and cost-effectively grow their business," said Fox.
Reply! and Connecting Neighbors are both privately held companies that have achieved strong market penetration and revenue growth in only a few years. Reply! has expanded its workforce from 35 employees in December of 2003 to more than 160 employees and independent contractors today. The recent growth has prompted the company to dramatically increase its office space in Walnut Creek, Calif., and open a new office in Scottsdale, Ariz. With the acquisition of Connecting Neighbors, Reply! now also operates an office in Walled Lake, Michigan.
About Reply!, Inc.
Reply!, Inc. is the leading provider of online services for consumers, helping to make life's big decisions easy. Reply!'s online service portal -- http://www.reply.com/ -- provides services to consumers in the following industries: residential real estate; automotives; home improvement; moving services; insurance; and financing. Reply!'s family of online trade brands, (iMotors; RealtyNow; AgentConnect; Connecting Neighbors;), provide superior performance-based customer referral services to automotive dealers, real estate agents, mortgage brokers and lenders, home improvement providers, moving services, and insurance brokers.
About Connecting Neighbors
Connecting Neighbors is the country's leading provider of Internet-based neighborhood marketing programs for real estate professionals. Founded in 1999, Connecting Neighbors now services more than 8,000 neighborhoods across North America. Connecting Neighbors was recognized as the 2002 Inman Innovator of the Year for the most innovative use of the Internet.
Press Contact:
Cedric Vanhaver
Neale-May & Partners
650-328-5555, ext. 125
Cvanhaver@nealemay.com