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Schools and Community Information Are Most Popular Neighborhood Search Criteria, According to HomePages.com

Site Also Reports 25 Hottest Markets Where Consumers Are Searching for Homes

What neighborhood traits matter most to American home buyers? According to early data from HomePages(TM), the first national home buying and selling service to combine aerial maps, in-depth neighborhood information, and nationwide home listings in one integrated Web site, it's schools and community information.

HomePages reported that consumers are actively searching homes for sale and recently sold homes, and the most searched neighborhood information includes schools (school districts and school locations) and communities -- including crime statistics, weather information, and population and household details. HomePages features more than 75 data points for each individual school, including student-teacher ratio, average class size, and more.

"It's no surprise that schools and communities top the neighborhood search as research shows these are the highest ranked neighborhood traits consumers consider when searching for a home," said Ian Morris, CEO of HouseValues, Inc., the company that operates HomePages. "We're very excited that consumers across the country are turning to HomePages to find homes for sale and neighborhood details."

Thirty-nine percent of consumers surveyed ranked "safety" as the number one factor when selecting a neighborhood, followed by 15 percent who ranked schools first, according to an August 2005 Kelton Research survey of 800 consumers. Of those polled with school-aged children, good schools was the single most important factor in a potential neighborhood, and these consumers value schools six times more than the "size of the home" and five times more than the "feel" or "amenities" of the house itself.

West Coast Tops Home Hunters Search

Since launching earlier this month, HomePages reported that consumers more often viewed homes for sale in the Western region of the United States before homes in the Central or Eastern parts of the country. Three out of the top four markets are from West Coast cities.

1)        Seattle/Tacoma, Wash.
2)        Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas
3)        Los Angeles, Calif.
4)        San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose, Calif.
5)        Washington, D.C.
6)        New York, N.Y.
7)        Chicago, Ill.
8)        Denver, Colo.
9)        Richmond/Petersburg, Va.
10)       Philadelphia, Pa.
11)       Atlanta, Ga.
12)       Detroit, Mich.
13)       Boston, Mass.
14)       Phoenix, Ariz.
15)       Sacramento/Stockton/Modesto, Calif.
16)       St. Louis, Mo.
17)       Orlando/Daytona Beach/Melbourne, Fla.
18)       Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minn.
19)       San Diego, Calif.
20)       Portland, Ore.
21)       Baltimore, Md.
22)       Miami/Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
23)       Las Vegas, Nev.
24)       Kansas City, Kan.
25)       Houston, Tex.

HomePages includes birds-eye views of neighborhoods with extensive data on homes for sale and recently sold home information as well as thousands of data points for each neighborhood and more than 1.8 million business listings and government services nationwide. Consumers can search, filter, and map the following:

--  Schools: More than 75 data points on individual schools, including
    school district boundaries, student-teacher ratio, average class size, and
    more
--  Attraction and Recreation: Parks, theaters, swimming pools, stadiums
    and athletic fields, public golf courses, casinos, wineries, tourist
    attractions, bowling centers, video rentals, convention centers, museums,
    race tracks, zoos, gyms, and amusement parks
--  Restaurants and Nightlife: Types of food and eateries, from delis and
    cafes to fine dining, along with coffee shops, ice cream parlors, and night
    clubs
--  Shopping and Personal Services: Department stores, dry cleaners,
    laundromats, banks, pharmacies, grocery stores, liquor stores, hardware
    stores, and more
--  Public Services and Transportation: Court houses, public libraries,
    police and fire departments, post offices, airports, and railroads
    

HomePages is free to consumers and does not require any software installation, download, or registration. The site is available today at www.homepages.com.

Real estate professionals can find additional information about HomePages.com at www.homepagesmarketing.com, or they can get a firsthand view of the new service during The National Association of REALTORS® Conference and Expo, Friday, Oct. 28 through Monday, Oct. 31, booth #4131 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, Calif.

About HomePages

HomePages(TM) (www.homepages.com) gives consumers a complete picture of where they want to live in a way they have never seen before. This lifestyle and neighborhood-centric site combines detailed neighborhood information (community demographics, crime stats, school details, parks and recreation, and local amenities and services) with searchable aerial imagery and integrated home listings to help consumers make the best decision about buying or selling a home. HomePages was developed by HouseValues Inc. (NASDAQ: SOLD), to provide consumers and real estate professionals with the information and tools they need for success throughout the home buying and selling process

About HouseValues Inc.

Founded in 1999, HouseValues Inc. (NASDAQ: SOLD) provides consumers and real estate professionals with the information and tools they need for success throughout the home buying and selling process. The company's flagship consumer products include HomePages.com(TM), a lifestyle and neighborhood-centric home buying and selling service; HouseValues.com®, a service that provides home sellers with market valuations of their current home; and JustListed.com(TM), a service that alerts home buyers as soon as new homes hit the market that meet their criteria.

SOLD: CORPORATE

Distributed by Market Wire