Apartments.com Signs Distribution Agreement With InfoSpace

Chicago-based Apartments.com signed an agreement with InfoSpace to distribute its content through the Internet directory service’s classifieds network.

The deal makes Apartments.com’s national database of 600,000 listings directly available to apartment hunters who choose InfoSpace to initiate their online search. Financial arrangements were not disclosed.

After reviewing their results-based on preferred geography, size and rent, users can then follow links to Apartments.com to refine their search by specifying the importance of 27 amenities.

Consumers can also take a virtual tour of any apartment community, viewing up to 40 full-color photos of the building exterior and each room of every unit, floor plans, and more than 100 other pieces of information.

Many listings also include Video Walk-Around, a point-and-click feature that enables users to pan around, zoom in and out and interact with an apartment. An E-link feature puts apartment hunters in contact with property managers via email or fax from the Apartments.com site.

“InfoSpace is known for bringing consumers and vendors together through its classifieds and electronic commerce directories,” stated Naveen Jain, president and CEO of InfoSpace. “Partnering with Apartments.com will give our customers an easy, accessible way to find the apartment that they want right from their desktop.”

Launched as Apartments Plus in Chicago in January 1997, the company was acquired by Classified Ventures in December and re-launched as Apartments.com in March 1998. Apartments.com now represents more than 600,000 apartments in major markets across 37 states and Washington D.C.

Classified Ventures, also based in Chicago, is a partnership of The Times Mirror Co., Tribune Co., and The Washington Post Co.