As part of an effort to reach a broader audience, Auction.com is inviting real estate agents to join a new online community on the site, where they can initiate and engage in conversations with other community members including first-time homebuyers.
The community is “designed to provide novice and experienced real estate buyers and sellers with a place to learn more about Auction.com and the real estate auction process in general,” the company said.
Users can join groups, which at launch included “real estate agents,” “first-time homebuyers,” “real estate investors,” and “home renovation and restoration.”
Auction.com, which raised $50 million from Google Capital in March, recently brought LinkedIn Senior Vice President Deep Nishar onboard as an adviser.
In a statement, Nishar said that translating the benefits of the Auction.com marketplace to a “wider population” and providing its users with the “freedom to confidently transact real estate with ease from wherever they are can only help Auction.com position itself as a leader of this segment for years to come.”
In February, Auction.com announced a referral agreement with the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP) that could involve creating a dedicated portal for NAHREP members that would be stocked with Auction.com listings, NAHREP co-founder Gary Acosta said at the time.
Auction.com is not the only auction site seeking to broaden its audience.
This spring, Nationstar Mortgage Holdings said it was acquiring Real Estate Digital to transform online REO and short-sale auction platform HomeSearch.com into a real estate marketplace rivaling Zillow, Trulia and realtor.com.
