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Move, Inc. acquires rival Relocation.com

On October 11, 2012, the online real estate lead aggregation company Move Inc announced that it had purchased Relocation.com for $11.5 million in cash.

The acquisition by the Campbell, California based firm was designed to strengthen Move's existing Moving.com business by creating a strong push toward end-to-end real estate and relocation relocation related services.

Moving.com provides the software that powers the American Moving and Storage Association's find-a-mover search tool on the non-profit trade trade group's consumer facing website at www.moving.org. This allows anyone planning a domestic relocation to get up to six AMSA certified ProMovers to contact them for a FREE in-home estimate. ProMover is a membership based certification program designed to fight rogue household carriers and unscrupulous internet move brokers.

The purchase also bolsters the real estate giant's focus on the residential rental market, which in the U.S. is expected to add five to six million households in the next decade,

Move, Inc. operates Realtor.com and a suite of real estate search mobile apps; Top Producer Systems, a leading developer of real estate sales and marketing software; ListHub, the leading syndicator of real estate listings and performance reports; TigerLead Solutions, the premier lead generation and lead management system for real estate professionals; Move.com; Moving.com, and SeniorHousingNet.

Relocation.com is a web site that helps home buyers and renters find moving and storage services. The service works with pre-screened and licensed moving, auto transport and storage companies from across the country – and internationally – in order to reduce the stress consumers often feel about the relocation process. Vanlines.com and MovingQuotes.com are both part of the Relocation.com family of find-a-mover websites.

Relocation.com is the fourth Move acquisition in a little over two years. In early September, Move purchased TigerLead Solutions LLC for $22 million. Last July, Move acquired social media search platform SocialBios for an undisclosed amount. In 2010, Move entered the listing syndication business when it acquired ListHub parent company Threewide Corp. for $13.1 million.

The purchase price of the acquisition was $11.5 million in cash, of which $9.5 million was paid upon the deal close.  The balance is to be paid in two equal amounts on the first and second anniversaries of the close. 

This acquisition consolidates several of the top four business lead aggregators in the real estate and relocation space.

While this should benefit many already anxious consumers who complain about the number of intrusive sales calls and unwanted email contacts they receive from companies 'competing for' their business, the purchase could add additional costs and competition to small local movers and van line agents who are already struggling to keep their doors open.
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Meanwhile, the less intrusive and much more affordable MoversReviewed.com announced that they are in process of bringing on a partner that will help improve new visitor traffic.

DISCLOSURE: MoversReviewed powers the search widget found in the right sidebar of ALL 500-plus pages at RELO Roundtable. The site is compensated for referral traffic.

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