Kirkland company buys RealEstate.com for $8.25 million

Kirkland-based Market Leader, an online marketing and technology company targeting real estate professionals, has acquired RealEstate.com, one of the most recognized addresses in the online real estate world, for a reported $8.25 million in cash.

The acquisition includes the RealEstate.com website as well as a national network of more than 250 participating brokerage companies and hundreds of other real estate domains.

Market Leader, formerly HouseValues.com, plans to enhance and expand RealEstate.com into a destination for consumers, while creating new opportunities for its real estate professional customers.

“Market Leader has secured what is perhaps real estate’s most recognizable address, and one with a history and domain authority that would be very difficult for anyone to replicate,” said Neil Patel, a nationally-recognized SEO expert and advisor to companies including Amazon, AOL, General Motors, HP and Viacom. “RealEstate.com is a domain that I expect will only appreciate in value, and one that has great potential to be built into a category leader.”