SmartZip™ Launches New Website for Real Estate Investors with Industry’s First Residential Property Rating,“SmartZip Score™”

Pleasanton, CA, June 23, 2009 --(PR.com)-- SmartZip, Inc. today announced the public beta launch of its website, www.SmartZip.com, and the introduction of SmartZip Score™, the first analytics-based investment ratings for real estate. Historically, more than 20 percent of all homes purchased in the United States are for investment purposes, and SmartZip.com is the first web site to offer independent ratings and investment tools expressly for residential real estate investors. SmartZip.com launches with ratings on all homes, more than 12 million, in California and Florida, two of today’s top markets for real estate investment. Over time, SmartZip will roll out its ratings across all 50 states.

Home prices and mortgage rates are at historic lows and, in February, Fannie Mae announced a new policy to allow qualified investors and second home buyers to obtain up to 10 loans, replacing the previous four loan limit. “There is immense pent-up demand from investors looking to capitalize on this opportunity,” said Tom Glassanos, president and CEO of SmartZip. “With today’s announcement, SmartZip brings transparency to the best investment values in two of the top markets, California and Florida, opening them up to all investors nationwide.”

SmartZip Score is the first quantitative property rating to offer a risk-adjusted assessment of the investment potential of residential real estate. SmartZip Score applies proven stock and bond rating analytics to the most comprehensive base of real estate investment attributes ever assembled. On a 1-100 scale, SmartZip Score gives investors and homebuyers an easy and intuitive way to assess if a property is really worth buying. Properties are rated two ways: a “growth” score for risk-tolerant investors seeking above-average capital appreciation and an “income” score for risk-averse investors looking for consistent monthly cash flow.

SmartZip.com provides a full range of tools and features, making it the first one-stop online destination for real estate investment. Using visual, color-coded "heat maps," and ratings-based market screening and home search tools, users can research and compare markets, then find and confirm top-rated for-sale and foreclosure properties, all based on investor criteria such as SmartZip Score, cash flow, appreciation, school ratings, and more. SmartZip offers a variety of benefits to a range of audiences:

SmartZip for Investors:

Identifies the best markets and best properties;
Computes rental income and expenses to expect;
Projects long-term cash flow and appreciation; and
Assesses how to maximize after-tax returns.

SmartZip for Sellers and Listing Agents:

Calculates best price for rapid sale;
Markets properties to a national buyer pool;
Differentiates the value of properties; and
Instills confidence in the value of a transaction.

SmartZip for Lenders:

Determines present and future collateral value of a property;
Assesses the size of potential loss in foreclosure; and
Simplifies the decision to foreclose or modify a loan.

“Online real estate sites are focused on what a home costs and not on what it’s really worth”, said Avi Gupta, vice president of research and marketing at SmartZip. “SmartZip Score is an independent, disciplined methodology that gets to the fundamentals of property value. In a time of uncertainty, fundamentals, not price, count most.”

About SmartZip, Inc.
SmartZip is the leading provider of independent, analytics-based ratings and research for real estate investment. SmartZip is used by investors and homebuyers looking to easily rate, compare and confirm the best properties to buy. The SmartZip Score™ is the first and only quantitative rating offering a risk-adjusted assessment of the investment potential of residential properties. SmartZip Score applies proven stock and bond rating analytics to the most comprehensive base of real estate investment attributes ever assembled. SmartZip is a privately held, venture backed corporation headquartered in Pleasanton, CA.

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