New York Magazine has recently partnered with brokerage Halstead Property, while the New York Observer and the New York Sun have joined up with the Real Estate Board of New York’s listing portal, ResidentialNYC.com.
Newspapers and magazines say they see such partnerships as a way to generate more publicity and Web traffic, while real estate brokerages see them as a way to promote and enhance listings.
Steven Spinola, president of the Real Estate Board of New York, said the New York Observer approached the trade group to talk about partnering with its free Web portal, ResidentialNYC.com, which launched in September.
The Observer includes the REBNY Web site in a list of partners and the Observer’s real estate and classified advertising pages include links to ResidentialNYC.com. A release issued by REBNY that announced the partnership touted the Observer as an “official listings partner.”
ResidentialNYC.com inked a similar deal with the New York Sun about a month ago. That Sun lets readers search listings on ResidentialNYC.com without leaving the Sun’s Web site.
New York Magazine’s partnership with Halstead is a one-year agreement. Home hunters viewing a Halstead listing can read a limited selection of New York Magazine’s shortened reviews for nearby restaurants, bars and shopping.
“With over 80 percent of home searches starting online, it is imperative to us as a company that we provide our clients and customers with the most enhanced and informative Web site possible,” said Diane Ramirez, president of Halstead.
The agreement with Halstead is “a content and promotional partnership, not a licensing partnership,” meaning no money is involved, said Serena Torrey, the magazine’s director of communications. Torrey pointed out that the Halstead “traffic” deal would not affect the magazine’s editorial content in any way.