FTC Clears CoStar Group to Close Acquisition of Homesnap
CoStar Group has received Federal Trade Commission approval for its acquisition of Homesnap, enhancing its offerings for real estate agents. The merger, submitted for review in November 2020, is expected to close shortly. Homesnap, serving over 1.1 million agents, reported projected revenue of $40 million for 2020, a 45% increase from 2019. This acquisition aims to leverage CoStar's extensive experience in property data to improve Homesnap's technology and features, strengthening industry connections and boosting productivity.
- Acquisition will enhance CoStar's broker and agent-centric tools.
- Homesnap's revenue projected at $40 million for 2020, up 45% from 2019.
- Access to over 1.1 million agents provides significant market exposure.
- Strategic merger aims to leverage CoStar's 30+ years of experience.
- Integration challenges may arise post-acquisition.
- Potential business disruptions during the merger process.
- Risk of not achieving expected revenue growth from Homesnap.
CoStar Group, the leading provider of commercial real estate information, analytics and online marketplaces, announced today that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has cleared its acquisition of Homesnap, Inc., an industry-leading provider of technology solutions to the real estate industry. CoStar and Homesnap submitted the proposed merger for FTC review in late November 2020.
“Adding Homesnap to CoStar Group’s network provides significant complementary value to our existing arsenal of broker and agent-centric tools, directly benefiting the entire industry,” said CoStar Group founder and CEO Andy Florance. “We share a common goal of strengthening connections that drive the real estate industry forward and are excited that regulatory review was completed so rapidly, allowing us to close this transaction quickly.”
Homesnap powers the nation’s most productive agents who regularly rely on having its accurate, real-time MLS information and enhanced productivity features at their fingertips. Supported by a consortium of hundreds of the country’s largest multiple listing services (MLSs), more than 1.1 million real estate agents have access to Homesnap’s free professional product, Homesnap Pro, representing over
“We are proud to join CoStar Group and leverage their more than 30 years of knowledge and experience in property data, software and marketing to take advantage of this significant growth opportunity,” said John Mazur, CEO of Homesnap. “We remain committed to our industry-friendly practices and to continuing to deliver the most advanced products while increasing our growth potential and accelerating our success.”
Homesnap is headquartered in Bethesda, MD, employing approximately 150 people. It is projected to achieve approximately
About CoStar Group, Inc.
CoStar Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSGP) is the leading provider of commercial real estate information, analytics and online marketplaces. Founded in 1987, CoStar conducts expansive, ongoing research to produce and maintain the largest and most comprehensive database of commercial real estate information. Our suite of online services enables clients to analyze, interpret and gain unmatched insight on commercial property values, market conditions and current availabilities. STR provides premium data benchmarking, analytics and marketplace insights for the global hospitality sector. Ten-X provides a leading platform for conducting commercial real estate online auctions and negotiated bids. LoopNet is the most heavily trafficked commercial real estate marketplace online with over 7 million monthly unique visitors. Realla is the UK’s most comprehensive commercial property digital marketplace. Apartments.com, ApartmentFinder.com, ForRent.com, ApartmentHomeLiving.com, Westside Rentals, AFTER55.com, CorporateHousing.com, ForRentUniversity.com and Apartamentos.com form the premier online apartment resource for renters seeking great apartment homes and provide property managers and owners a proven platform for marketing their properties. CoStar Group’s websites attracted an average of approximately 69 million unique monthly visitors in aggregate in the third quarter of 2020. Headquartered in Washington, DC, CoStar Group maintains offices throughout the U.S. and in Europe, Canada and Asia with a staff of over 4,300 worldwide, including the industry’s largest professional research organization. For more information, visit www.costargroup.com.
About Homesnap
Based in Bethesda, MD, Homesnap was founded in 2012 to provide residential real estate agents and consumers with an intuitive technology that facilitates buying and selling homes. Homesnap’s flagship professional product, Homesnap Pro, is a free software application for real estate agents to view and manage property listings, communicate with clients, receive market alerts and schedule showings on their mobile devices. Homesnap collects data from over 500 data sources and has subscription service agreements with approximately 240 MLSs who provide data and subscription revenue to Homesnap in exchange for free agent access to Homesnap Pro. Homesnap also provides marketing products through its mobile application that agents can use to promote their listings, as well as a premium product called Homesnap Pro+, which provides agents with enhanced functionality and business intelligence through individual subscription agreements. The Homesnap platform contains approximately 1.3 million active property listings, including residential, commercial, land and other property types, covering approximately
This news release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements about CoStar Group's plans, objectives, expectations, beliefs and intentions and other statements including words such as “hope,” “anticipate,” “may,” “believe,” “expect,” “intend,” “will,” “should,” “plan,” “estimate,” “predict,” “continue” and “potential” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. Such statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of management of CoStar and are subject to many risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from the results anticipated in the forward-looking statements and the assumptions and estimates used as a basis for the forward-looking statements. The following factors, among others, could cause or contribute to such differences: the possibility that the acquisition of Homesnap does not close when expected or at all; the risk that the businesses of Homesnap and CoStar may not be combined successfully or in a timely and cost-efficient manner; the risk that business disruption relating to the Homesnap acquisition may be greater than expected; the risk that the acquisition does not produce the expected benefits or results for CoStar, Homesnap or their customers and advertisers; the risk that Homesnap revenues and revenue growth for 2020 will not be as stated in this press release; the risk that the combination and integration of Homesnap will disrupt CoStar Group's or Homesnap’s operations or result in the loss of customers or key employees; uncertainty surrounding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, including volatility in the international and U.S. economy, worker absenteeism or decreased productivity, quarantines or other travel or health-related restrictions; the length and severity of the COVID-19 pandemic; the pace of recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic; and government and private actions taken to control the spread of COVID-19. Additional factors that could cause results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements can be found in CoStar Group’s filings from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including in CoStar Group’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, and CoStar Group’s Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2020, June 30, 2020 and September 30, 2020, each of which is filed with the SEC, including in the “Risk Factors” section of those filings, as well as CoStar Group’s other filings with the SEC available at the SEC’s website (www.sec.gov). All forward-looking statements are based on information available to CoStar Group on the date hereof, and CoStar Group assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
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FAQ
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