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Frequently Asked Questions Why advertise online? For one, it's where the prospective renters are! During October 2003 our site hosted over 1,000,000 unique online visitors¹. What's more, RENTNET® advertising typically generates a lower cost-per-lease than traditional marketing. Another key benefit of the Internet is its accessibility, allowing your community to be open to prospective renters virtually 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. How does the cost of Internet advertising compare to apartment guides, newspapers or other traditional forms of print advertising? While markets vary, RENTNET advertising is often substantially less than traditional print. For an average of top markets, print advertising costs 300% MORE than online advertising and reaches fewer renters². What is RENTNET? RENTNET is your one-stop resource for the broadest access to renters on the Internet for your apartment community! We provide an advertising solution that offers access to 99%³ of people on the Internet so property management professionals have the opportunity to maximize reach, exposure and traffic for their communities. We provide prospective renters the opportunity to search over 6.5 million apartments and Corporate Housing rentals in nearly six thousand cities. Advertisers benefit from our highly targeted reach and the opportunity for unmatched access to a vast online audience of prospective renters though our network of distribution partners including: MSN, Yahoo! AOL, Earthlink, Excite, iWon, Netscape, NetZero, AOL.com, Salary.com, Realtor.com and Internet Broadcast Systems television station affiliate Web sites. How do you promote RENTNET? RENTNET is dedicated to the long-term success of the Multifamily Housing Industry and to being the Industry's premier marketing partner. As part of our commitment, we have built the largest online distribution network for you, developing long-term relationships with the Internet's most visited portals such as MSN, Yahoo! and AOL, among others. Our goal is to provide you with the largest, most comprehensive "network" to reach prospective renters online. Your online rental network now offers the broadest access to 99%3 of all people on the Internet. As a marketing partner, you are maximizing your reach and exposure for your communities in your local target market and beyond. So, what does 99% reach to people on the Internet mean? In a nutshell, it means our distribution network provides access to 99% of people on the Internet, and that audience has access to our advertiser's rental listings. To put it into context further, consider television for a moment. What if a television advertiser could run just one commercial and have it air on every television station in the United States? The advertiser would effectively gain access to 100% of the U.S. television audience, right? While that's unheard of and cost-prohibitive in that medium, it's not for the Internet! We have invested heavily in our distribution network, implementing long-term partnerships with the Internet's most visited sites, such as MSN, Yahoo! and AOL, just to name a few. Our main objective has been to secure the largest, most comprehensive "network" to reach prospective renters searching online for their next apartment home. Through our long-term, strategic distribution network, we offer the broadest access to renters online. How do renters find my community on RENTNET? We use the information you provide to match prospective renters with your community. By filling out their search criteria, prospective renters indicate exactly what they're looking for in an apartment, walking through our pre-qualification process. If your community fits their search criteria, it will be included in the Search Results Page, prioritized by the Online Brochure you've selected. What do you mean by "pre-qualified renters?" Because prospective renters have already indicated what they want in an apartment, by the time they email or call you, or visit your property, they know your community matches their needs. What this means to you, is that a prospective renter delivered to your community by your RENTNET advertising is more likely to become a lease, versus traditional print advertising options. What are Search Results Pages? A prospective renter creates a search criterion by identifying what he or she wants in an apartment. We pull all matching communities from our list of advertisers and create Search Results Pages for each user. (The Emerald Online Brochure has priority -- which means it always appears above our Solitaire and Standard Online Brochures on the Search Results Page). What advertising products and services does RENTNET offer? Several RENTNET advertising products and services are available to property management professionals. RENTNET offers three types of Online Brochures -- from basic information about a community, all the way up to a content-rich, customized Online Brochure with a unique toll-free number, unlimited color photos and floor plan images. Also available is Display Advertising, which increases your reach and exposure to prospective renters on RENTNET. Extremely affordable and prominently placed, Display Advertising enables you to grab renters' attention during their search process and feature your communities or Management Company's Web site. What does an Online Brochure typically contain? Specific features vary for each type of Online Brochure, however, each Online Brochure features color photos, basic community information (property name, address, telephone and fax numbers, unit types, floor plan images, square footage, starting rent), plus community features and amenities such as A/C, cable access, laundry facilities, high-speed Internet, etc. What is a Standard Online Brochure? The Standard Online Brochure is a cost-effective, basic advertising solution specifically designed for subsidized housing, military housing and communities with 50 units or less. The Standard Online Brochure will attract pre-qualified renters and features basic community information (name, address, telephone/fax numbers, unit types, starting rent), a unique toll-free number, apartment amenities, community features, plus fax/email leads from prospective renters, and detailed monthly reports of your activity. For further information, see our Online Brochure Comparison Chart. What is a Solitaire Online Brochure? Attract more pre-qualified renters with the Solitaire Online Brochure by featuring more information about your community! This Online Brochure includes all the features of the Standard Online Brochure, and enables you to showcase your community with a color photo and 3 floor plans. You'll attract more pre-qualified renters by providing them more information about your community including one color photo, basic community information (name, address, telephone/fax numbers, unit types, 3 floor plan images, starting rent), a unique toll-free number for prospective renters to call your community directly, apartment amenities, community features, plus fax/email Hot Leads from prospective renters, and detailed monthly reports of your Brochure activity. For further information, see our Online Brochure Comparison Chart. What is an Emerald Level of Service? Get maximum impact with the Emerald Online Brochure! This Online Brochure showcases all the features included with the Standard and Solitaire Online Brochures, AND increases your visibility and exposure to prospective renters with Priority Ranking on Search Results Page. Specific features include: unlimited photos of the community, unlimited individual floor plans, and a unique toll-free number for prospective renters to call your community directly. Plus, you can add custom comments beside each floor plan type and additional comments in the Unit and Property Features area. Emerald customers receive detailed monthly reports, fax and email Hot Leads within minutes, driving instructions with mapping, and more. For further information, see our Online Brochure Comparison Chart. What is Display Advertising? Benefit from Display Advertising's increased reach and exposure to prospective renters on RENTNET. Extremely affordable and prominently placed, Display Advertising enables you to grab renter's attention during their search process and feature your communities or Management Company's Web site. Placed on a first-come, first-served basis, Display Ads increase renter traffic by highlighting your community or management company at varying points of interest. Appearing before (and on) the Search Results Pages on the site, the channel Home Page or on the Metro Area Home Page, Display Advertising offers advertisers an increased level of exposure to prospective renters. Display Ads stand out by taking up more "online page space" and can be customized in look, feel, and message - so they are highly visible and versatile. How do I make a correction or change to my Online Brochure? And how long will it take? You can immediately change your Online Brochure through the RENTNET site, at the "Update Your Online Brochure" section of the Manager's & Owner's Corner. Typically, your changes will take be posted within 48 hours. Or, you can call RENTNET's Customer Care at 1-800-978-7368, and they will make the changes for you right over the phone. Customer Care is available Monday-Friday, 6am to 5pm MST. You may also fax your changes to 1-800-497-3605, anytime. (Changes sent by fax are usually posted to the Web site within two business days). What is "Manager's & Owner's Corner"? Manager's and Owner's Corner is your one-stop resource for managing your RENTNET advertising and ensuring its effectiveness. Use this online tool frequently to ensure prospective renters have the most up-to-date information about your community. What is the Automatic Leads Response System? Anyone who wants to learn more about your community may contact you directly through the inquiry form on your Online Brochure. The Automatic Leads Response System enables you to send an automatic email response message thanking the prospective renter and acknowledge their inquiry within minutes. How much do the Emerald, Solitaire, and Standard Online Brochures cost? Advertising rates vary by product, and we offer a variety of payment options designed to make RENTNET advertising easily fit into your budget. Communities can choose to pay annually or semi-annually. The option is also available to pay on a month-to-month basis, with a signed agreement. Please contact a Sales Consultant at 1-800-978-7368 for more information. How will I know if anyone has seen my Online Brochure? Tracking and managing your RENTNET products and services is just a click away! Simply visit the Traffic & Leads Reports section of Manager's & Owner's Corner, and you'll have instant access, anytime, to include: Search Results Page Appearances Online Brochure Views Driving Directions Floor Plan Views Hot Lead Inquiries (fax and email) Toll-Free Calls Display Ad Views Virtual Tours Views Online Brochures Printed Total Impressions Total Inquiries Each month you will receive a Monthly Statistics Report by fax. Emerald customers will receive a detailed report listing fax, email and toll-free inquiries for the previous month. Solitaire and Standard customers will receive reports on all email and fax inquiries. Do prospective renters contact me directly? Yes - by simply by clicking on the "Contact Now" link or calling the toll-free number on your Online Brochure. These inquiries generate a Hot Lead or Call Confirmation that is instantly delivered to your fax machine or email address. Can I add comments to my Online Brochures? Yes! The Emerald Online Brochure allows custom comments (up to 120 characters) next to each floor plan in your Online Brochure. You may also add additional special apartment and community features. How will Homestore apartments & rentals advertisers be affected by the change to RENTNET? Shortly after announcing our new name, RENTNET, we will be introducing new Web site design and enhancements to our current advertising products and services. The content of our advertiser's Online Brochures will not change, in fact, we expect these enhancements will offer greater advertising flexibility and significantly improve the value we deliver. We will definitely communicate the great news with all advertisers as we approach the launch of our new name. Why are we changing our name to RENTNET? Because it speaks directly to what is important to you; reaching renters and filling vacancies! ¹comScore Media Metrix Oct 2003 ²SRDS Population & Circulation of Leading Newspapers, Jan 2003; Mediamark research in spring 2001; and Homestore internal analysis ³comScore Media Metrix, unduplicated Internet reach of Homestore apartments & rentals network, August 2003