Realtor.com brings more local data to its listings with Yelp

In an effort to provide more information to home buyers on neighborhoods they’re interested in, Realtor.com has announced its listings will be sprinkled with a dash of community data courtesy of the popular online listings service Yelp.

The collaboration with Yelp means that Realtor.com’s listings pages will also offer information about nearby amenities, such as coffee shops, restaurants, gas stations, grocery and drug stores, reports said.

"Deciding on a potential neighborhood is often the first step in the homebuying process," noted Realtor.com CEO Ryan O'Hara in a statement. "With the help of Yelp, we've enhanced our local data to take the anxiety out of living in a new area. Buyers now know exactly how close the nearest grocery store or coffee shop is to a potential new home before they even attend a showing."

The nearby amenities will show up on a map of each listing, and include Yelp’s famous star rating.

As well as hooking up with Yelp, Realtor.com has created new community pages for over 20,000 U.S. cities. Called Realtor.com Local, the new pages allow home buyers to view all kinds of community statistics, including information such as median list prices, time on market, price per square foot, and many more.

"Adding an easy way for users to learn more about a specific community's housing market helps us empower buyers on their journey to home ownership," O'Hara said.

Realtor.com’s renewed focus on data exemplifies a new desire among consumers to access lifestyle-based search tools as well as general listings. Trulia, with its “quiet streets”, and Hoodline, with its “Neighborhood Kits”, are both similar offerings.