Consumers shop for homes on the World Wide Web; successful Web page for The Prudential Real Estate Affiliates cited for its "virtual people" concept.

COSTA MESA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 1, 1996--Would you buy a home on the Internet?

Most likely not, but many consumers are using the World Wide Web to get information on homes and the home buying or selling process. Approximately 57,000 people have visited Prudential's World Wide Web site, http://www.prudential.com, in the first four months since it went on-line, according to Lyle A. Fuller, The Prudential Real Estate Affiliates Inc. (PREA) assistant vice president, consumer technology.

Prudential's Web site is used by consumers to obtain a diverse range of financial services information 24 hours-a-day, 365 days-a-year. WebConnect, a leading on-line media tracking newsletter, recognized the site as an excellent example of the new, virtual character approach to marketing products and services on the Internet (WebConnect Media Central, Jan. 5, 1996).

Prudential's site includes a series of separate Web pages for home ownership, retirement planning, education funding, insurance planning, business services and personal investing. The sites' home-ownership page enables visitors to explore the process of buying and selling a home through the experiences of several "virtual people."

Unlike many real estate sites, which typically only list information about the company and a sample of the properties it offers, the interactive characters pictured and described on Prudential's site are engaging and educational. The information is extremely valuable to prospective buyers or sellers, especially first-time buyers who may not be familiar with the home buying process, and the way it is presented is unique in the real estate and other markets, Fuller said.

"By using `virtual people' scenarios, Prudential's Web site allows consumers to learn first-hand about the home buying and selling processes before they actually experience them," said Fuller.

"These insightful story concepts are an ideal forum to help consumers understand the options they have and to answer some of the most frequently asked questions in a less intimidating way. It also gives PREA an opportunity to demonstrate how consumers can benefit from its wide range of home-ownership products and services."

PREA is a subsidiary of The Prudential Insurance Company of America. Founded in May 1987, PREA awarded its first affiliation a year later. The PREA network is one of the largest and fastest- growing in the industry. It has nearly 1,250 offices throughout the United States and Canada, more than 34,000 sales associates and 1995 sales of $52.4 billion.

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CONTACT: The Prudential Real Estate Affiliates Inc.

Linda Marcus, 714/260-4768 (phone), 714/260-4779 (fax)

e-mail: [e-mail]

OR

Laura Buser, 714/966-7969