PARSIPPANY, NJ -- (Marketwire) -- 11/04/09 -- Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate LLC today announced the release of its free iPhone application, Home Selection Assistant, a do-it-yourself tool that enhances the home buying experience by allowing users to gather, store, rate and share home information and images in a searchable portal. The application also offers practical home and neighborhood information consumers crave, including data on local schools, demographics, comparable home prices and more.

"Better Homes and Gardens® Real Estate is focused on meeting the unique demands of today's real estate consumer, as they trend online for information with a do-it-yourself spirit," said Sherry Chris, president and CEO of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate LLC. "It only makes sense that our iPhone application mimics that same spirit to fit seamlessly into anyone's natural home research process, whether they are actively looking for a new home, exploring their neighborhood to put a home on the market, or seeking information as they consider a renovation."

As consumers tour homes, they can take pictures of the property and create an album for each room, which can then be rated on a five-star scale or further defined with user notes. These images can then be searched across properties or across user-defined categories using such keywords as "kitchen" or "family room." Content can be synced with iTunes for access on a home computer or shared with friends and family on Facebook or via e-mail.

Each time a user takes a photo, the iPhone's built-in GPS system uploads robust neighborhood data automatically from Onboard Informatics, including nearby restaurants and shops, community workforce breakdown, housing inventory and stability, crime rates, past pricing and sales on the home itself, and much more. This content can also be searched manually through the application by entering an address.

"Consumers want information on a home's community and trusted advice from friends and family before they make a decision on a home," Chris added. "Our application brings both, literally, to their fingertips."

More than 150 articles on home renovation, remodeling, staging and more can also be accessed on the application, so buyers interested in changing or updating a room -- either in their own home or in a home they are considering -- can easily see what's involved, the potential costs and more at the touch of a button. This same content is also available online at www.bhgrealestate.com.

The Better Homes and Gardens® Real Estate application was built in conjunction with Zumobi, a leading mobile media company that designs, develops and publishes branded applications for next-generation smartphones. It is available free on Apple's App Store and can be downloaded at www.bhgrealestate.com/iphone.

About Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate LLC

Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate LLC is an international real estate brand that offers a full range of services to brokers, sales associates and home buyers and sellers. Using innovative technology, sophisticated business systems and the broad appeal of a lifestyle brand, Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate LLC embodies the future of the real estate industry while remaining grounded in the tradition of home. Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate LLC is a subsidiary of Realogy Corporation, a global provider of real estate and relocation services. For more information, please visit www.BHGRealEstate.com.

Better Homes and Gardens® is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation licensed to Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate LLC.

Equal Opportunity Company. Equal Housing Opportunity. Each Better Homes and Gardens® Real Estate Franchise is Independently Owned and Operated.