IRVINE, Calif., April 4 /PRNewswire/ --  The new center integrates three key functions: the ability to search for foreclosures; analysis of trends in the foreclosure market; and education about buying properties in foreclosure.

The new Yahoo! Real Estate listings Foreclosure Center launches in the midst of a slowing real estate market in which foreclosures are increasing. In this environment, potential buyers can realize substantial discounts on homes that are in foreclosure while also helping out homeowners in default and cutting costs for foreclosing lenders.

"The redesigned Yahoo! Real Estate listings Foreclosure Center incorporates some of the most advanced tools and analytical features from RealtyTrac, and is a major leap forward in providing millions of consumers who access Yahoo! Real Estate with data on foreclosures," said James J. Saccacio, chief executive officer of RealtyTrac. "We believe that Yahoo! now offers the most complete set of foreclosure information and resources of any real estate portal, and will serve the needs of home buyers looking for foreclosure and bank-owned properties."

real estate listings in all states

RealtyTrac publishes the largest and most comprehensive national listings of foreclosure and bank-owned properties, with over 900,000 properties listed from nearly 2,500 counties across the country. Along with real-time access to RealtyTrac's database, the Yahoo! Real Estate Foreclosure Center will incorporate graphs depicting recent foreclosure activity, foreclosure sales and profitability information for each state and for the nation as a whole. It will house regularly refreshed news and feature articles about the foreclosure market, as well as a comprehensive guide to buying properties in foreclosure.

"At Yahoo! Real Estate our goal is to present consumers with information they need throughout every stage of the home buying process. Foreclosures offer a tremendous savings opportunity, yet for the average home buyer remains an area where access to information is limited," said Michael Yang, general manager, Yahoo! Real Estate. "Our enhanced Foreclosures Center can help educate and prepare consumers to consider foreclosures as a purchasing option."

"We believe the current market presents a unique opportunity for any buyer looking for a bargain," Saccacio said. "In the past, foreclosure data was only available to an elite set of investors who happened to have the right connections or were willing to sift through stacks of public records often located in the recesses of local government offices. Our mission at RealtyTrac is to make foreclosure data conveniently accessible to everyone, and the new and improved Yahoo! Real Estate Foreclosure Center will help to accomplish that mission."

Yahoo! Real Estate is a leading Internet resource with the mission to connect people to their new home through a comprehensive set of real estate tools and information, including MLS homes, apartments for rent, home values, local schools, and home mortgage rates. Consumers can visit Yahoo! Real Estate at http://realestate.yahoo.com/.

Ranked as the third largest real estate site by MediaMetrix and No. 53 on Inc. magazine's 2006 Inc. 500 list of the nation's fastest-growing private companies, RealtyTrac Inc. (http://www.realtytrac.com/), is the leading online marketplace for foreclosure properties, providing all the resources that home seekers, investors and real estate agents need to locate, evaluate and buy properties below market value.

Founded in 1996, RealtyTrac publishes the largest and most comprehensive national database of pre-foreclosure, foreclosure, For Sale By Owner, resale and new construction properties, with more than 1 million properties across the country, property reports, productivity tools and extensive professional resources. RealtyTrac hosts nearly 3 million unique visitors monthly and has been chosen to supply foreclosure data to MSN Real Estate, Yahoo! Real Estate and The Wall Street Journal's Real Estate Journal. For more information, visit http://www.realtytrac.com/.