Realtor.com® has partnered with Home Team Sports to feature three Major League Baseball (MLB) player wives in a new broadcast and digital series, “Finding the Home Run Home,” the News Corp subsidiary Move, Inc.-operated company recently announced.
The series, released ahead of the MLB’s trading deadline on July 31, highlights the home-buying and moving experiences of Leslee Holliday (wife to New York Yankees designated hitter Matt Holliday), Jennifer Utley (wife to Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Chase Utley) and Julianna Zobrist (wife to Chicago Cubs second baseman Ben Zobrist), who had to relocate when their husbands were traded to new teams. The wives share several tips, such as using 3D tours, the realtor.com draw feature and search filters, to make the transition successful.
“Home has [an] important, and different, meaning to everyone,” says Andrew Strickman, head of brand and chief creative at realtor.com. “Families of professional athletes often experience sudden moves when traded between teams, providing additional challenges to find the home of their dreams. ‘Finding the Home Run Home’ showcases what home means to the wives of three MLB players at the top of their game and helps fans understand these families’ experiences on a personal level, including some valuable moving tips. “Our partnership with Home Team Sports highlights realtor.com’s dedication to helping every family, even those who live their lives on the move like our favorite baseball players, find their dream home.”
In the series, Holliday explained that over her husband’s 14-year professional baseball career, they have lived in 11 homes in four different cities, most recently moving again when her husband signed with the Yankees in December.
“Living in Florida, you have to find a home in New York for you and your family,” Holliday said. “It was just really inconvenient for us to fly up to New York City and walk through every single home we saw. 3D tours allowed us to make a decision from home, which is very, very convenient.”
Utley has lived in 12 homes since her husband broke into the big leagues in 2003.
“Moving doesn’t scare me,” Utley said. “I realize that moving is fun and can be a game if you want it to be. I’m always watching the market. The whole process is my happy place. I’m very particular about my home and I have a lot of experience and I’ve definitely curated my want list. Using filters are really very easy. I can pinpoint exactly what I want in a house with the number of bedrooms, bathrooms, pool, no pool, yard, what neighborhood I’m in, what schools I want. Realtor.com is the one-stop shop for finding your perfect house.”
Zobrist and her husband moved 10 times in 10 years before finally purchasing their first home in Chicago.
“When Chicago called it felt like the stars aligned,” Zobrist said. “We had to move quickly and do it efficiently. We realized that we desired for our kids to be around more children and for us to be closer to the stadium. I totally love the draw search feature because then you are able to pinpoint the area you want to live in.”
Realtor.com is also sponsoring a segment, titled “Buyer’s and Seller’s,” during pre-game shows for 19 MLB teams.
Home Team Sports is a sales unit of Fox Sports.
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