Entrepreneur plans real estate guide: ; Publication will be distributed to stores, offices

People shopping for a home soon will have another publicationdesigned to serve them.

Beginning in February, local entrepreneur Dan Lanham will publish"The Real Estate Book," aimed at serving Kanawha, Putnam and Jacksoncounties.

Lanham faces formidable competition. The field already consistsof "Real Estate Sunday," published by Charleston Newspapers; "OldColony Co. Better Homes & Gardens Showcase of Homes," published byOld Colony Co. Better Homes & Gardens; and "Kanawha Valley Guide toReal Estate," published by Prestige Magazine.

Those who advertise in the full-color publication will have allof their listings in the magazine also posted on an Internet site,Lanham said. That site, currently under construction, will beaccessible at www.treb.com.

A potential customer who contacts "The Real Estate Book's"Internet site will be sent a copy of the magazine and an agent inthe potential customer's town will be notified, Lanham said.

"The Real Estate Guide's" small digest-size-book format is handyand popular, Lanham said.

Lanham plans to publish every three weeks, and 15,000 copies ofthe first issue will be printed. It will go to various locations,including convenience stores, grocery stores and real estateoffices.

Lanham acquired the independent distributor franchise fromNetwork Communications Inc. of Lawrenceville, Ga.

"Real Estate Sunday" is published every Sunday by CharlestonNewspapers, a 50-50 joint venture that handles advertising andcirculation for the Daily Mail and the Gazette.

Larry Levak, vice president of advertising for CharlestonNewspapers, said "Real Estate Sunday" is inserted in the full run ofthe Sunday Gazette-Mail. The circulation - 102,000 - includesreaders "in just about all of the counties in the state."

Levak said one of Real Estate Sunday's advantages is a shortturnaround time. "Our deadline is noon Wednesday for Real EstateSunday. We can get last-minute open house listings, photos, agentand bank listings published. We also have features on house plans,tips for selling a home and how to redecorate. So it is very timely.

"A big selling point for Real Estate Sunday is, it's delivereddirectly to the homes," Levak said. "People have it delivered tothem, rather than having to go out and search for the latest realestate publication."

All of the homes advertised in Real Estate Sunday also are postedon the Internet, Levak said. They can be viewed by going to http://www.wvgazette.com or http://sundaygazettemail.com and clicking onthe real estate button or by going to http://www.dailymail.com andclicking on the classifieds button.

Old Colony Co. publishes its Showcase of Homes every two weeks,said Robert Thomas, director of marketing.

"We cover 100 percent of Kanawha and Putnam counties and about 40percent of Jackson County," Thomas said.

Eighty thousand copies of the guide are published, he said, with72,000 inserted in the Sunday Gazette-Mail and the remaining 8,000distributed from racks in the region.

"We're able to get it across the threshold because it's insertedin the paper," Thomas said. "It comes to you. You don't have to goout and get it."

Thomas said the magazine was established about 2 1/2 years ago.

"The feedback has been very positive," he said. "We wanted anoption to the 'Kanawha Valley Guide to Real Estate.' Our agentswanted a full-color, affordable way to advertise. It is one of thetools our associates use as a point of difference - it is somethingwe can offer sellers than other firms cannot."

All of the homes featured in the Showcase of Homes are alsolisted on Old Colony's Internet site, www.oldcolony.com

Prestige Magazine publishes the "Kanawha Valley Guide to RealEstate" twice a month. The large-format, color magazine servesKanawha and Putnam counties.

Publisher Rex Eagon would not say how many copies aredistributed.

Writer George Hohmann can be reached at 348-4836.