Vacation rentals giant HomeAway has made an acquisition today—social vacation rentals platform Second Porch. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Second Porch, which launched in 2009, helps you find and share vacation rentals through your social circle on Facebook. The site’s Facebook app allows owners create a free property listing that can be broadcast to your Facebook friends. The app also aggregates all listings onto a map from your friends (owners can also choose to let anyone on Facebook see their listings) and lets people search for rentals by location, rate or amenities. And of course, you can search or filter by properties owned by friends.
The app also offers a complimentary website which has similar functionality. HomeAway says that it will integrate Second Porch’s social technology across its network of vacation rental sites. Eventually HomeAway will migrate Second Porch’s users over to its network.
HomeAway recently filed for a $230 million IPO, and has raised close to a half a billion dollars in venture funding. The company recently stated in its S-1 filing that it will pursue acquisitions to help broaden its market and technologies, so we can expect more purchases in the future.
HomeAway, Inc., based in Austin, Texas, represents more than 540,000 paid vacation rental home listings throughout 120 countries, and connects homeowners and property managers with the millions of travelers seeking alternatives to hotels. HomeAway offers an extensive selection of vacation homes that provide travelers with memorable experiences and benefits, including more room to relax and added privacy, for less than the cost of traditional accommodations. The company also makes it easy for vacation rental...
Second Porch is a vacation rental listing and house swap application for Facebook. Homeowners can list on the application that maximizes the dynamic social interactions that Facebook enables for 250 million people so far, connecting the vacation rentals with their existing network. This enables a personal interaction with increased accountability and trust.
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