Service: Trulia

What it does: Real estate site lets homebuyers search for homes in markets across the U.S. Brokers can advertise and post listings via XML data feed or other methods.

Why it will succeed: If location, location and location are what real estate is all about, then business plan, business plan and business plan are why Trulia is rising to the top. As noted by VentureBeat, Trulia has gone beyond the usual reliance on ad-driven CPMs and CPCs. The service charges $50 to real estate agents to pick 10 of their relevant home listings to be featured near the top of the list in Trulia's search results.

Why it hasn't succeeded yet: It still has formidable competition (including Zillow) and it’s hard getting traction in a down market.

'Net views:

WebHomeUSA: "In trying to Search Engine Optimize (SEO) my own Website, WebHomeUSA.com for Street Address and the Zip Code searches in the Greater Rochester (NY) Area, I found a curious thing: My competition wasn't Realtor.com, the big local brokers or even Zillow.com. My competition, there, right under my nose and my radar screen, was Trulia.com."

Management: Peter Flint, CEO and co-founder; board includes Greg Waldorf, CEO and founding investor of eHarmony. Funding: Trulia is backed by Accel Partners, Sequoia Capital and angel investors and has raised approximately $18 million.

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