By Karen Kage, Chief Executive Officer

As you may know, Realcomp is already off to an exciting and busy year!

On January 11th, we released the new Listing Load program on Realcomp Online^®. The implementation of this new technology resulted in some newly created issues and led to a few requests for system changes and enhancements. Most of the issues that arose have since been corrected and our Information Technology (IT) Team is already moving forward on some of the enhancement requests. Based on the feedback we've received thus far, the application is working well. However, we continue to work toward incorporating additional changes to fully meet your Listing Load needs.

The most significant news item we have to communicate is the impending shutdown of the Compass (PC-Access) computer system. The system is scheduled to be officially retired on Tuesday, March 15th.

We continue to receive suggestions for changes to Realcomp Online^® that will make it function more like the Compass system. Many of these suggestions are being pursued and are expected to be installed prior to March 15th. In some cases, functionality being requested already exists, but is available through a different method. While this response is not what some are hoping for, Realcomp Online^® does not and will not work just like Compass. Our goal is to make sure that you can retrieve the information you need to do your job and continue to be successful. We will continue to communicate enhancements as they are ready for installation. Please watch the system login screens and fax & RealMail (e-mail) broadcasts for immediate updates.

Another topic that is equally important is the ceiling that Realcomp has imposed on the number of "public" users that can access Realcomp Online^® at a given time. Once the total number of simultaneous users on the system has reached a maximum threshold, further requests for information from non-subscribers (i.e. consumers viewing e-mail updates) are no longer allowed at that time. Currently, a message is displayed that informs the user to try again during non-peak usage hours, as our first obligation is to provide access and services to our customers. This restriction does not prevent Realcomp Subscribers from accessing Realcomp Online^®. However, if you are clicking on a prospect link such as those that are sent to your customers, you may receive the same notice.

We are also working on implementing a major set of enhancements which should allow us to serve more simultaneous non-subscribing users. While that number will never reach the "unlimited" mark, we do expect to increase it to better accommodate users. Watch for more updates on this in the very near future.

We realize that the discontinuation of the Compass system is a huge change for many of you. However, it truly is necessary. We will continue to do everything we can to make this transition as smooth as possible.

Please let us know how we are doing - we want to hear from you. I can be reached by phone at 248-699-9120 or by e-mail.