• by Masha Geller , August 19, 2002

Looks like people aren’t just more interested in traveling in recent weeks, they’re more interested in settling down as well. Nielsen//NetRatings late last week reported that traffic spiked at various home and real estate websites, as mortgage rates continued to drop lower in recent weeks.

"Real estate websites make the home-buying process a little less arduous, serving as a useful resource with the latest information on listings, mortgage rates, and tips for buying and selling a home," said Kim Pillon, Internet analyst at Nielsen//NetRatings, adding that with 15 and 30-year mortgage rates at record lows, Americans are increasingly turning to the Web to get information on refinancing their homes or searching for new ones.

According to NetRatings, Century21.com attracted 153,000 unique visitors at home for the week ending August 11, increasing 25% since the week ending July 21, when 30-year mortgage rates began its decline to its lowest levels in years.

Also, traffic to Homestore.com jumped 12% to 674,000 unique visitors, while MSN HomeAdvisor attracted 705,000 unique visitors, rising 11%. Realtor.com grew 8% to 939,000 unique visitors last week, compared to 867,000 visitors during the week ending July 21.

Elsewhere on the web, the latest entrant into the reality-based television line-up, "The Anna Nicole Show," drove 17% more traffic to E! Online, according to Nielsen//NetRatings. The site attracted more than one million unique visitors for the week ending August 11, with surfers logging on to view a picture gallery of Anna Nicole Smith, the controversial former model and star of the series. Judging by the show’s TV ratings, the online interest in this particular series will probably be short-lived.

Not so with Rugby shirts. Old Navy soared 56% to 549,000 unique visitors for the week ending August 11. Thirty-five percent of shoppers logged on for a chance to win $10,000. COMPUSA.com's $10,000 sweepstakes also drew surfers online, as the site's traffic jumped 43% to 238,000 unique visitors. Nineteen percent of the site's audience visited the special sweepstakes page.