Prudential Real Estate Ranked Highest for Seller Satisfaction in J.D. Power and Associates'...

Prudential Real Estate Ranked Highest for Seller Satisfaction in J.D. Power and Associates' 2008 Home Buyer/Seller Study

IRVINE, Calif.--(Business Wire)--
Prudential Real Estate Affiliates, Inc., a Prudential Financial,
Inc. (NYSE: PRU) company, today announced that Prudential Real Estate
ranks "Highest Satisfaction for Home Sellers Among National Full
Service Real Estate Firms" in J.D. Power and Associates' 2008 Home
Buyer/Seller Study(SM).

The inaugural study measures customer satisfaction of home sellers
and buyers with major national real estate companies. Overall
satisfaction is determined by examining four factors for the
home-selling experience: agent (43%); marketing (38%); office (12%);
and services (7%).

Among home sellers, Prudential Real Estate achieved a score of 793
on a 1,000-point scale - and Prudential Real Estate received
particularly high ratings from customers in the marketing and office
factors.

"We are very proud of this distinction, as it underscores the
quality of our affiliates and their hard-working sales professionals,"
said Laurie Keenan, president of Prudential Real Estate Affiliates.
"Our sales professionals are local experts, and sellers appreciate
their ability to market and price homes right - along with providing
exceptional, attentive service."

The study finds that despite the popularity of home selling and
buying resources on the Internet, the real estate sales professional
remains key to customer satisfaction with real estate companies. A
large proportion of both home sellers and buyers rely on the Internet
to facilitate the real estate process, with 61 percent of sellers
saying that they used Internet tools to help them in the purchase
process, and 68 percent of buyers reporting that they used a website
listing to market their home. In addition, among home sellers, online
methods are the most important aspect of marketing.

However, the sales professional carries the greatest importance
among the factors that comprise overall satisfaction among both home
sellers and buyers.

According to J.D. Power and Associates, although the Internet
provides real estate consumers with the ability to perform some
essential tasks - such as listing a home for sale or researching a
neighborhood in which to purchase a home - it still does not replace
the importance of a good sales professional. The knowledge and
expertise provided by experienced sales professionals are important
benefits of using a full-service real estate company.

The study also finds that the average time a respondent's home
remained on the market was slightly more than six months; although
home sellers represented by the top-ranking real estate companies
report that their homes were on the market for slightly less time -
approximately five and a half months, on average.

Satisfaction averages 794 among those customers whose homes sold
within five months or less, but declines considerably to an average of
730 among customers whose homes took seven months or longer to sell,
the study showed. A real estate company that provides sales
professionals who are skilled at determining the appropriate market
value and listing price for homes, and who can effectively market
properties, can help minimize the time that clients' homes remain on
the market -which can save the seller money, inconvenience and
anxiety.

Nearly one-half of respondents in the study (46%) reported using
recommendations from family or friends to find their real estate sales
professional. Approximately 28 percent used the Internet, 23 percent
used a sales professional they had used previously and 11 percent used
a printed real estate guide.

The study reports that home buyers were shown an average of 13
homes before they made a purchase. Home sellers reported that, on
average, their home was shown 11 times, and about five open houses
were conducted before a sale occurred.

The 2008 Home Buyer/Seller Study includes 3,670 evaluations from
3,205 respondents who bought or sold a home between April 2007 and
June 2008.

Based in Westlake Village, Calif., J.D. Power and Associates is a
global marketing information services company operating in key
business sectors including market research, forecasting, performance
improvement, training and customer satisfaction. The company's quality
and satisfaction measurements are based on responses from millions of
consumers annually. For more information on cell phone ratings, car
reviews and ratings, car insurance, health insurance and more, visit
JDPower.com. J.D. Power and Associates is a business unit of The
McGraw-Hill Companies.

Prudential Real Estate and Relocation Services, Inc. is
Prudential's integrated real estate brokerage franchise and relocation
services business. Prudential Real Estate franchises are independently
owned and operated. Companies are selected based upon outstanding
performance records, high levels of customer service and shared
business values with those of Prudential. Prudential Real Estate
provides franchises with business strategies using Operation Reviews
as well as numerous benefits, including access to Prudential Real
Estate's Online Seller Advantage(SM) program designed to provide
real-time information to sellers with the touch of a keystroke.
Prudential Real Estate is one of the largest real estate brokerage
franchise networks in North America, with nearly 2,100 franchise
offices and approximately 64,000 sales professionals in the franchise
Network as of June 30, 2008.

Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE: PRU), a financial services
leader with approximately $638 billion of assets under management as
of June 30, 2008, has operations in the United States, Asia, Europe,
and Latin America. Leveraging its heritage of life insurance and asset
management expertise, Prudential is focused on helping approximately
50 million individual and institutional customers grow and protect
their wealth. The company's well-known Rock(R) symbol is an icon of
strength, stability, expertise and innovation that has stood the test
of time. Prudential's businesses offer a variety of products and
services, including life insurance, annuities, retirement-related
services, mutual funds, investment management, and real estate
services. For more information, please visit
http://www.news.prudential.com/.

Prudential Financial, Inc.
Sheila Bridgeforth, 973-802-6852
Sheila.bridgeforth@prudential.com

Copyright Business Wire 2008