Sears Holding Company recently launched a commercial real estate website operating under the guise of SHC Realty. The real estate listings website is dedicated to filling vacant stores and retail spaces and according to the Chicago Tribune the move was part of an overall plan to make its' "...chain of department and discount stores more productive."

Although the concept may appear to be new, Sears is actually the third major retailer to get in on the commercial real estate game. Wal-Mart (WMT) and grocery chain Safeway (SWY) both have similar websites that were launched earlier this decade.

For those who are struggling with the concept of Sears in the real estate industry it is important to note that the retailer has been a strong proponent of the industry in the past.

Sears Modern Homes

At the turn of the 20th century, Sears was so successful, that the company had enough resources and interest to foray into the home market for the first time. From 1908-1940 Sears Modern Home sold prefab homes direct to consumers. During that time period consumers the mail order business sold 70,000 - 75,000 kit homes.

Sears provided one stop shopping for interested consumers and construction companies. At that time, Sears not only sold the homes (complete with instructions and guarantees) they provided home financing. During that time period, the mortgages provided by lender were about 5-15 years long and featured an interest rate of about 6 percent to 7 percent. The company liquidated that mortgage division in response to the Great Depression.

The homes featured pre-cut and fitted materials and were delivered to consumers via trains. The planned community in Chicago's suburb of Elgin, Illinois has the largest known collection of Sears Homes still standing. More than 200 Sears Catalog Homes line the local streets.

The History of Sears

Sears, Roebuck and Company has been part of the American retail landscape sine the 19th century. At that time Richard Warren Sears and Alvah Curtis Roebuck launched a mail-order catalog business. While the original business model was based on watch sales that Sears personally handled, a partnership with Roebuck was created and the catalog business was first born.

At that time, the targeted demographic were farmers. Sears and Roebuck noted that farmers often bought their supplies at local general stores at inflated prices. That fact provided them with the core audience for the business. The first official Sears catalog was published in 1888, and because of the large assortment of inventory and affordable price points, the business boomed.

By 1906, the Sears catalog earned the nickname of being the "the Consumers' Bible" because of the diversity of the products offered. The first retail of the outlet did not open until 1925 and when it did, it was situated in the company's headquarters in the Merchandise building. By the 1950s, Sears retail stores started to open throughout the nation's suburbs and by 1980 the company had become the nation's largest retailer.

Sears has diversified greatly over the years and consumers should no that the financial Juggernaut is financial involved in other businesses including:

• Discover credit card services
• Kmart
• Dean Witter Reynolds
• The Great Indoors
• Land's End Clothing
• Orchard Supply Hardware
• A&E Factory Service
• Sears also has had dozens of store brands during their history including Allstate Insurance, Kenmore, Diehard and Silvertone.

Sears Commercial Real Estate

Sears officially announced the latest real estate news regarding the launch of the SHCRealty.com website this past May at the Council of Shopping Centers' real estate convention in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Tribune reported that at that time the portal was introduced as a way for retailers to easily find "...thousands of Sears and Kmart stores available for sale, rent or partial lease as shops within the stores." The online database is first organized by two varieties of properties including "Operating Store Opportunities" and "Closed Store Opportunities."

Consumers interested in buying a piece of history can find Sears homes for sale across the nation and Mortgage Marvel can help you find the low mortgage rate you need quickly and easily. Not only do we provide current mortgage rate information in real time, the personal info of mortgage seekers is not required.