Seattle, grab your popcorn and get ready for a real estate rumble.
Inman News, an industry publication for real estate professionals, has announced the finalists for their annual Innovator Awards, and two of Seattle’s own are in the running to be named 2013’s most innovative brokerage or franchise.
Redfin and Estately, already competitors in the world of real estate search and brokerages, are now up against one another to see if either of them can take home the crown. Each firm already has an Inman award under its belt – Redfin won “Innovator of the Year” in 2006, and Estately won “Most Innovative Real Estate Web Service” in 2008 – but neither has earned a win since then.
The two local contenders are up against steep competition from out-of-town as well. Their other competitors for the award are M Squared Real Estate, Movoto, @properties, Reality ONE Group, Red Oak Realty and Windemere Real Estate.
The awards will be announced next week at Inman’s annual conference in San Francisco.
Of course, there are plenty of other tech companies in the real estate business, beyond brokerages. Among other categories, the awards also include “Most Innovative Real Estate Agent App, Tool or Vendor” and “Most Innovative Use of New Technology,” which includes Zillow Digs and Trulia’s Google Glass app.
Update: In addition to Estately and Redfin, Imprev and Zillow are each nominated for two awards this year. The two of them are among the competitors for “Most Innovative Digital Real Estate Marketing Campaign or Strategy,” and Imprev is up for “Most Innovative Brokerage or Franchise App, Tool or Vendor,” while Zillow is a finalist for “Most Innovative Use of New Technology.” My apologies for their previous omission.
What do you think: which tech company deserves the title of most innovative in real estate? Let us know in the comments.
