By Rey Post, Managing Editor & Associate Broker Sotheby’s International Realty

The sophistication of current real estate marketing, communications, and technology tools and techniques is pretty astounding. Some examples: 3D modeling of properties by New York City technology innovator Floored.com, home management and organization software developed by California based HomeZada, and the online marketplace service that connects real estate agent listings with buyers developed by Philadelphia-based BuyerMLS.

All three of these companies participated in last year’s FWD Innovation Summit hosted by Realogy Holdings Corp at their Madison, New Jersey headquarters. The June 2013 event provided a number of companies with an opportunity to demonstrate who represented the “…most innovative technology product or service designed for the real estate industry.” A panel of judges gave the three companies referenced above first, second, and third place awards (respectively) for their cutting-edge technology innovations. Realogy Holdings Corp is a global leader in real estate franchising with several company-owned real estate brokerage brands, including Sotheby’s International Realty.

The three companies who won awards at Realogy’s 2013 innovation event are meeting the challenge of providing technologically creative ways for real estate agents, home owners, buyers, and sellers to communicate with one another, as well as market properties that are for sale.

Most real estate brokerages are also making sure that their websites are responding to consumer preferences, offering efficiently retrieved and visually appealing information pages. In addition, easily performed and fast online property searches are what savvy home buyers are seeking and real estate websites which offer these functions are the ones that typically get the most Internet traffic.

Also, iPads, smartphones, and other mobile devices continue to grow in popularity as the preferred tools for securing real estate information. This has required that online real estate advertising and information are fully adaptable to mobile device usage – for instance, more than 80 percent of smartphone users will delete messages that are not formatted in an easily read and appealing fashion.

All of us seem to have less time than ever to accomplish day-to-day tasks, let alone address all of the elements of today’s real estate transaction. The process is more complicated today due to – among other things – Federal mortgage lender requirements.

Buying and selling a home requires that consumers, their real estate agents, and every other professional involved in the process be at the top of his or her game. It’s logical that the latest technology and cutting-edge marketing and communications techniques are seen as absolutely essential tools in the process. Add to this the fact that the purchase of a home is probably the single largest expense that any consumer will ever have, so is it any wonder that there is a high expectation by every buyer and seller that real estate professionals employ the best methods, devices, and tools to achieve the end goal of success at the settlement table?

The “All Things Real Estate” (ATRE) marketing and communications platform embraces this marketplace reality and strives to use our unique delivery system – weekly radio show, newsletter, and website – to highlight the newest advances in the field of real estate. Show listeners have come to expect that we offer the latest news and information about trends in real estate, as well as advice on how best to navigate the intricacies of the home buying and selling process.

Our guest commentators – some of the best in their respective fields – come from every part of a home buying/selling transaction: mortgage, title insurance, property management, home inspection – to name a few.  We also offer commentary on the radio show and in our newsletter/blog from experts with extensive knowledge on issues important to every home owner including home construction/remodeling, accessorizing, interior design, landscape design, roof maintenance, homeowner association issues and many other topics. Other professionals who are part of our team of commentators bring valuable real estate related information to ATRE like investment strategies to protect real estate assets, as well as special community events and organizations important to home owners.

We invite you to take advantage of these resources, all of which can be found at our website (www.ATREradio.com), including information on the content of our weekly radio show (which streams to listeners all over the country each Sunday), as well as what our newsletter/blog has to offer on a range of real estate topics.

And lastly, all the latest marketing, technology, and communications tools in the world are only as good as the team that makes them work. Besides our excellent commentators, ATRE is also very lucky to get major support from the Hutton Broadcasting/SantaFe.com team, as well as the highly professional marketing staff at the Santa Fe brokerage of Sotheby’s International Realty. Most significantly, this newsletter and the other parts of the ATRE platform are made possible via efforts of Adrienne DeGuere, our Editor (who is also a Sotheby’s International Realty Office Administrator), as well as Mike Root, IT Support at Sotheby’s International Realty, who manages the online elements of ATRE.

We thank you for using ATRE for all of your real estate related needs. So, for now – and until next month – I wish you good luck and fortune in “All Things Real Estate.”