The following is a list of Inman News Innovator Awards winners, from the awards debut in March 1998 through the winners announced at the Real Estate Connect conference in 2010.
2010
Most Innovative New Technology: ZipRealty’s HomeScan.
Most Innovative Web Service: Houston Association of Realtors’ Realtor Match.
Most Innovative Blog: Tech Savvy Agent blog.
Most Innovative Media Site: ProPublica Eye on Loan Modifications.
People’s Choice Award: DocuSign’s ESIGNControl app.
Innovator of the Year No. 1: Sherry Chris, president and CEO of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate LLC.
Innovator of the Year No. 2: Dale Stinton, CEO, National Association of Realtors.
…CONTINUED
2009
Most Innovative Brokerage or Franchise: Nest Realty Group
Most Innovative Technology: Closing.com
Most Innovative Web Service: Ubertor
Most Innovative Blog: The Phoenix Real Estate Guy
Most Innovative Media Site: Breaking News Network (Domus Consulting Group)
…CONTINUED
2008
Most Innovative Brokerage or Franchise: Sawbuck Realty
Most Innovative Web Service: Estately
Most Innovative Technology: Roost
Most Innovative Blog: Agent Genius
Most Innovative Media Site: Frontdoor
…CONTINUED
2007
Innovator of the Year: The Craigslist community
Most Innovative Brokerage or Franchise: Coldwell Banker
Most Innovative Blog: Mortgage Fraud Blog
Most Innovative Web Service: vFlyer
Most Innovative Technology: AltosCharts widget
Most Innovative Media Site: ActiveRain …CONTINUED
2006
Individual Innovator: Mark Lesswing, chief technology officer and senior vice president of the National Association of Realtors’ Center for Realtor Technology
Most Innovative Real Estate Blog (first year): Urban Digs, published by Noah Rosenblatt
Most Innovative Real Estate Brokerage: RE/MAX International
Innovative Web Service: Trulia real estate search engine
Most Innovative New Business Model: Redfin Direct, online buyer’s agent service.
Most Innovative Real Estate Data Site: PropertyShark
Most Innovative Technology Award: CellSigns real estate text messaging service
Most Innovative Mortgage Company or Service: Air Force Credit Union
Most Innovative Media Site: October Research
Most Innovative Rental or New Home Online Service: MyNewPlace …CONTINUED
2005
Individual Innovator: Earl Lee, president of Prudential Real Estate Affiliates
Special award (first time): U.S. Justice Department, for promoting open competition in the real estate industry
Most Innovative Real Estate Brokerage No. 1: Chicago-based Baird & Warner
Most Innovative Real Estate Brokerage No. 2: Real Living
Innovative New Business Model: Century 21 ClickIt
Most Innovative Technology No. 1: Google Earth
Most Innovative Technology No. 2: Cendant’s Lead Router
Most Innovative Web Service: HomeGain
Most Innovative Mortgage Company: Metrocities Mortgage
Most Innovative Media Site No. 1: The New York Times Real Estate section
Most Innovative Media Site No. 2: Curbed.com
Most Innovative Rental or New Homes Online Service: ApartmentRatings.com
Most Innovative Real Estate Data Site: Fidelity’s Mortgage PhD site …CONTINUED
2004
Individual Innovator: Ian Morris, online real estate veteran and CEO of HouseValues
Most Innovative Real Estate Brokerage: ZipRealty
Most Innovative Mortgage Technology: DeepGreen Bank
Most Innovative Online Real Estate: Fair Isaac Corp., myFICO.com
Most Innovative Real Estate Technology: Weichert Realtors’ lead network
Most Innovative Real Estate Transaction Applications: VREO Software’s brokerage platform
Most Innovative Online Rental and New Homes: Realty Data Trust, VaultWare technology
Most Innovative Real Estate Data: Terradatum, BrokerMetrics platform
Inman Innovator Award for Online Real Estate Publishing: Boston.com
Most Innovative Alternative Business Model: Catalist Homes …CONTINUED
2003
Individual Innovator: Russ Capper, eRealty founder, CEO
Most Innovative Business model: YHD Foxtons
Most Innovative Company: Ellie Mae, ePass system
Best Transaction Innovation: First American Real Estate Solutions, Realist
Best Innovation in Lending: E*Trade Financial, Mortgage on the Move …CONTINUED
2002
Most Innovative Real Estate Company: John L. Scott Real Estate
Most Innovative Transaction Program: EBay Real Estate’s Offer Management System
Most Innovative Use of the Internet: ConnectingNeighbors.com
Most Innovative Use of Technology in Lending: Nexstar Financial Corp.’s PBN program
Most Innovative Technology Pioneer: Doug Lebda, CEO, LendingTree …CONTINUED
2001
Most Innovative Real Estate Company: Keller Williams
Most Innovative Technology Application or Feature: DataQuick, Property Finder
Best Transaction Innovation: Home-Link
Most Innovative Use of the Internet: SafeRent.com
Most Innovative Use of Technology in Lending: Indymac Bank, e-MITS technology
Most Innovative Technology Pioneer: Chris Larsen, CEO, E-Loan …CONTINUED
2000 (second of two this year)
Most Innovative Residential Web Site: HomeBytes.com
Best Web Application or Feature: Supra Products, eKey
Most Innovative Lending Web Site or Service: LendingTree.com
Most Innovative Commercial Web Site: TenantWise
Best Web Application or Feature (commercial): NAIdirect.com, RealTrac online
Web realty pioneer No. 1 (residential): Phil Dawley, key role in building back-end listing engine at Realtor.com
Web realty pioneer No. 2 (commercial): Andy Florence, CEO and co-founder, CoStar Group Inc. …CONTINUED
2000 (first of two this year)
Web application or feature (residential): VistaInfo, NearMyHome.com
Web application or feature (commercial): Julien J. Studley Inc., UltraNet
Most Innovative Web site (residential): Living.com
Most Innovative Web site (commercial): Redbricks.com
Most Innovative Web site or Internet Service, lending: Mortgagebot.com
Best Innovation by an offline company: Corcoran Group, Corcoran.com
Web pioneer (commercial): Dennis DeAndre
Web pioneer (residential): Joel Singer, California Association of Realtors …CONTINUED
1999
Web Pioneer No. 1: Becky Swann, founder, International Real Estate Digest (1994)
Web Pioneer No. 2: Bill Millichap, Marcus & Millichap Real Estate
Most Innovative Web Application or Feature (residential): Live Assistance (live chat)
Most Innovative Web Application or Feature (commercial): The REMM Group Property Management Intranet
Most Innovative Website (residential): SpringStreet
Most Innovative Website (commercial): Realty Information Group (RIG)
Most Innovative Web site or Internet Service, lending: GHR Systems
Best Offline Innovation: SOMA Living, Buyer Stores …CONTINUED
1998 (second of two this year)
Pioneer Innovator Award, Web Pioneer No. 1 (residential): Richard Janssen, president, RealSelect
Early Innovator Award, Web Pioneer No. 2 (commercial): Peter Pike, PikeNet commercial directory
Most Innovative Web or Software Application (commercial): NAI, Transaction Monitoring Tool
Most Innovative Web or Software Application (residential): Coldwell Banker, Personal Retriever
Most Innovative Web Presence (commercial): Landauer Associates
Most Innovative Web Real Estate Service (residential): Microsoft, HomeAdvisor
Most Innovative Web Service, Mortgages: HomeShark
Most Innovative Web Real Estate Service (commercial): LoopNet …CONTINUED
1998 (first of two this year)
Early Innovator Award No. 1: Russ Bergeron, operator, Southern California MLS
Early Innovator Award No.2: RentNet
Software applications that help the real estate industry be more efficient and speed up the real estate transaction: DataTrak Cloverleaf
Hardware that helps the real estate industry be more efficient and speeds up the real estate transaction: Intel chips
Web-related or online service that helps the real estate industry be more efficient and speeds up the transaction: RealBid
Web-related or online services that help consumers save time or money: Intuit’s QuickenMortgage
The deadline to submit nominations for the 2011 Inman News Innovator Awards is July 1, 2011.
Questions about the nomination process? Write to press@sandbox.inman.com with "AWARDS" in the subject line.
See related article: Nominate the 2011 Real Estate Innovators.
