Originally posted on the the Mobile Realty Apps blog…
The updated Triangle MLS iPad app enables agents to deliver superior new insight
RALEIGH, March 13, 2014 – At today’s Triangle MLS Technology Fair, Triangle MLS and Mobile Realty Apps are pleased to announce that the newly updated Triangle MLS iPad app is the industry’s first MLS app to empower agents with ability to identify and compare homes based on typical drive time to work and other important destinations.
The new search feature included in the Triangle MLS iPad app is called INRIX Drive Time™. The app provides real estate agents who are subscribers of Triangle MLS with an easy, visual means to find all homes for sale within a specific drive time between respective properties and their work address, schools or other important locations based on typical travel times at rush hour and throughout the day.
“One of our most important goals is to provide our subscribers with the tools to empower them to create fantastic home buyer experiences for their clients,” said Tessa Hultz, Triangle MLS, CEO and President, “By adding INRIX Drive Time to our iPad app, we enable our agents to take the guess work out of commuting times and therefore increase the value our agents can bring to their home buying clientele. It’s another example of using big data to provide a personalized experience of one. We are pleased to be working with both Mobile Realty Apps to build our app and INRIX to help shorten our sales cycles with real driving information.”
According to the National Association of REALTORS®, 73 percent of all homebuyers consider drive time to work a key purchase criterion. Further, INRIX just released its annual rankings of 100 worst cities for traffic congestion, which shows that Raleigh is ranked 42nd 12.1 hours per year unnecessarily stuck in traffic congestion.
“We are excited to be leveraging two important trends for Triangle MLS: The rapid growth of tablet usage among real estate agents and American’s measuring distance in minutes, not miles” said Aaron Kardell, Founder and CEO, Mobile Realty Apps. “For the first time, members of any MLS can now instantly help home buyers first pick the right neighborhood based on drivability, and then pick the right house within that neighborhood. Gone are the days of having to drive each of the final home candidates on weekday rush hours to guesstimate drive times to work.”
INRIX Drive Time is powered by traffic information sourced from the INRIX Traffic Intelligence Platform, which analyzes data from a variety of public and private sources ranging from government road sensors, official accident and incident reports to real-time traffic speeds crowd-sourced from a community of approximately 100 million drivers. INRIX analyzes of traffic speeds also factors in impacts common to the day of the week, season, local holidays, current and forecasted weather, accidents and road construction giving drivers insight that helps them save time, fuel and avoid frustration every day. INRIX real-time traffic information* is refreshed every minute then archived into an historical database updated every 6 weeks ensuring Triangle MLS always has the most current drive time information .
“In a world where real estate professionals are having a hard time impressing and delighting their clients with accurate and timely data, we are very pleased to be working with Triangle MLS and their on the list with drivers wasting on average app developer, Mobile Realty Apps, to become the first U.S. MLS to offer search by INRIX Drive Time to its membership” said Kevin Foreman, General Manager, GeoAnalytics, INRIX. “We are taking the guess work out of commute times and helping homebuyers find homes that fit driving needs as well as their financial needs.”
* INRIX real-time traffic information has been found accurate within 3 mph of actual traffic speeds under all driving conditions 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Source: I-95 Coalition Validation of INRIX Data Summary Report.
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About Triangle MLS, Inc. — Triangle MLS, Inc. (TMLS) is a regional multiple listing service with a jurisdiction covering 16 counties in the greater Triangle region of North Carolina. TMLS provides a wide variety of valuable products, programs, and services for over 7,000 REALTORS® and appraisers. TMLS equips subscribers with tools to facilitate the home buying and selling process, encourages cooperation and efficiency between REALTORS®, and provides a single repository of property information in the Triangle region. TMLS strives for accuracy and excellence by enforcing adherence to the organization’s rules, regulations, policies, and bylaws which support industry professionalism, brings order and efficiencies to the real estate market place, and enhances cooperation between participants. TMLS is a wholly owned subsidiary corporation of the Raleigh Regional Association of REALTORS®. For more information, please visit us at: www.trianglemls.com
About Mobile Realty Apps — Mobile Realty Apps creates award winning native mobile apps for North America’s top real estate brokers and MLSs. The company is the creator of HomeSpotter, a fascinating augmented reality technology that is a feature of its white-labeled smartphone and tablet apps. Founded in 2009 and based in Minneapolis, Mobile Realty Apps now services over 125,000 agents working with various brokers and MLSs including NorthstarMLS, Edina Realty, Reece and Nichols, and NorthwestMLS. Visit www.mobilerealtyapps.com for more information.
About INRIX — INRIX is one of the fastest growing big data technology companies in the world. The company leverages big data analytics to reduce the individual, economic and environmental toll of traffic congestion. Through cutting-edge data intelligence and predictive traffic technologies, INRIX helps leading automakers, fleets, governments and news organizations make it easier for drivers to navigate their world. Our vision is simple – to solve traffic, empower drivers, inform planning and enhance commerce. Whether through an in-car or smartphone navigation application, a local newscast or our INRIX Traffic app, our up-to-the-minute traffic information and other driver services reach more than 150 million drivers to help them save time, fuel and frustration. INRIX delivers traffic and driving-related insight, as well as sophisticated analytical tools and services across six industries covering nearly 4 million miles of road in 37 countries. For more information, visit us at www.inrix.com.
