Creativity is an unsung driver in real estate. New ideas powered by new technologies drive growth and innovation, paving the way for new opportunities. The iOi platform exists to identify, amplify, highlight and celebrate creativity and innovation in real estate.
Each year, the iOi Innovator of the Year Award recognizes leaders and changemakers who drive the advancement of real estate through innovation, no matter what role they play. iOi is accepting applications for the 2025 award through May 2. And for those who need a nudge to apply or to encourage an innovator: gather inspiration from past award recipients Kathleen Lappe, Ines Hegedus-Garcia, and Pritesh Damani as they share how this award can make a difference to your business.
Identifying the Challenges and Needs
Great innovation addresses a need, solves a problem, removes a roadblock, or envisions a better way forward. Consider the contributions of these 2024 iOi Innovators of the Year honorees:
- Making listings more inclusive: Kathleen Lappe’s journey started with her autistic daughter, who couldn’t understand real estate listings the way they were presented online. “That experience opened my eyes to a larger issue: Millions of people with hearing, visual, neurodiverse, or language barriers are left behind in real estate,” said Lappe. So, she created a solution: Her company developed and patented DO AudioTours, which makes listings more inclusive and ADA-compliant. “We built it to help people like my daughter,” says Lappe, founder and chief executive officer of DirectOffer®. “We patented it to protect the agents and MLSs who use it. And now it’s automating across multiple MLSs.”
- Driving AI solutions: Ines Hegedus-Garcia, managing partner of Avanti Way Realty and a former chair of the National Association of REALTORS® Federal Technology Policy Committee, was inspired by the potential for committee meetings to blend informative presentations with collaborative, think-tank-style discussions to engage the group. “When I stepped into the chair role … I made it a point to transform the committee into a collaborative, action-driven group” says Hegedus-Garcia. NAR didn’t yet have a voice in Washington when it came to AI and, given how rapidly the technology is evolving, one of Hegedus-Garcia biggest wins was getting the ball rolling on AI policy on Capitol Hill.
- Increasing agent efficiency: Pritesh Damani, chief technology officer at Real Brokerage wanted to build a fully integrated technology platform to transform agents’ businesses and lives to give agents “more control, stability and long-term financial success.” Leo, an AI-powered assistant, acts as a copilot, anticipating agent needs, streamlining workflows and making intelligent recommendations based on real-time behaviors. Real Wallet, their industry-first financial platform, provides seamless commission access, revenue-sharing insights and wealth-building tools—all designed specifically for real estate professionals.
The Impact of Innovation
Innovators and their organizations often quickly reap the benefits of their creativity and leadership. For the 2024 award winners, the impact on their businesses and the real estate space was realized in the first 12 months.
“We launched a full internal protocol … to help our agents navigate the sweeping industry changes tied to buyer representation and compensation,” Hegedus-Garcia notes. “We built tools, created systems, and trained hundreds of agents to embrace the new landscape confidently.” And her goal went beyond compliance: “It was about using innovation to turn disruption into opportunity, and helping our agents lead with value instead of fear,” she adds. “That kind of meaningful, system-based innovation is what fuels me—and what I think the [Innovator of the Year] award is truly about.”
Lappe said she viewed the decision to offer DO AudioTours directly through MLSs as a game-changer. “Agents think about two things every morning: listing and selling,” she says. “By embedding DO AudioTours directly into listings via a virtual tour button, we’ve created a tool that helps agents win listings and attract more buyers automatically.”
Embracing the Innovator Mindset
Damani says his company was founded to make agents’ lives better. “The best way to do that is by leveraging technology to drive efficiency, reduce costs, and create seamless experiences,” he says. “Every decision we make is filtered through this lens: How can we innovate to eliminate friction, enhance productivity, and empower agents to focus on what they do best—serving their clients?”
Lappe echoes that sentiment. “Will this save agents time? Will it make them more money? Does it deliver real value? That’s our north star in innovation—building tools that truly serve the industry, not distract from it.”
Certainly, real innovation goes deeper than just using a new tool or jumping on the latest trend—“it’s not just about what’s new, it’s about what’s better,” adds Hegedus-Garcia. “For me, innovation means rethinking the way we operate, questioning the status quo, and asking: ‘Is this actually moving us forward?’ Innovation isn’t a buzzword for us—it’s a mindset. It shows up in the way we lead, the way we solve problems, and the way we constantly challenge ourselves to do better.”
Leaving Your Creative Mark
Creativity and innovation can have a lasting impact, whether on a team, a business, the real estate domain or beyond. “The most meaningful contribution for me has been creating space for practitioners to have a voice in tech and policy conversations—especially in rooms where we haven’t traditionally been invited to speak,” says Hegedus-Garcia. “Helping shift the Federal Technology Policy Committee from passive to proactive and kick-starting work on AI policy at the national level has been incredibly fulfilling.”
Lappe strives to break down barriers to homeownership—especially for underserved and underrepresented communities. “By building AI tools that support fair housing and ADA accessibility, we’re helping MLSs and brokerages serve more people more equitably,” she says. “Communication is at the heart of real estate—and we’re making sure everyone can participate in that conversation.” And her work isn’t complete: “I want to see DO AudioTours on every listing—residential, commercial, and multifamily. Just like photos or property descriptions, AI-driven, inclusive communication should be a standard part of every listing.”
As for Hegedus-Garcia, she hopes her work will leave the real estate profession more self-aware, forward-thinking, and unafraid to evolve. “Real estate has this habit of holding on to how we’ve always done it, even when the world is changing around us,” she says. “If I can help push the industry to think more critically, embrace technology responsibly, and stop being reactive—that’s the mark I want to leave. It’s about raising the bar, asking better questions, and making sure we don’t get left behind because we were too comfortable to adapt.”
Make your own creative, innovative mark on real estate and proptech. Apply for or nominate an innovator for the 2025 iOi Innovator of the Year Award. Applications are being accepted until May 2.
To learn more, check out our Q&A with the iOi Innovator of the Year Award honorees.
