Mediaboss Marketing

PARSIPPANY, NJ--(Marketwire -03/14/12)- An outsider might think that freeways, fax machines, and Facebook have nothing in common, but real estate agents and brokers know these innovations have played a critical role in advancing the real estate industry since its formal beginnings in the 1800s.

As ERA Real Estate commemorates its 40th Anniversary, it identified what it believes are the Top 40 innovations in history that helped to shape today's real estate industry and will continue to influence the industry for decades to come. Click here to view a slide show of the full list, which is detailed below.

"For 40 years, innovation has been an integral part of ERA Real Estate's DNA," said Charlie Young, president and CEO of ERA Real Estate. "There are many lessons to be learned from history, which is clearly reflected in our Top 40 Innovations list. As we look to the next 40 years, we will continue to monitor the business, technological and social landscape for new ideas we can leverage to drive value to our customers and propel our business forward."

ERA Real Estate, an innovator in its own right, was the first real estate franchise to use the fax machine to transmit listings across the country, the first to expand internationally and the first to post listings online.

According to ERA Real Estate, the Top 40 Innovations in Real Estate History are, chronologically:

1. 1863 - The London Underground, the first subway, opens. Built as a way to reduce traffic congestion in the city, people now don't need to live in walking distance of their jobs, offering expanded choices in where to live. Today, proximity to a train station can increase a home's value in many markets.

2. 1880s - The Multiple Listing Service finds its origins in this decade. The concept upon which it is based -- help me sell my listing and I'll help you sell yours -- serves to unify and connect real estate brokers as a group of professionals.

3. 1889 - The first Land Run took place, providing hearty, would-be land owners with an opportunity to claim unassigned lands in the United States, primarily in Oklahoma. Under the provisions of the Homestead Act of 1862, a legal settler could claim 160 acres of public land, and those who lived on and improved the claim for five years could receive title, paving the way to the economic prosperity long-associated with owning land.

4. 1890 - The first automatic electric fire alarm was invented in 1890, but it was not until 1969 that the first battery operated smoke detectors came to market.

5. 1908 - What would later become The National Association of Realtors is founded as the National Association of Real Estate Exchanges with the purpose of uniting real estate brokers to represent the combined interests of the profession.

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From the Fax Machine to Facebook, ERA Real Estate Reflects on 40 Innovations That Changed the Industry