Start-up Company Cited for Innovative Business Model



    SAN FRANCISCO, July 28 /EMWNews/ -- Sawbuck Realty

(http://www.sawbuckrealty.com) was named the Most Innovative Brokerage of 2008 by

Inman News Service at its Real Estate Connect Conference. The prestigious

Inman Innovator Awards honor forward-thinking technologies, Web services,

business models and innovators in online real estate, brokerage and media

companies.



    The Washington, D.C.-based company was cited for its business model

that connects buyers to top local agents while saving them money via

low-cost mortgages and settlement services. Finalists for this year's

brokerage award included Chase International, Diamond Dwellings, Russ Lyon

Sotheby's International Realty, and Redfin. Past winners include Coldwell

Banker, ReMax, and Century 21.



    The brokerage award honors companies that demonstrate extraordinary

levels of innovation through the use of technology or the Internet; that

enhance the real estate transaction for consumers; that positively impact

the real estate industry; and that redefine key business models within the

market.



    "We're extremely honored to receive the real estate industry's most

prestigious award for innovation just six months after our launch. We set

out to make buying or selling a home simpler and less expensive. This

recognition by industry leaders tells us that we are on the right track

with our pro-consumer approach," said Guy Wolcott, Sawbuck co-founder, who

accepted the award at the conference. Wolcott also participated in a panel

during the conference where he discussed how Sawbuck matches buyers with

outstanding real estate agents.



    Unique among online real estate companies, Sawbuck combines

sophisticated home search technology with personal service and access to

the best local buyer's agents, while also offering tremendous savings.

Buyers save over $4,500 at closing plus hundreds of dollars every year with

a below-market mortgage rate.



    Other winners of this year's Inman Innovator Awards are Bob Hale,

president and CEO for the Houston Association of Realtors (Innovator of the

Year), Estately (Most Innovative Web Service), Roost (Most Innovative

Technology), Agent Genius (Most Innovative Blog) and Frontdoor (Most

Innovative Web Site).

    About Sawbuck Realty



    Sawbuck Realty (http://www.sawbuckrealty.com) is a web-based real estate

broker headquartered in Washington, DC. Sawbuck's unique business model:

empowers buyers with the best search tools, technology and information;

connects buyers with the very best local agents; gives buyers a

below-market mortgage with no closing costs; and negotiates the lowest

possible settlement costs for buyers. Sawbuck and its network of real

estate agent partners currently serve the Maryland, Virginia and

Washington, DC markets. The company plans to expand to other market areas,

including Baltimore, Philadelphia and Chicago.