Bill Cady was working in the mortgage and real estate industry 10 years ago and found himself dissatisfied with the Internet systems available to the industry.

“He sought to create a new platform for real estate professionals that could be used to harness the power of the coming digital world,” says Hinsel Scott, web and marketing developer for Tour Real Estate Inc.

With less than $5,000 of his own money, Cady started the company that has created hundreds of real estate websites in Idaho and the Northwest, Scott says.

Scott would not disclose revenues for the privately held company but says it is growing.

“Despite the market, profits are finally leveling out as Realtors and other real estate professionals realize that Web marketing can be not only effective but also cost-saving,” he says.

With whom do you compete?

We are our own best competition in that we constantly challenge ourselves to live on the edge of technology developments.

Other companies that help us stay on our toes include Superlative and AgentImage.

What makes your business unusual or special?

Even though we have a multitude of clients, we generally know them all by name and are ready with real human support for their technical needs.

We are one of the few companies that provides true 360-degree virtual tours and dynamic websites that allow our users to control nearly every element of their websites with very little coding knowledge.

In addition, we are constantly developing new tools and functions for our users to keep their digital presences on the cutting edge of available technology.

What did you do previously?

Daniel Brown is a proud Idaho native and began his computer education early in life in North Idaho. He completed his learning at ITT Technical Institute and Lewis-Clark State College.

With an in-depth knowledge of logic and computer sciences, he specializes in data management, network security, as well as database and systems development.

Hinsel Scott has been involved in the Internet since the birth of the Web in the early ’90s.

While most kids were out playing in the sandbox, he was learning how this new online world worked. With a firm foundation in graphics and code, he has developed his skill set through years of dedication to become a leader in search engine optimization and online marketing.

Why did you decide to get into this particular business?

There was a real lack of well-developed and easy-to-use Web systems for real estate agents, as well as a number of poorly shot listing photos. We wanted to provide a powerful, yet affordable, means for real estate professionals, offices and builders to market their properties in what we knew would become the showroom of the future — the Internet.

What challenges have you faced, and how have you met them?

When we first began TourRE, the technology to create the virtual tours, which were a large part of our initial business, barely even existed.

We developed systems to work with what was available at the time with our eyes set on the future.

As our focus grew to encompass real estate web design, we were once again met with the challenging fact that no system yet existed that could offer the functions we envisioned. So we built it ourselves.

As time went by, we could tell we were yet ahead of the game, and so we learned to be patient until the industry could catch up to the tools we were creating.

Now, as technology is changing every single day, we are met with the challenge of staying on top of the game we helped create. It is through the advanced skills of our employees, and their consistent determination, that we can face these challenges head on and continue to be online innovators.

Why should people do business with you?

We listen to the needs of our clients and don’t needlessly try to up sell them on products they can’t use, or try to blow smoke at them with a bunch of technical mumbo-jumbo.

What do you hope to achieve in the next three to five years?

Tour Real Estate looks to expand into new regions in the future as we continue to develop new and exciting real estate tools. We’ve been a leader in real estate technology in Idaho for over a decade, and our services have begun to grow into neighboring states like Oregon, Washington and Montana.

It is our goal to continue this growth and expand into a nationwide real estate Web service, to once again put Idaho on the map as a major player in the Internet industry.

Sandra Forester: 377-6464