CAMDEN, S.C., July 16, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Immobel, ( http://immobel.com), a technology company that expertly translates online real estate listings into thirteen languages, today announced the launch of the International IDX Alliance, an online exchange for real estate professionals worldwide to share and market each others' properties. The Alliance -- which seizes opportunities presented by an increasingly global real estate market fueled by the Internet, a weak U.S. Dollar and the growing demand for second homes -- launched with two major American REALTOR(R) associations representing over 14,000 real estate professionals and French FNAIM, which represents over 1,700 estate agents in Paris and surrounding areas. Alliance membership is open to real estate associations, MLS organizations, brokers and agents. More information can be found at the Alliance website, http://internationalidxalliance.com.

"The concept of IDX, (Internet Data Exchange) was conceived nearly a decade ago to help American REALTORS(R) work together to generate more business by sharing property listings online and we're taking that proven concept to the global marketplace," said Janet Choynowski, CEO of Immobel and executive director of the International IDX Alliance. "Whether you're a listing broker in Scottsdale that wants to market to German buyers or a French agent trying to help an executive relocate to Japan, sharing listings globally just makes sense."

Alliance participation is straightforward:

-- Members provide Immobel with a feed of their listings, which are then translated into thirteen languages using Immobel's proprietary system, which combines technology with human translators

-- Translated listings are then fed into the Alliance listing exchange platform

-- Alliance members may then pick the international listings they wish to display on their Website, in the native language. For example, an agency in Paris may choose to display properties from Miami, Florida -- in French -- while an American broker may in turn elect to display French listings on their Website, in English. Contact information is only to the displaying party, no matter where the listing originated.

"In the Florida market, over 65% of Realtors(R) made sales to International buyers last year," said Teresa King Kinney, CEO of the REALTOR(R) Association of Greater Miami and the Beaches, a founding Alliance member. "We have worked with Immobel to translate our listings for more than seven years and now the International IDX Alliance puts our members' listings in the hands of professionals worldwide who can deliver qualified buyers. Likewise, by showing foreign listings to domestic buyers, our members have a new opportunity for outbound referrals. The decision for us to participate was an easy one to make -- it's just good business."

"The weak U.S. Dollar has created intense interest in American properties, and the International IDX Alliance enables us to leverage that," said Gilles Ricour de Bourgies, President of FNAIM, France. "Our members benefit from marketing International properties to their French clients, and of course, we are now able to market French properties internationally more effectively than ever before, in thirteen languages."

Immobel, founded in 1998, serves over 500,000 American real estate professionals with its listing translation service and products. The company works directly with REALTOR(R) associations, MLSs and brokers using their existing feed of listings. The company also maintains the largest International search portal of Realtor(R) listings, with over a million listings in the United States, each searchable in thirteen languages.

Concludes Choynowski, "Although most Realtors(R) would like to reach out to international buyers, it has been difficult and expensive to mount a global marketing campaign until now. For just a few dollars per month, Realtors(R) can effectively leverage the Immobel portal and have their listings actively marketed by thousands of fellow Alliance members interested in co-broking a sale."

About the International IDX Alliance and Immobel

The International IDX Alliance Foundation promotes the international trade in real estate through qualified real estate professionals. Immobel, the leading translator of online real estate listings, was founded ten years ago by Janet Choynowski, an American citizen who built a successful real estate brokerage business in Poland at the end of the Cold War. Over 60 MLS organizations and REALTOR(R) Associations use Immobel's translation service.

SOURCE Immobel

 http://immobel.com