Blanche Evans, publisher of Agent News and associate editor of Realty Times has been named to REALTOR Magazine's list of the Top 25 Most Influential People in the real estate industry for 2000.

Compiled by the editors of REALTOR Magazine, and overseen by editor Stacey Moncrieff, the list included people from every category of the real estate industry, including brokers, trainers, government officials, trade organization officials and dotcom leaders. In addition to Evans, two other Realty Times columnists were also named to the list, Michael Russer, aka "Mr. Internet," and author Julie Garton-Good.

An outspoken advocate for the fair treatment of consumers and real estate professionals, particularly regarding the Internet, Evans has been a free lance writer and editor for seven years. She was the first journalist hired for Agent News when it was conceived by publisher Jody Lane in 1997 as a content feature for Realty Locator, a directory service. Evans became the editor of Agent News in 1998, and publisher of Agent News in 2000, as well as associate editor of Realty Times.

Agent News has taken on a life of its own, and by 1998, it had grown into Realty Times, the largest independent real estate news service on the Internet. It was almost purchased by Realtor.com, but negotiations floundered, and Lane bought back his interest after a few months. Since then, the site has continued to grow, and Agent News has remained a section of Realty Times and has only recently been marketed as a separate feature to Internet portals, real estate associations, franchises and organizations. Agent News commands one third of Realty Times' audience, and has become the featured news source for Realtor.com, REALTOR Magazine Online, Prudential Real Estate (PREA Center) and other significant public sites and intranets. Agent News stories appear regularly in numerous real estate association and brokerage mailings to real estate professionals across the continent.

Evans is a prolific writer, who is also the author of two real estate books. homesurfing.net: The Insider's Guide to Buying and Selling Your Home Using The Internet, Dearborn, 1999, was the first book of its kind and still the bestseller in its category, according to sales figures from Amazon.com and Dearborn Publishing. She has just published her second book, The Hottest e-Careers In Real Estate, Real Estate Education Company, a guide to understanding the Internet as an advertising and business medium and creating real estate niches online.

"I was very impressed with the selections made by the editors of REALTOR Magazine," said Evans. "It was a thrill to be included, and to have my work recognized by peers of such stature. The list contains some incredible achievements by people in a wide range of related industries who all want the same thing - for Realtors to thrive. I think we can all be proud of how the industry has advanced in 2000."

Published: November 28, 2000

Use of this article without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.