The one where I finally find what I've been looking for in real estate search

I’m not usually one to click on ads.

But this one was a little different. It caught my eye as I was flicking through the New York Times iPad app a few weeks ago.

The images? Gorgeous. The interface? Simple. The call to action? Inviting.

Hard to resist, huh?

The best part was still to come. Clicking on one of the images, I was taken to an interactive landing page for a property:

The copy enticed me to go even deeper into the experience. Lightboxes showing additional details of the home were mapped to the home’s features.

I was transfixed by these properties. Flicking around. Swiping. Touching. Expanding and collapsing the windows. Daydreaming, I guess, of  a life where I could actually afford to live in a home as beautiful as these.

Then it hit me, I’d just spent the last 30 minutes in an ad.

What also struck me, as I sat down to write this post, is that this type of experience is only possible on a tablet. We’ve talked a lot over the last year about how this technology and these devices will start to change the way we think about real estate search.

I think we’re starting to see that finally materialize.

Thank you Sotheby’s. You made my day.