Hodges Ward Elliott

Challenge & Goal

Additionally, the third-party provider controlled the platform’s design, functionality, and business process—leaving HWE dependent on a solution that was unresponsive to their needs and visually indistinct from competitors using the same vendor. HWE’s leadership recognized the need to take control of its digital presence, protect proprietary data, and develop a branded transaction and marketing system that could scale with their strategy while reducing long-term costs.

Vendor Lock-in

HWE's previous provider offered no brand distinction or control over processes—limiting competitive advantage.

Neutral Platform Limitations

The existing tool shared buyer data across brokers, undermining HWE’s ability to differentiate or protect IP.

Strategic Goals

HWE needed to reduce licensing costs, secure confidential information, and deploy their own marketing portal.

Solution

Foonster Technology designed and deployed a proprietary transaction and document management system based on the open-source MAMP stack (Macintosh, Apache, MySQL, PHP). The system was engineered to eliminate per-deal software licensing costs by shifting investment into platform definition and infrastructure—giving HWE full ownership over their workflow, branding, and strategic roadmap.

Hosted at the 24/7 Network Operations Center (NOC) of ArobaseGroup LLC, HWE’s consultant and infrastructure provider, the new platform offered redundancy, dedicated bandwidth, and enterprise-class email delivery outside of HWE’s internal IT environment. The system delivered an advanced, modular solution to manage listings, documents, marketing campaigns, and client communications—all under HWE’s exclusive control.

MAMP-Based Platform

A custom system was built using Macintosh, Apache, MySQL, and PHP—fully controlled and owned by HWE.

NOC Hosting

Housed at ArobaseGroup’s Network Operations Center for 24/7 uptime, secure email delivery, and offsite independence.

Ownership Over Licensing

The new solution eliminated per-project fees and focused budget on innovation rather than subscriptions.

Outcome

By transitioning away from broker-neutral platforms, HWE gained full control of their deal rooms, branding, data security, and client experience. The system reduced cost-per-deal overhead while increasing operational efficiency for administrative staff—especially around uploading, tracking, and sharing sensitive documents. The inclusion of versioned document control, access-based permissions, and process lifecycle tracking made the portal a comprehensive operational tool for internal teams and clients alike.

Most importantly, the solution enabled HWE to market themselves with a distinct digital identity, pursue alternate revenue streams, and reinforce trust with high-value clients through private, broker-exclusive engagement. The system remains in production, with feature expansions continuing under HWE’s direction as they pursue innovation in digital real estate operations.