An article published in the St. Louis Post Dispatch examines a trend where smaller, niche real estate brokers are using new technology to grab larger shares of homes for sale.

The article says that where the industry had once shifted in favor of large brokerages buying out mid-sized brokerages, the pendulum is shifting towards the small niche players thanks to new technology, and alternative commission structures.

"Intense competition and double-digit growth have forced brokers and companies to come up with more innovative ways to do business and jockey for market share," said Steve Sawyer, an associate professor at Pennsylvania State University and co-author of the real estate market study.

That heightened competition has spawned a new type of real estate company, he said.

Read the full article here.