The award-winning Blinker app has arrived in Texas.

The peer-to-peer car sales app, which launched during 2016 in Colorado, allows people to buy, sell, finance, and refinance cars by doing little more than snapping a photo.

Blinker President Danny Martinez. [Photo: Courtesy of Blinker]

“As consumers continue to adopt more digital behavior, Blinker provides a mobile solution that saves Texans the time, money, and headaches that have traditionally gone hand-in-hand with private-party auto sales,” said Dallas-Fort Worth native and Blinker President Danny Martinez, in a release.

What sets Blinker apart from other car-buying/car-selling apps is that users can handle auto transactions without having to go through a bank or dealership. Users can finance car purchases through Blinker, which is where most of the startup’s revenue comes from, according to the Denver Post. 

“We have all the different pieces (of the car-buying and selling process), and it starts with one photo,” said founder and auto-industry veteran Rod Buscher in the Denver Post. “…The lending part was always critical. But what we didn’t know is if we could take a picture of the back of the car and get all the information we needed.”

Turns out, they can.

After three years of development and securing 16 process patents, the Blinker team discovered how taking one photo could change the car-buying process, according to the Denver Post.  Users can snap a photo of a car and instantly learn its year, make, model, equipment, estimated value, and mileage.

Blinker’s patented image recognition technology can glean enough information from a photo of the back of a car to provide an estimated value. [Photo: Courtesy of Blinker]

The app’s unique approach led South by Southwest judges to honor Blinker with the 2017 Interactive Innovation Award in the “New Economy” category.

[Photo: Courtesy of Blinker]

The Blinker platform helps users to: 

• Verify ownership records and seller identities

• Conduct a 17-point fraud check on every vehicle

• Obtain a free CARFAX Report with every listing

• Find Black Book pricing guidance

• Receive payment securely

• Transfer titles electronically

Sellers also can unload cars with loans; Blinker handles the lien payoff right through the app. 

The app is available for free from Apple’s App Store, the Google Play Store, or by logging on to blinker.com.

Blinker plans to add access to auto insurance agencies, car-service companies, and parts retailers that consumers can pay for.

Dallas Innovates, every day