Geek Estate Newsletter #22 – Zillow Goes to Canada

The purpose of Geek Estate’s mastermind community is two fold:

1. Curate the most incredible and diverse membership of real estate innovators, creatives, doers, and creators in the world.
2. Make our members wildly successful in their careers building real estate companies.

In this week’s member newsletter (#22), I discussed Zillow plans for Canada, financial planning, and coworking.

In my “non-industry reads” section, one of the links included was I Can’t Wait for You to See What We Do Next by Kevin Gibbon (CEO of Shyp). Kevin mentioned “…growth at all costs is a dangerous trap that many startups fall into, mine included.” Like many other startups, they scaled too prematurely with bad unit economics. I worry about this with both Uber and Lyft. Sure, they’ve delivered a win to the consumer in the form of lower prices and a better rider experience. However, the “driver” side of the market is not happy, and we all know an unbalanced marketplace of incentives won’t stand the test of time. Many real estate startups who heavily favor one side (agents or consumers) in sellers market may be wiped out quickly once the market self corrects to normal.

If you want to read the entire newsletter, and future newsletters, please apply for membership below.

Geek Estate Membership

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from theokbrowne digest http://geekestateblog.com/geek-estate-newsletter-22-zillow-goes-canada/

Who Can Keyzz Truly Empower?

In theory, Keyzz is interesting to me given they supposedly “empower realtors by giving them short and long-term tools that increase their value proposition.” That said, I’m a bit perplexed on exactly what “short and long-term tools” are as I am about what problem this is solving for the agents’ clients.

Watch the video here:

Having been in this industry, I’ve seen numerous products that are “Developed by Realtors for Realtors” or “built for agents, by agents”. While that positioning may help sell products since agents believe you understand their pain, it doesn’t help to win over consumers — and winning consumers is the way to shifting the balance of power.

Thus, I don’t really think the question of whether Keyzz can “empower agents” matters that much. The question that matters:

Can Keyzz empower consumers?

 

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from theokbrowne digest http://geekestateblog.com/can-keyzz-empower-consumers/

Bouldin Creek Commons Office Space – 2043 S Lamar Blvd Austin Tx 78704

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Bouldin Creek Commons is a class A office building located in South Austin in the 78704 zip code at the corner of Lamar and Oltorf St. If you are looking for an office that is close to downtown Austin and walkable to many restaurants and nigh life then you definitely want to check this out. 

If you are interested in renting class A office space in Austin and would like assistance finding the best options contact us at 512-861-0525.

Building Size – 142,000 sf

Building Height – 4 floors

Typical Floor Plate – 30,000 to 38,000 sf

Parking – 3 per 1,000 sf

Class Office – A

Amenities on Site – Gym with lockers and showers, bike storage, car charging stations, Wifi enabled outdoor space, Google Fiber, Retail and restaurant space

Asking Base Rental Rate – $30 to $35 sf

Estimated Operating Expenses (NNN) – $12-$15 sf

For information about this Austin office building or other class A offices near downtown Austin Tx give us a call. We can help you search and find the best offices that meet your businesses size, layout, and budget.

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1000 N Lamar – Class A Office Space For Lease Austin Tx 78703

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1000 N Lamar is a class A office building located near downtown Austin, Tx in the 78703 zip code area at the corner of Lamar and 10th street. If you are looking for an iconic address in a very walkable area then you might want to consider this building. It also boasts small floor plates making it easy to take a full floor and enjoy window views on all 4 sides of your office suite.

If you are interested in leasing office space in Austin Tx and would like help finding the best class a office spaces give us a call at 512-861-0525

Building Size – 18,000 RSF

Building Height – 3 floors

Typical Floor plate – 3,500 to 4,000 sf

Parking – 2.5 per 1,000 sf

Class – A

Amenities – Capital and UT Tower views, showers, bike storage, fitness center, covered parking, walking distance to many restaurants, night life, and shopping

Asking Base Rental Rate – $33

Estimated Operating Expenses (NNN) – $12 for 2018

For information about this Austin office building or other offices near downtown Austin, Tx feel free to contact us. We can help you search for and find the best that is within your ideal size

, layout, and budget.

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Millennials Spend About $93,000 on Rent by The Time They Hit 30

We all know Millennials. They’re the resourceful, creative youngsters who grew up with the latest technology and who are big fans of music festivals and avocado toast. Known as a generation of renters, many Millennials find renting more affordable and hassle-free than buying. But that’s not the only reason they don’t buy. At a time […]

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from theokbrowne digest https://www.rentcafe.com/blog/apartment-search-2/money/millennials-spend-93000-on-rent-by-the-time-they-hit-30/

3 Things to Check to Ensure Your Rental Property is Safe to Occupy

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Whether you rent a vacation rental property or rent a house zoned for office space use at the end of the day it’s your responsibility to ensure that it’s safe. Landlords that rent houses as office condos or vacation rentals are not typically responsible for the condition of the property. For example in many foreign countries carbon monoxide detectors are not required by law. You take the space “as is” and don’t even think about checking things that could cause injury or even death.

The moment you arrive at the rental property you need to check 3 things to ensure that you are safe from carbon monoxide poisoning or fire.

1. Hot Water Heater – While it’s not possible to tell if a hot water heater is leaking, even if you stand right next to it, consider purchasing or traveling with a carbon monoxide detector and place it right outside the room that contains the heater and furnace. Hot water heaters are typically the common areas where you find carbon monoxide leaks. 
2. Fire Extinguisher – Know where this is located and how to get to it quickly in the event there is an emergency.
3. Know the Exits – Make sure you know where all the exits are to the rental property. Not just the front door. You need to make sure you locate all secondary exits and ensure that you will be able to find them in thick black smoke.

These 3 simple steps will ensure that you are danger free from carbon monoxide poising and fire.

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Where are Data Centers Located in Austin Tx?

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Reliable IT operations are a critical part of most organizations these days, especially to ensure business continuity. If a disaster occurs and one of your systems goes down your operations may be impaired or completely halted. However you can minimize any chance of disruption and enhance security by using a local data center which can offer a secure environment for your it equipment and minimize any chance of business disruption or security breach.

Most of them offer services such as redundant (aka backup) power supplies, Colocation, environment controls (e.g. AC, fire suppression, etc), redundant data communication connections, etc. Most data centers are located in industrial parks where you would need warehouse space for rent and in areas where there is fiber available. If you are looking for a data center to house your computer, server, and storage systems there are a few data centers in Austin Tx to choose from.

Data Centers In Austin, Tx

Data Foundry – Austin 1
7401 E Ben White Blvd, #1000
Austin, Tx 78741

Data Foundry – Texas 1
4100 Smith School Rd, Bldg 1
Austin, Tx 78744

Data Foundry – Texas 2
4100 Smith School Rd, Bldg 2
Austin, Tx 78744

CyrusOne Austin Data Center II
7301 Metropolis Dr, Bldg #6
Austin, Tx 78744

CyrusOne Austin Data Center III
7100 Metropolis Dr
Austin, Tx 78744

Flexential Austin Data Center
205 W 9th #201
Austin, Tx 78701

OnRamp Austin I
2916 Montopolis Dr #300
Austin, Tx 78741

OnRamp Austin II
7000-B Burleson Road, Suite 400
Austin, Tx 78744

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How to Find Office Warehouse Space For Rent in Austin Tx

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Sometimes your business needs to rent both office and warehouse space however finding the right balance between the two can be challenging. Before starting your search for office warehouse space it’s a good idea to sit down and think about your business needs and how you will be using the space. You also want to think about your ideal location and whether you need to be located close to a major highway or airport. For example most of the office warehouse space for rent in Austin tx is located in Southeast and Northeast Austin which just happen to be close to IH 35 and the Austin Bergstrom International Airport.

Office warehouse space is like flex space in that they are typically single story buildings with windows on the front. The spaces can be used for both office and warehouse use.

Things to consider when searching for office warehouse space

• How much (in sf) office space do you need?
• What is your ideal office layout (e.g. # of rooms, etc.)?
• Will any of the office area be used for showroom space?
• How many sf of warehouse space do you need?
• How will your products be delivered (e.g. 18 wheeler or UPS type box trucks)?
• Do you need dock high loading where an 18 wheeler or box truck and back up to?
• Do you need grade level loading where you can drive a car into the warehouse?
• Do you need air conditioning and heating (HVAC) in the warehouse?
• What is your ideal office warehouse location?

If you have any questions about renting office warehouse space feel free to contact us for more info.

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Most Expensive Office Space in Austin Tx

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If you are looking for the most expensive office space in Austin Tx then look no further than downtown Austin.

With its abundance of lifestyle and entertainment options for clients and employees as well as being the center of government and business for the region, many companies feel that having an office in downtown Austin is a must.

The flip side is that you have to pay for it. Office space rental rates in downtown Austin will by far be the highest across the Austin-Round Rock Metropolitan area.

Below are a few of the most expensive office spaces in Austin, Tx.

#1. Frost Bank Tower – 401 Congress Ave, Austin, Tx 78701

Asking Base Rate = $45 + 
Estimated NNN = $27
Total Asking Rate = $72 SF

#2. 100 Congress Ave, Austin, Tx 78701

Asking Base Rate = $42
Estimated NNN = $23
Total Asking Rate = $66 SF 

#3. San Jacinto Center – 98 San Jacinto Blvd Austin, Tx 78701

Asking Base Rate = $38
Estimated NNN = $22
Total Asking Rate = $60 SF

#4. One Eleven – 111 Congress Ave, Austin, Tx 78701

Asking Base Rate = $37
Estimated NNN = $21
Total Asking Rate = $58 SF

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3 Biggest Mistakes Startups Make When Renting Commercial Real Estate

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If you are a startup or new business at some point you will have to rent commercial real estate. You try to avoid having that expense for as long as you can however as your headcount grows and your business needs change you have no choice but to find office, retail, or warehouse space for rent. There are many mistakes that I have seen made however below are the 3 big ones.

Leasing Too Much Commercial Space

Many times new businesses or startups lease way too much space. You typically only need about 150 to 175 sf per person as long as the buildings parking ratio allows it. Also, they get too caught up in having all the cool fun space right off the bat. Yes it’s nice to have a game room with a ping pong or foosball table, or a lot of fun trendy lounge areas, however if you are a startup or new business you need to be smart about this.

I know you want to impress your visitors and want to recruit and retain employees however it’s important that you keep your operating expenses low until the business is more stable. You can rent a bunch more office space later on to turn into fun hangout areas later on. But for now lease as little space as you can get away with.

Renting the Most Expensive Commercial Real Estate

I know recruiting and retaining employees is important however you don’t have to rent the most expensive commercial space to accomplish this. Everyone knows that most startups are not profitable for the first few years and have to watch the numbers. So go find a nice class B or C space that you can live with for now. Ikea has lots of inexpensive cool furniture that you can buy to make your space look trendy. Keep your costs low and your investors will love you for it. When you are making lots of money then consider renting the most expensive commercial space.

Signing a Long Commercial Lease 

In a hot market many landlords will try to force you into a long term lease. Don’t be pressured into doing so unless it makes business sense. Find a commercial space that will allow you to lease for 3 years or less. If you search hard enough you will find a handful of property owners that will do shorter term leases. When your company is more established and stable then consider signing a 3-5 year lease. 

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Considerations When Renting Medical Office Space

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Renting medical office space will be one of your biggest expenses when owning your own medical practice. The location of your medical space, type of space, amount you pay in rent, etc will have a huge impact on the success of your medical practice. Therefore it’s important that you thoroughly research your options, pick the right space, and negotiate the best deal possible. Below are a few considerations when renting medical office space.

Medical Building Accessibility

Not all professional office buildings will give your patients 24 hour access or be accessible outside their normal building hours. In professional offices building hours may be 7am to 6pm Monday – Friday and 8am to 12pm on Saturday. The only way you can access the building is if you have a rfid card and your patients would have to call you to come down to let them in.

If your medical practice typically sees patients during hours outside these hours then make sure you find a building that will accommodate after hours access. Or find a space that allows you to have your own direct entrance. Most medical office buildings have building hours that accommodate most medical practices.

Biohazardous Medical Waste

Most medical practices handle biohazards so make sure the building you are considering is equipped to handle that. Most office buildings that are labeled as medical office space typically do. If you are renting a standard professional office then you will have to work out the details.

After Hours HVAC

Again most professional office buildings have standard building hours of 7am-6pm Monday-Friday and 8am-12pm on Saturday. That also means that those are the hours that the HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning) is included in your operating expenses. If you have any HVAC needs outside of those hours you will end up paying up to $25 per hour. 

Medical office buildings are set up to where each tenant pays their utilities on their own so they can have the HVAC on 24/7 if they like. And they avoid any hourly fees. As you evaluate office spaces make sure you know how the utilities will be handled. Is after hours HVAC included or is there an hourly fee. Are you able to separately meter the after hours HVAC?

Security For Medical Patients

You want to ensure that your staff and patients are safe. Find out what security is available in the building if any. If there is what is the process for contacting.

Medical Office Space Parking

Medical practices typically have high parking needs. You need parking for your staff and patients. Make sure the building you are going to rent from has enough parking to accommodate your needs. Find out where it is located. The more difficult it is for your patients to park the less likely they will want to come to your medical office.

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Whereby.US Launches Brands in Portland and Orlando

Whereby.US is a creative agency for local that I’ve mentioned here before:

We build local media brands for growing cities, and a technology platform to make it possible, with a focus on delightful email newsletters and meaningful communities of local explorers, makers, and leaders

They just announced they launched brands in two new cities: Orlando and Portland. I’ve been a subscriber to their Seattle brand, The Evergrey, since it’s very earliest days, and love it. If you’re a resident of either city, I encourage you to click through and sign up below…

Bridgeliner in Portland, Oregon

Pulptown in Orlando, Florida

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from theokbrowne digest http://geekestateblog.com/whereby-us-launches-brands-portland-orlando/

Geek Estate Newsletter #21 – Radical Ideas for Developing Client Loyalty

The purpose of Geek Estate’s mastermind community is two fold:

1. Curate the most incredible and diverse membership of real estate innovators, creatives, doers, and creators in the world.
2. Make our members wildly successful in their careers building real estate companies.

In this week’s member newsletter (#21), I talked about a few radical ideas to develop client loyalty (see here for more on the topic of loyalty).

In my “non-industry reads” section, one of the links included was the Skift article, Airbnb Makes Its Battle Against Booking and Expedia Official With New Hotel Campaign. Airbnb recently published an open letter to boutique hotel and bed and breakfast owners. There are a wide range of similarities between the travel and real estate verticals. Thus, those thinking about unseating Zillow should study Airbnb’s tactics battling Expedia and Booking.com closely.

Another article I included was Your data is my data by Fred Wilson at AVC. It sure is scary how easily data can be aggregated, though the Cambridge Analytica situation isn’t a surprise to those of us with years of experience in tech. I’m frankly surprised at how naive some of the general public is about what happens to their data.

If you want to read the entire newsletter, and future newsletters, please apply for membership below.

Geek Estate Membership

Interested in joining?

Apply for Membership

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from theokbrowne digest http://geekestateblog.com/geek-estate-newsletter-21-radical-ideas-developing-client-loyalty/

Credit Score Low? Skip the Homework! The Rental Girl Found You Extra Credit!

 

Turns out credit scores aren’t as cemented as you once thought!

The cost for this service is anywhere from about $600-$2000, depending on how much you’d like to boost your credit.

Per their website, BoostMyScore has commissioned extensive research into the legality of “piggybacking.” Multiple law firms, the Federal Reserve Bank, the Federal Trade Commission, and various Attorneys General have all looked into the practice in fine detail, and each have determined that the act of paying someone to add another to their existing credit card account as an Authorized User is perfectly legal. While the banks and credit reporting agencies may dislike the practice, credit piggybacking is actually protected by Regulation B of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act. The boost effect lasts 4 months, and after that period, you can do it all over again! They add your name to “aged” credit cards, essentially temporarily raising your credit score.

Go ahead and score one for the “little guys,” and be sure to remember your “rental girls” when the time comes to use that boosted score for some real estate needs!

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from theokbrowne digest http://rentinginla.com/credit-score-low-skip-homework-rental-girl-found-extra-credit/

New Zealand Property Tech, Transitioning from Tech to Practicing Real Estate: An Interview with Alistair Helm

Alistair Helm has been a longtime property tech thought leader based out of New Zealand, with a deep resume that includes Properazzi, manning the helm at both Property Portal Watch and Realestate.co.nz, and head of product at Trade Me. We traded emails recently, and I learned he was working on getting his real estate license. I wanted to learn more, so conducted a short interview. Let’s get to it…

1. After more than a decade in the property portal space, you’re getting your real estate license in New Zealand — why? What’s been the most surprising part of that process?

Yes – in someways it seems very natural to practice real estate after all these years, and in other ways somewhat odd. I love the digital world and the property portal space, but I guess having been a part of building the two big players in the property portal space in NZ over a 10 year period there was not much space left for me to fill. Add to this, the fact that I am not someone that enjoys bureaucracy and process management in large organisations, I love the flexibility and agility of growing businesses and these two portals have become large and somewhat corporatised.

So I thought – what do I want to do that is still in real estate but that suits my age and future life? – I could try and start something new, as in a new real estate company shaking things up – some industry friends have encouraged me to start a whole new real estate business which whilst appealing, is probably not the best idea at this time after all I have never sat on ’that side of the table’, as an agent. So this has in someways lead me to actually enter this industry as an agent. I feel the need to practice the role so as to be in a better place to decide in a couple of years as to whether I try and start up a new real estate business that challenges the incumbents or whether I decide that actually being a real estate agent is a good place and financially rewarding. I happen to live in one of the most beautiful suburbs in Auckland, and where better to practice as an agent that in my neighbourhood?

I back myself to implement all the educational ideas that I have shared with agents across NZ over the past decade as to how to build a personal brand online and deliver prospects that find you rather than you finding them – that is my challenge.

I have completed my training which in NZ is a formal qualification administered by our Educational Standards organisation – it is a course that in full time study requires 3 months of work, I have done it part-time which has taken my 6 months. I have been amazed at how it has changed, I did complete the course back in 2005 when it was so very different, in those days the course lasted 2 weeks of half days and one single test at the end of the course – it was hard to fail! That has been the most surprising thing, just how high the bar has been raised by the new legislation that was introduced in 2008 which tightened up the whole industry and brought in a government authority to administer, police and certify the industry.

2. You’ve been covering the property tech space for many years, what trend or product are you most excited about over the next 12-24 months?

I have long considered the statement that ‘The disruptive tech that you think will impact the next few years, actually doesn’t or ends up taking much longer, and equally those things you think are pipe dreams actually come to market far faster and have more impact” – so with that as a primer here is my take.

I don’t believe the heart of real estate will change or be disrupted by new online only solutions (UK based initiatives – such as Purple Bricks etc), they will have a place but sub 10% of market, just as FSBO has always had a place. The big winners I see as the likes of Redfin (of which I have always been bullish and hugely respectful), to them I now add Compass, not for the tech, in my opinion their tech component is vapour ware, but for the PR and brand presence and rockstar operators they are employing – there is more to my comments and whilst not teasing a future Properazzi post I see Compass peaking soon but Redfin enduring.

The real tech play for me is OpenDoor and its competitors but again this operation will never be mainstream and will only work in the US to any scale, due to the archaic property records systems. In NZ by comparison the closing process takes literally minutes due to a fully digitised system that has been in operation for 10 years. OpenDoor meets a need and will succeed in specific markets at specific price points where homogeneity of property allows for incredibly accurate estimation of valuation and regular turnover. It will not scale more broadly, but undoubtedly efficiency of operation will create a very valuable business and a great customer experience.

My view of what I see as a significant game changer in respect of tech’s impact on this industry lies in the power of AI leveraged by Google or Amazon. The platform is the Amazon Echo and the Google Home, the threat is to Zillow in the case of the US / Rightmove & Zoopla in the case of the UK / REA & Domain the case of Australia and I could go on. The fact is property portals are vulnerable as they are but intermediaries and liable to disintermediation. Suffice to say (no pun intended) but a prospective buyer could ‘ask’ “hey Google” or “hey Alexa” are there any properties available for me to buy in Oak Hills, Portland. The results would be projected on a screen, any screen – TV or tablet directly sourced from MLS data or in non US markets the aggregation of agent listings online, the parsing of the phrase “available for me to buy” would use AI to establish capability of the consumer to buy and budget criteria. In this scenario, where is Zillow’s future or that of the other portals? – people are very close to trusting Google / Amazon. As to monetisation of this service – lead generation fees plus finance opportunities (think Amazon finance) will be the honey of attraction for Google/Amazon. Again more of this idea and proposition is a future Properazzi post.

3. What’s your most significant business focus for 2018?

My focus is to achieve my success in practicing real estate as an agent. I have a clear objective that within 3 years I will be the #1 agent in my hyper local areas of Devonport with a 15% share of the local market. To do this I will build my brand through a combination of digital platforms. Properazzi is the platform that establishes me as a property analyst and commentator on the market and the real estate industry, it gives me a media platform and online presence that is contextual to real estate at a high credible level. To this I am establishing myself as a unique and trusted expert in the hyperlocal property market of Devonport in which I am going to be starting work as a local agent, to support this I am launching a dedicated local property market website (www.devonportproperty.nz) – this will be a unique commentary and deep-data driven insight into the trends in the local market that will establish my brand as the agent in the market with the best insight into property trends. Added to this naturally I will have my own personal agent website which will be purely about me, my skills, capability, experience and personality – www.alistairhelm.co.nz – will be live when I get my license which should be by the end of March.

Thanks Alistair!

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from theokbrowne digest http://geekestateblog.com/new-zealand-property-tech-transitioning-tech-practicing-real-estate-interview-alistair-helm/

Free LoopNet Alternative to Find Commercial Real Estate

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Looking to rent commercial real estate in Austin, Tx and searching Loopnet online for listings? If you want to get better and more accurate commercial leasing information let Austin Tenant Advisors help you find your next commercial real estate space.

We have helped over 400 companies find Austin commercial real estate that is within their ideal size, budget, and location and we can help you do the same. To get started simply call (512) 861-0525 or fill out our online form and:

• We will search on your behalf to find space that matches your ideal needs
• You receive a custom report of available spaces matching your exact needs complete with photos, floor plans, and pricing
• Representing your best interests we will schedule visits for your favorite options, draft proposals, and negotiate against the building landlords to ensure that you get the best possible terms and deal

Loopnet has a lot of great information and commercial real estate listings in Austin however they don’t always include all the information you need to make an informed decision, and a lot of their data is inaccurate or outdated. 

By letting us help you find commercial real estate in Austin you will level the playing field and be empowered with the same information & tools needed to make good deals that the landlord has. We will make sure that your time is not wasted and that we confirm that each space meets your needs before presenting them to you.

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Using Technology to Make Real Estate More Competitive

Those of you with an interest in NAR’s expiring consent decree, there is an event organized by Information Technology and Innovation Foundation you may be interested in next month in Washington DC:

Technological innovation has made it cheaper, easier, and faster to buy and sell most products. However, the real estate industry has firmly resisted disruption, successfully lobbying for state laws banning commission rebates, preventing the public disclosure of residential sales prices, and requiring consumers to purchase real estate services that they may not want, as well as blocking third parties from accessing listing data. These practices have allowed the industry to preserve the long-standing fixed commissions for brokers even as home prices have climbed much faster than inflation.

In 2005, the U.S. Department of Justice brought an antitrust lawsuit against the National Association of Realtors for its anti-competitive policies that were designed to exclude lower-cost online real estate startups from competing with traditional brokers. This lawsuit resulted in a 10-year settlement that prohibited local MLSs from enacting rules that limit competition; however, this agreement expires this year.

Join ITIF for a panel discussion about the challenges and opportunities to increase competition in the real estate industry through technological innovation, and the role that policymakers can play in using technology to make home ownership more affordable. 

Moderators and Panelists:

Daniel Castro (moderator)
Ben Clark (broker)
Jessica Drake (attorney, Federal Trade Commission)
Ralph Holmen (Associate General Counsel, National Association of Realtors)
David Kully (Partner, Holland & Knight)
Brian Larson (Senior Business Consultant, Larson Skinner PLLC)

Where and When?

THURSDAY, APRIL 5, 2018 – 1:00 PM TO 2:30 PM EDT

Information Technology and Innovation Foundation
1101 K Street NW
Suite 610A
Washington, DC, 20005

More details here, and registration is here.

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from theokbrowne digest http://geekestateblog.com/using-technology-make-real-estate-competitive/

February Rents Increased the Most in Small Markets; Colorado Among the Most Active

Key takeaways: The national average rent was $1,364 in February 2018, 2.7 percent higher than this time last year, and up 0.01 percent ($1) month over month, according to data from Yardi Matrix. 87 percent of the nation’s biggest 250 cities have seen rents grow in February year over year, in 11 percent of cities […]

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from theokbrowne digest https://www.rentcafe.com/blog/rental-market/apartment-rent-report/rentcafe-apartment-market-report-february-2018/

Meet the Real Estate Tech Founder: Rob Connolly from Buzz4Agent

In our latest real estate tech entrepreneur interview, we’re speaking with the founder and CEO at Buzz4Agent, Rob Connolly.

Without further ado…

What do you do?

I am the founder at Buzz4Agent.com. We are a company I launched in San Diego, California, back in April of 2015. As of today, we are a team of nine full-time team members. It has been quite the journey so far!

What problem does your product/service solve?

Home For Sale Real Estate Sign in Front of Beautiful New House.

Today, when someone sees a for sale sign at a listing and would like property info, they tend to go to different apps or websites. If there is a single roadblock on that listing, the lead is dead. With Buzz4Agent, we connect people wanting property information directly with our real estate agents instantly! It gives our agents the opportunity to reach out and make that valuable connection.

What are you most excited about right now?

On a personal note, I am really excited about the fact my wife and I are expecting our second daughter. I am also a tad bit terrified that I will be living in a house full of girls. It should be a lot of fun though!

What’s next for you?

We are working on a way to help real estate agents keep themselves accountable. I feel like for a lot of agents right now, it’s relatively easy to get a home sold. The market is pretty hot across the board. If you put the house on the MLS and it’s priced appropriately, it should sell in a few weeks. Which is great for everyone, unfortunately, I have been around long enough to remember the not so great times. So we want to help agents develop positive habits that will ensure when tough times come, they are prepared and have a business pipeline that will keep them ahead of the game.

What’s a cause you’re passionate about and why?

Our really good friend works for The Challenged Athletes Foundation in San Diego. They provide physically challenged people with the tools they need to pursue active and healthy lifestyles. The programs their foundations put on are truly amazing. The stories of the people they work with really put your daily challenges in perspective. They are a super awesome foundation!

Thanks to Rob for sharing his story. If you’d like to connect, find him on LinkedIn here.

We’re constantly looking for great real estate tech entrepreneurs to feature. If that’s you, please read this post — then drop me a line (drew @ geekestatelabs dot com).

The post Meet the Real Estate Tech Founder: Rob Connolly from Buzz4Agent appeared first on GeekEstate Blog.

from theokbrowne digest http://geekestateblog.com/meet-real-estate-tech-founder-rob-connolly-buzz4agent/

Geek Estate Newsletter #20 – A KickStarter for Real Estate Agents

The purpose of Geek Estate’s mastermind community is two fold:

1. Curate the most incredible and diverse membership of real estate innovators, creatives, doers, and creators in the world.
2. Make our members wildly successful in their careers building real estate companies.

In this week’s member newsletter (#20), I touched on several topics:

• Kickstarter for real estate agents
• 3D printed homes (more thoughts in the newsletter)
• Data-driven marketing

If you want to read it, and future newsletters, please apply for membership below.

Geek Estate Membership

Interested in joining?

Apply for Membership

The post Geek Estate Newsletter #20 – A KickStarter for Real Estate Agents appeared first on GeekEstate Blog.

from theokbrowne digest http://geekestateblog.com/geek-estate-newsletter-20-kickstarter-real-estate-agents/

Which States Have the Best and Worst Laws for Renters?

The air conditioning system in your rental apartment broke 3 days ago, it’s 100F degrees outside and more humid than the Amazonian rainforest. Your landlord has promised to repair it soon, but three days later he’s not even returning your phone calls. As much as you love the sauna, living in one day and night is […]

The post Which States Have the Best and Worst Laws for Renters? appeared first on RENTCafe rental blog.

from theokbrowne digest https://www.rentcafe.com/blog/renting/states-best-worst-laws-renters/

3D Printed Homes by New Story and ICON

If you can’t get excited about 3D printed homes in the developing world for $4,000 for those living in extreme poverty, well…I don’t know what to say. Congrats to New Story and ICON. Simply amazing work (short video here).

The post 3D Printed Homes by New Story and ICON appeared first on GeekEstate Blog.

from theokbrowne digest http://geekestateblog.com/3d-printed-homes-new-story-icon/

Listing Bits Podcast with Victor Lund, and More on Broker Public Portal

I listed to Greg’s Listing Bits podcast with Victor Lund the other day. Here’s the episode for the curious folk:

Homesnap recently raised a $14 million Series B. Like Greg, I really wonder how those VCs are ever going to get their money back if the brokers who own 50% of the Broker Public Portal joint venture with Homesnap can nix any acquisition.

Let’s play out this scenario. Homesnap succeeds in growing traffic, they have trouble monetizing (because, let’s be honest they need a massive sales force to compete against Zillow and Move), Zillow Group comes calling with an attractive acquisition offer. The brokers don’t want to sell. Homesnap (and their VCs) do, because there are very few, if any, other exit options on the Horizon. Do the VCs simply let the brokers keep on running Homesnap independently? I seriously doubt VCs would invest in a company in which a collective of industry insiders could reject any exit option they didn’t like. Is the joint venture agreement between Broker Public Portal and Homesnap available (either publicly, or to the brokers who invested in BPP)? I’d be curious to see the legal language around acquisition options/control/decision-making. Anyone with inside intel on this, feel free to leave a comment or send me an email.

Doesn’t this just sound like Realtor.com all over again? Maybe Homesnap will sell to Move?

The post Listing Bits Podcast with Victor Lund, and More on Broker Public Portal appeared first on GeekEstate Blog.

from theokbrowne digest http://geekestateblog.com/listing-bits-podcast-victor-lund-broker-public-portal/