REAL ESTATE TECHNOLOGY
MV Realty | August 30, 2022
Residential real estate brokerage and proptech firm MV Realty, based in Delray Beach, Fla., has selected Feintuch Communications as its public relations agency of record.
MV Realty has enjoyed strong growth in the last few years with a current presence in 33 states, a roster of highly experienced agents, proprietary CRM technology and a suite of advanced technology tools to support its agents. The company also has a unique consumer offering: a Homeowner Benefit Program® (HBP) which supports long-term relationships between homeowners and agents. The HBP offers homeowners a cash incentive of up to $5,000 to use MV Realty as their listing agent if and when they decide to sell their home.
"As a firm that's a multi-faceted entity combining financial services, real estate brokerage and proptech, we looked for a PR partner with expertise in all three areas,"
- Antony Mitchell, CEO, MV Realty
Feintuch Communications' team experience in fintech includes its current/past work for ClassWallet, Klarna, SplitIt, BasisCode Compliance and Optimal Payments, and in real estate and professional services, MRI Software, Empire State Realty Trust, coUrbanize and an award-winning campaign for Convene.
We're impressed with MV Realty's business model, In addition to providing top-rated real estate services, they help consumers access cash that they did not know was available to them. MV Realty's Homeowner Benefit Program offers agents strong lead flow and extra revenue opportunities. Most are making significantly more than the industry median, which is particularly telling in this ever-changing real estate market,Henry Feintuch, president, Feintuch Communications, who noted that his team will implement an integrated consumer, trade and business campaign.
Members of Feintuch Communications' MV Realty team include Rachel Antman, senior director; and Liz Savery, vice president.
About Feintuch Communications
Feintuch Communications, based in New York City, is an award-winning strategic relations firm offering clients an integrated blend of public relations, advertising/marketing, investor relations and other services to meet their business objectives. A founding partner of PR World Alliance, the firm specializes in B2B and B2C programs with a focus in technology, financial services, adtech and media, AV and clean tech. Feintuch Communications prides itself on its strong service ethic, senior counsel and hands-on support.
About MV Realty and the Homeowner Benefit Program
Founded in 2014 and headquartered in Delray Beach, Florida, MV Realty is a residential real estate brokerage and proptech firm dedicated to meeting the needs of the modern broker, home buyer and home seller through a combination of personalized service, a proprietary CRM system and a suite of advanced technology tools to support its agents. The firm has a presence in 33 states and employs more than 500 licensed agents. Its Homeowner Benefit Program® is a unique consumer offering that provides homeowners with a cash incentive of up to $5,000 to use MV Realty as their listing agent if and when they decide to sell their home.
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REAL ESTATE TECHNOLOGY
Equity Trust Company | August 26, 2022
Onbe, a leading corporate disbursements fintech company, and Equity Trust Company, a technology-enabled financial services company that empowers individual investors to diversify investment portfolios using alternative assets, announced their recent partnership to modernize how investors pay real estate expenses within their self-directed individual retirement account (IRA).
Expense Pass, managed by Onbe on behalf of Equity Trust, eliminates the need for traditional checks and ACH, and delivers a modern, agile disbursement program via virtual and physical cards, reducing the time to deliver funds for Equity Trust real estate investors. The Expense Pass virtual and physical cards offer property owners fast access to funds to improve their real estate properties or to pay property bills, including condo fees or utilities. Additionally, they can be linked to investors' mobile wallets and are accepted at retail stores across the country.
"We are excited to offer payment disbursement choices to our self-directed IRA investors that make managing their real estate investments easier, We're partnering with Onbe to ensure our real estate investors have access to the funds they need to pay real estate bills or to improve their properties – delivering these payments seamlessly and quickly."
-Rachel Cain, senior manager, client experience and product at Equity Trust
The Expense Pass can be used to pay a variety of expenses including HOA fees, utility bills, property taxes, property insurance, property repairs and renovations, or for property-related purchases at retailers. Real estate investors can request funds that will then be disbursed via virtual or physical cards, which can be linked to Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, Venmo, or PayPal and used to pay third parties like contractors. The cards can also be used anywhere a debit card is accepted, making the funds easily accessible.
Equity Trust's ground-breaking Expense Pass program is transforming how real estate investors access their funds to improve their properties and manage expenses, We're partnering with Equity Trust to deliver a seamless payment experience to their real estate property investors. The Expense Pass program cuts down the time it takes to access funds from up to a week to a day or two, giving real estate investors faster access to their funds,said Tracy Monson, chief product officer at Onbe.
Equity Trust and Onbe completed a successful pilot program and are offering the program to investors that hold real estate in an Equity Trust IRA. Equity Trust real estate investors can register through the myEQUITY online account management system and gain quicker access to their funds with a more convenient payment method.
About Equity Trust Company
Equity Trust Company is a financial services company that enables individual investors and financial professionals to diversify investment portfolios using alternative asset classes such as real estate, tax liens, private equity, cryptocurrency, and precious metals. Equity Trust Company evolved from a predecessor brokerage firm founded in 1974, to a directed custodian today with over 45 years of experience and more than $34 billion in assets.
Equity Trust Company does not provide investment, tax or legal advice concerning your investments and is not liable for any tax consequences for your use of the Prepaid Mastercard. Please contact your tax consultant or professional for any questions concerning your use of the Prepaid Mastercard and your account assets. Equity Trust Company account owners are in no way obligated to enroll in or use the Prepaid Mastercard. This option is available as a convenience only for those wishing to take advantage of this opportunity. Equity Trust Company is not affiliated with the card issuer/bank vendor. Please refer to the terms and conditions you receive with the Prepaid Mastercard concerning additional disclosures concerning the use of the card.
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REAL ESTATE TECHNOLOGY,REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT
Berkadia and Esusu | September 08, 2022
Berkadia announced today that it signed an agreement with Esusu, the leading financial technology company leveraging rental data for credit building. This partnership unlocks greater equity for renters, improves property performance for multifamily owners and operators and reduces lender risk.
With a mission to dismantle barriers to housing for working families, Esusu reports on-time rent payments to the three major credit bureaus, Equifax, Transunion, and Experian, to establish and boost credit scores for residents. The collaboration, which launched in the Spring of 2021, has expanded to over 34,000 units, establishing over 5,300 credit scores for residents to date.
“We could not be happier to have a multi-year agreement with Esusu, which allows Berkadia to extend a powerful property performance enhancing solution to our clients, This will help owners and operators reach their own ESG goals at an exceptional value and support Esusu’s critical and innovative objective–helping renters build and improve their credit.”
-Bryce Nyberg, Director of Berkadia Digital
Partnering to Provide Value and Solutions
Seeing the value Esusu could bring to the entire residential ecosystem, a partnership was formed when Esusu joined Berkadia’s inaugural BeEngaged program in February 2020. The partnership has proven to be mutually beneficial and has helped Berkadia develop a competitive advantage as an attractive funding source to owners and operators who value Esusu as both an economic and social solution.
Through Berkadia’s introduction, Esusu services over 285 properties across more than 10 management companies including Burbank Housing, Comunidad, Eagle Property Capital, Morgan Properties, Odin Properties and more.
As a workforce housing provider operating primarily in the inner city, Odin Properties has long been focused on supporting quality of life for our residents, In Esusu, we found a solution and a team that helped further that goal by allowing residents unprecedented access to the financial system, while improving property performance. It has been encouraging to see Esusu grow as their message rightfully resonates with so many different housing stakeholders,said Phil Balderston, Founder & CEO of Odin Properties LLC.
Supporting an Equitable Housing Market
Throughout the partnership, there has been growing industry awareness around the criticality of equity in multifamily housing. This was further emphasized when Esusu announced a collaboration with Freddie Mac.
Through their joint initiative in support of increasing equitability in the housing market, Freddie Mac provides closing cost credits to multifamily borrowers who agree to use Esusu to report on-time rental payments. Esusu also provides discounted pricing for these and other Freddie Mac borrowers who agree to report on-time rental payments through the platform.
Our credit building initiative has helped build or establish credit scores for tens of thousands of multifamily renters nationwide, It is an essential component of our effort to build a more equitable multifamily housing system,said Corey Aber, Vice President of Mission, Policy and Strategy for Freddie Mac Multifamily.
Utilizing Real-Time Data for Returns
Esusu not only improves the quality of life for residents but also helps properties maximize net operating income (NOI). By adding Esusu to Berkadia’s expansive network, borrowers can see scalable social impact results–credit score increases, new established scores, eviction prevention–as well as economic returns through improved rent collections, reduced delinquencies and renter turnover, and thereby healthier cash flows.
We are grateful for our long-standing collaboration with Berkadia, The firm took an early bet on Esusu through their BeEngaged program which has paved the way for Esusu’s proliferation throughout the marketplace. Berkadia has shared our vision from day one and their foresight has led to adoption by other lenders and sponsors throughout the industry. Together, we will continue to create a world-class experience for their sponsors while taking tangible steps towards dismantling barriers to housing and bridging the racial wealth gap,said Samir Goel and Wemimo Abbey, Co-Founders and Co-CEOs of Esusu.
About BeEngaged
Launched in 2019, the BeEngaged program advises and accelerates startups that are redefining the commercial real estate industry by providing them with resources, strategic counsel, and a collaborative network to test and grow innovative concepts. Since then, the organization has accelerated more than a dozen CRE tech startups, including Esusu.
BeEngaged features three stages to foster innovation and collaboration across the commercial real estate industry: BeEngaged Network®, Verified Status, and the BeEngaged Lab®. The BeEngaged Network® develops an ecosystem of founders, industry professionals, and capital providers dedicated to redefining the commercial real estate space. Companies participating in the BeEngaged Network® that have proven potential for long-term growth and industry transformation can be invited to seek Verified Status (VP). This stage provides company founders with focused mentorship for validating strategic alignment to participants of the BeEngaged ecosystem through experiments and pilots. Successful VP companies are invited to join BeEngaged Lab®, which is a catalyst for founders and Berkadia to collaborate on long-term initiatives.
About Berkadia®
Berkadia, a joint venture of Berkshire Hathaway and Jefferies Financial Group, is a leader in the commercial real estate industry, offering a robust suite of services to our multifamily and commercial property clients. Through our integrated mortgage banking, investment sales and servicing platform, Berkadia delivers comprehensive real estate solutions for the entire life cycle of our clients’ assets.
About Esusu
Esusu is the leading financial technology platform that leverages data solutions to empower residents and improve property performance. Esusu's rent reporting platform captures rental payment data and reports it to credit bureaus to boost credit scores. This allows renters to build and establish their credit scores while helping property owners mitigate against initiating evictions, powered by differentiated data and insights. Founded in 2018, Esusu reaches over 2.5 million rental units across all 50 states in the U.S.
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