British Farmland Market Mooted by Brexit Uncertainty

According to Knight Frank's latest Farmland Index, the average value of bare agricultural land in England and Wales remained virtually unchanged in the first three months of 2019.Values continue to hover just below £7,000/ acre - 3% lower than they were 12 months ago and down 5% over five years - but still almost 50% higher than they were a decade ago. At the time of writing we should have spent the past week outside the EU, but deadlock at Westminster to back Theresa May's Brexit deal or agree on an alternative plan means our departure date remains uncertain.

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REcolorado and SkySlope Join Forces to Streamline Real Estate Transaction Management

REcolorado | September 28, 2023

Today, in partnership with proptech leader SkySlope, Colorado’s largest real estate multiple listing service, REcolorado, announced they will co-develop an innovative product called Offer Insights. Scheduled to be released first to REcolorado subscribers in early 2024, Offer Insights harnesses the power of machine learning and market data to alert agents of opportunities and potential errors as they are completing real estate forms. This feature streamlines processes and boosts compliance by delivering market-aware suggestions to agents, using real-time data to signal when any information entered on a form falls above or below accepted industry standards. “When co-developing Offer Insights, we wanted to improve compliance, but we also wanted to provide REcolorado subscribers with essential market visibility,” said SkySlope CEO Tyler Smith. “Offer Insights will provide key indicators of what’s happening in the local market. Agents who use it will have access to beneficial information that’s not available anywhere else.” REcolorado is dedicated to engaging with their subscribers to gain a true understanding of their ever-evolving needs, which gives the company the ability to develop technological solutions that address those needs while also advancing the industry. By participating in co-development partnerships like this, REcolorado’s expertise can be leveraged to build meaningful solutions that give brokers and agents the ability to serve their clients as a trusted advisor. “Our subscribers trust us to listen and understand their needs so we can deliver the data, services, and insights that can be used to serve their clients and advance their businesses,” explains REcolorado President and CEO Gene Millman. “With their ability to transform data into powerful solutions that help brokers and agents work efficiently by making transactions move more smoothly, SkySlope is an ideal partner for us.” The REcolorado-SkySlope partnership underscores the ongoing movement among MLSs to evolve their services. By embracing collaboration with technology partners and brokerage leaders, MLSs are identifying agent pain points and actively participating in the development of tech-forward solutions that empower their subscribers to serve their clients efficiently and effectively. “This strategic partnership will develop a service that keeps our subscribers’ needs squarely in focus,” said Millman. “These types of collaborations are essential to creating innovations that will give agents a competitive advantage as the industry shifts.” Additionally, REcolorado will soon be launching two SkySlope signature solutions, SkySlope Offers and SkySlope Forms, to over 26,000 Colorado real estate professionals. Designed to bring time-saving automation to real estate transactions, these solutions significantly reduce administrative tasks for agents. About REcolorado REcolorado is the largest Multiple Listing Service (MLS) in Colorado with over 26,000 professional subscribers who operate throughout the state. Recipient of Inman’s 2023 Innovator Award in the MLS, Association, or Industry category, REcolorado's vision is to empower a trusted, cooperative, and comprehensive real estate marketplace to position customers for success by providing data, technology, and intelligence. The company is REALTOR® owned and serves real estate professionals including the members of Denver Metro Association of REALTORS®, South Metro Denver REALTOR® Association, Mountain Metro Association of REALTORS®, REALTORS® of Central Colorado, and Steamboat Springs Board of REALTORS. About SkySlope Established in 2011, SkySlope is the customer experience platform managing real estate transactions from contract to close. Serving over 650,000 real estate professionals across the U.S. and Canada, SkySlope manages nearly 3 million transactions annually. SkySlope is on a mission to build solutions that reshape the real estate industry by creating the most powerful autonomous transaction platform. For more information, visit SkySlope.

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Real Estate Technology

Capital Square and ITOCHU Corporation Announce Partnership to Acquire Build-for-Rent Community in Texas

PR Newswire | October 10, 2023

Capital Square, one of the nation's leading sponsors of tax-advantaged real estate investments and an active developer and manager of housing communities, announced today the formation of a joint venture partnership with ITOCHU Corporation to acquire Creekside Terrace, a 100-unit build-for-rent (BFR) single-family community currently being developed by Pulte Homes, the third largest home builder in the country. ITOCHU Corporation is one of the largest Japanese sogo shoshaa, or general trading and investment companies, founded in Japan in 1858. According to the 2023 Fortune Global 500 list, ITOCHU is the 96th largest company in the world, with annual revenue in excess of $103 billion.1 "Capital Square is thrilled to partner with one of the largest corporations in the world to acquire Creekside Terrace, a build-for-rent community near San Antonio, Texas," said Louis Rogers, founder and co-chief executive officer of Capital Square. Creekside Terrace is a 100-unit purpose-built single-family BFR rental community, located just minutes from Interstate 35. Part of an exceptional master-planned development of new homes, the community features a pool, pavilion and park with convenient access to nearby shopping and dining. These three- and four-bedroom, open-concept homes offer upscale interiors and contemporary amenities for growing families in the burgeoning New Braunfels, San Antonio area. The community will provide a high-quality rental housing option to the almost 19,000 new residents who moved to San Antonio last year. "Capital Square continues to invest in the acquisition and development of build-for-rent communities throughout Texas and the Sunbelt," said Dave Platter, managing director and co‑head of private equity at Capital Square. "As a firm, we continue to source opportunities in the I-35 corridor between Austin and San Antonio. We believe Creekside Terrace will present a welcoming community for young families looking for the benefits of single-family living without the high costs and headaches associated with homeownership today." Build-for-rent communities, comprised of single-family homes purpose-built for renting, have become an increasingly popular asset class among institutions and individual investors. Demand for this rental option is growing exponentially among residents who seek a single-family lifestyle, the financial and leasing flexibility of a rental with the amenities and convenience of a professionally managed property. The U.S. has chronically underbuilt housing since the Great Financial Crisis and requires an additional 4.3 million housing units by 2035 to meet the demand for rental housing, according to the National Multifamily Housing Council. Demand for build-for-rent homes continues to increase with professionally managed communities offering one of the best solutions for the shortage of quality, affordable housing. Institutionally owned and operated build-for-rent communities represent less than 5% of the overall U.S. housing stock, paving the way for long-term, sustainable growth for the asset class. "We are pleased to partner with Capital Square on Creekside Terrace and look forward to working with Capital Square on future acquisitions," said Hideyuki Matsukawa, senior vice president and general manager of general product and realty division at ITOCHU International Inc. Since its formation in 2012, Capital Square has raised more than $3 billion in equity from investors for its tax-advantaged real estate investment offerings. The company has consistently ranked as one of the leading sponsors of Delaware statutory trust (DST) investment programs for investors seeking the advantages of Internal Revenue Code Section 1031 exchanges and is also an active sponsor of qualified opportunity zone funds, development LLCs and Capital Square Apartment REIT, a real estate investment trust that invests in multifamily communities throughout the Southeast. About Capital Square Capital Square is a vertically integrated national real estate firm specializing in tax-advantaged real estate investments, including Delaware statutory trusts for Section 1031 exchanges, qualified opportunity zone funds for tax deferral and exclusion and a real estate investment trust (REIT). In recent years the company has become an active developer of mixed-use multifamily properties in the southeastern U.S., with eight current projects totaling approximately 2,000 apartment units with a total development cost in excess of $600 million. Since 2012, Capital Square has completed more than $7.5 billion in transaction volume. Capital Square's related entities provide a range of services, including due diligence, acquisition, loan sourcing, property/asset management and disposition, for a growing number of high-net-worth investors, private equity firms, family offices and institutional investors. Since 2017, Capital Square has been recognized by Inc. 5000 as one of the fastest growing companies in the nation for seven consecutive years. In 2017, 2018 and 2020, the company was also ranked on Richmond BizSense's list of fastest growing companies.

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TurboTenant launches feature leveraging artificial intelligence to write rental property listings

PR News Wire | August 31, 2023

As the race to maximize AI across nearly every industry continues, TurboTenant, the leading all-in-one landlord software, recently launched a feature that harnesses AI to allow landlords to craft their rental listings. Powered by OpenAI, this new tool simplifies one of rental property management's most significant challenges. When landlords enter basic property information, TurboTenant's AI Property Description personalizes a captivating listing description in less than five seconds. Leveraging open-source data to pull in unique qualities that appeal to today's renters, the AI professionalizes listing descriptions and streamlines the marketing process to find quality tenants. Plus, this AI is trained to comply with the Fair Housing Act — a major win for landlords everywhere. "Generative AI tools such as ChatGPT are like magic. You ask AI to do something, and the tool easily completes your task," said Max O'Rourke, Senior Product Manager at TurboTenant. "That's a big reason we built the AI Property Description feature with OpenAI — we want our landlords to feel like magicians when they create a new listing." The free AI Property Description feature is the latest update to TurboTenant's versatile rental property management platform. Listings are a landlord's first chance to catch potential tenants' eyes, and this latest feature simplifies the process significantly. According to a recent Forbes Advisory survey, over 64% of businesses report AI increases their productivity. AI Property Description is just one of the many features TurboTenant has launched to streamline, professionalize, and simplify the administrative side of being a landlord. "Harnessing the power of AI for property description and listing title generation is just the tip of the iceberg," said O'Rourke. "Building a feature like this is just another example of TurboTenant's commitment to innovation and better serving our users." About TurboTenant Built by landlords for landlords, TurboTenant empowers independent property managers at every step of the rental process. More than 550,000 independent landlords nationwide enjoy TurboTenant's free, all-in-one online property management solutions. Features offered by TurboTenant include rental applications, tenant screening, property marketing, rent payments, lease agreements, and rent reporting.

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