Building Is For The Birds With Proposed Legislation, But CRE May Not Be Ready

New York City Council | October 17, 2019

Cities all over the world are moving quickly to adopt legislation requiring commercial buildings covered in glass to be safe for birds perhaps too quickly for the commercial real estate industry. The New York City chapter of Audobon, which tracks collision-related bird deaths, estimates that between 90,000 and 230,000 birds die per year from flying into buildings in the city. Nationally, the casualties might number more than one billion. In the daytime, glass that is too transparent or reflective appears invisible to birds, while a building giving off substantial light at night confuses and sometimes draws them toward those structures. Birds that don't migrate away from urban habitats, like pigeons, do not tend to have difficulty with glass buildings, but glass-clad buildings are considered serious threats to migratory birds, and some governing bodies are starting to do something about it.

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Market Outlook, Real Estate Technology

Intermap Partners with CAPE Analytics for Property Intelligence Analytics

Globenewswire | July 25, 2023

Intermap Technologies (TSX: IMP; OTCQB: ITMSF) (“Intermap” or the “Company”), a global leader in 3D geospatial products and intelligence solutions, today announced a partnership with CAPE Analytics (“CAPE”), a leader in AI-powered geospatial property intelligence. Intermap’s digital surface models (DSMs) are integrated into CAPE’s property intelligence software, enabling specific property and parcel attributes for property analysis. CAPE is leveraging the Company’s precision data to power property attributes that require an understanding of terrain and surface elevation, such as parcel slope and the visible view from a property. This new partnership adds valuable data to CAPE’s existing data partnerships and Foundry platform, which uses machine learning to fuse and analyze diverse datasets and deliver the most accurate property insights available. “A multisource approach to geospatial analytics has been key for CAPE in delivering value to our clients,” said Ian Boneysteele, VP of Partnerships, Strategy, and Corporate Development at CAPE Analytics. “We are excited to integrate Intermap’s highly accurate nationwide digital surface maps to further enhance our offerings.” “We are proud to partner with CAPE to enable AI-powered geospatial property analytics and be integral to producing unique property insights,” said Patrick A. Blott, Intermap Chairman and CEO. “Our elevation data provides accurate, location-specific details to increase the level of confidence for accurate property valuation and help investors make smarter decisions.” Intermap Reader Advisory Certain information provided in this news release, including reference to revenue growth, constitutes forward-looking statements. The words "anticipate", "expect", "project", "estimate", "forecast", “will be”, “will consider”, “intends” and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Although Intermap believes that these statements are based on information and assumptions which are current, reasonable and complete, these statements are necessarily subject to a variety of known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Intermap’s forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties pertaining to, among other things, cash available to fund operations, availability of capital, revenue fluctuations, nature of government contracts, economic conditions, loss of key customers, retention and availability of executive talent, competing technologies, common share price volatility, loss of proprietary information, software functionality, internet and system infrastructure functionality, information technology security, breakdown of strategic alliances, and international and political considerations, as well as those risks and uncertainties discussed Intermap’s Annual Information Form and other securities filings. While the Company makes these forward-looking statements in good faith, should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary significantly from those expected. Accordingly, no assurances can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will transpire or occur, or if any of them do so, what benefits that the Company will derive therefrom. All subsequent forward-looking statements, whether written or oral, attributable to Intermap or persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as at the date of this news release and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or to revise any of the forward-looking statements made herein, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by applicable securities law. About CAPE Analytics CAPE Analytics is the leading provider of geospatial property intelligence. CAPE provides instant property insights for millions of residential and commercial buildings by analyzing high-resolution imagery, property records, and novel data sources using computer vision and machine learning. With a mission to better understand and protect the built environment, CAPE provides property stakeholders with risk-predictive property attributes that are more timely, accurate, and objective than on-site inspections. Comprised of insurance, real estate, and data experts, CAPE is backed by leading venture capital firms and insurance carriers. About Intermap Technologies Founded in 1997 and headquartered in Denver, Colorado, Intermap (TSX: IMP; OTCQB: ITMSF) is a global leader in geospatial intelligence solutions, focusing on the creation and analysis of 3D terrain data to produce high-resolution thematic models. Through scientific analysis of geospatial information and patented sensors and processing technology, the Company provisions diverse, complementary, multi-source datasets to enable customers to seamlessly integrate geospatial intelligence into their workflows. Intermap’s 3D elevation data and software analytic capabilities enable global geospatial analysis through artificial intelligence and machine learning, providing customers with critical information to understand their terrain environment. By leveraging its proprietary archive of the world’s largest collection of multi-sensor global elevation data, the Company’s collection and processing capabilities provide multi-source 3D datasets and analytics at mission speed, enabling governments and companies to build and integrate geospatial foundation data with actionable insights. Applications for Intermap’s products and solutions include defense, aviation and UAV flight planning, flood and wildfire insurance, disaster mitigation, base mapping, environmental and renewable energy planning, telecommunications, engineering, critical infrastructure monitoring, hydrology, land management, oil and gas and transportation.

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Home and Design

Ribbon, Now Powered by EasyKnock, Relaunches Product in Atlanta and Charlotte Real Estate Markets, Bringing Advantage to Buyers, and Sellers

EasyKnock | August 17, 2023

Ribbon, powered by EasyKnock, announces today that RibbonCash – its pioneering cash offer solution – has relaunched in Atlanta and Charlotte. As one of the pioneers of powerbuying solutions, Ribbon has considered Atlanta and Charlotte as its historical home base, driving the company’s success since its founding in 2017. Ribbon’s product reached around 2 percent of the overall closings in the Atlanta market in 2022, an achievement indicative of the appetite for homeownership. “The EasyKnock and Ribbon teams could not be more excited to announce the return of RibbonCash to Charlotte and Atlanta,” said Jarred Kessler, CEO of EasyKnock. The Southeast in general remains competitive according to Bankrate’s Housing Heat Index. According to the index, despite price declines elsewhere in the United States, the Southeast has held steady due to comparatively affordable prices. Ribbon aims to tap into this reality for everyday homebuyers who seek ways to achieve homeownership for themselves or their family. “We believe the Southeast maintains a culture of homeownership that withstands shifts in the market. Mortgage rates and inventory may ebb and flow, but achieving homeownership - and seeking the leading tools to compete - has not,” Kessler said. “We continue to be bullish on Atlanta, Charlotte, and the Southeast overall.” By working with real estate agents and loan officers, and not competing with them as a direct-to-consumer offering like iBuyers, Ribbon sustains its reputation for empowering the real estate ecosystem. EasyKnock acquired the assets of Ribbon in 2023. Both EasyKnock and Ribbon have forged strong partnerships in residential real estate by using best-in–class technology that connects consumers with loan officers, real estate agents, and other participants in the homebuying and home selling experience. Together, Ribbon and EasyKnock are ushering in a new chapter for the real estate industry, creating a one-stop shop for financial solutions that serve homeowners, buyers, and sellers across the country. About EasyKnock EasyKnock is the first-to-market, technology-enabled residential sale-leaseback company in the U.S. Through innovative and accessible solutions, American homeowners who sell their property to EasyKnock can remain in their homes as renters while still getting the cash they need to pursue their financial goals. Headquartered in New York City and founded in 2016, EasyKnock has team members nationwide working to help homeowners unlock their financial freedom through non-loan programs so they can pay off debts, buy their dream home, fund a venture, and more - all while maintaining the ability to stay in their homes and communities. In 2023, EasyKnock acquired the assets of Ribbon Home and continues to offer Ribbon products to customers.

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Real Estate Technology, Real Estate Investment

SouthPoint Financial Services Creates New Real Estate Division Powered By Newzip

PRnewswire | July 27, 2023

SouthPoint Financial Services (SPFS), a full-service mortgage lender operating in 16 states, today announced a partnership with Newzip, a tech-enabled real estate solutions platform. Newzip brings seamless, RESPA-compliant real estate services to SPFS, matching pre-approved borrowers with experienced agents to find homes then providing cash rewards when SPFS borrowers close on home purchases. Here's how the new SPFS Preferred Partners Program powered by Newzip works: SPFS customers can now receive real estate advice tailored to their needs from a dedicated Newzip Home Advisor team that helps them throughout their entire home search, offer-writing, transaction, closing, and moving process. Once SPFS pre-approves a customer for a home purchase loan, Newzip's advanced algorithms and data analytics match home buyers with the most suitable real estate agents across their national network of trusted professionals. When SPFS mortgage customers opt into this program, they can save 1% on the sell side and 0.5% on the buy side as a closing credit decreasing their required cash-to-close in rebate eligible states. Throughout the home buying and financing process, the Newzip platform keeps SPFS loan officers, borrowers, Newzip home advisors, and real estate agents seamlessly connected. "Adding Newzip real estate services and technology to SouthPoint Financial's fast, friendly mortgage team creates a one-stop shop for our home-buying customers," said SouthPoint Financial Services CEO Mindy Rothenberger. "This partnership helps us double down on our mission to remove all barriers of home ownership and solve all the mysteries of home lending and buying. It adds personalized guidance at every step, giving our customers a confident, informed home buying journey from start to finish." The SPFS/Newzip partnership is a shared commitment to innovation and customer-centric solutions, delivering a seamless, efficient, cost-saving journey to homebuyers across America. "Integrating Newzip's platform into SPFS's mortgage experience will not only elevate the home buying/selling experience, but also makes it more affordable for borrowers in this challenging market," said Newzip CEO Adi Pavlovic. "We're thrilled to power real estate services for SPFS and innovate together in the mortgage industry." About Newzip Newzip is a real estate platform that empowers mortgage lenders to deliver an end-to-end customer experience. Leveraging a combination of technology and human empathy, Newzip's vision is to create the standard for a modern real estate experience that helps people make informed decisions throughout their entire journey. About SouthPoint Financial Services SouthPoint Financial Services (SPFS) is a full-service, Georgia-based mortgage lender offering government-backed and conventional loans. SPFS is one of the few mortgage lenders that handle every step of the process with in-house processing, underwriting, and document preparation. SPFS's mission is to remove all barriers to homeownership, answer all the questions, and solve all the mysteries of home lending.

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