Real Estate Technology, Real Estate Investment
PRweb | June 30, 2023
United® Real Estate (United) announced its second expansion in Huntsville, Alabama today, solidifying its position in the top three residential brokerages in the local market. United’s Leading Edge Real Estate Group, which joined United’s national network in 2022, and Huntsville-based Revolved Realty have merged operations.
The combined companies and their 300 agents will operate as Leading Edge Real Estate Group. Revolved Realty co-founder, Tim Knox joins the team as President to advance the long-term success of the combined operations and will remain the managing broker of two former Revolved Realty offices in Huntsville. No role changes are planned for Leading Edge Real Estate Group’s founders, Danny and Charlene Sullivan. Agents will gain additional new tools, training and resources deployed through United’s Bullseye™ Cloud proprietary productivity platform.
"The merger of these two great local brokerages, combined with the backing of our national partner United Real Estate, offers limitless opportunities for buyers and sellers across north Alabama and southern Tennessee. And for the thousands of REALTORS® who call this area home, our commitment to helping agents build long-term, legacy businesses has never been greater," stated Tim Knox and Chelsea McKinney, founders of Revolved Realty. "That's the banner we will carry as we go forth and expand our market share here and eventually statewide."
In today’s market, brokerages have a tremendous opportunity to join forces for long-term competitive advantage.
“Tim and his team bring new energy into the company. Together, we have great synergy and focus and can leverage each person’s expertise to accomplish goals that previously seemed insurmountable. The services and tools we’ll bring to our service footprint will be huge for our market and for the agents. Together, we are now the third-largest in unit sales in our marketplace, and our combined strengths are a catalyst for continued growth,” commented Danny & Charlene Sullivan, founders of Leading Edge Real Estate Group.
Over the last decade, the real estate industry has shifted from commission-split brokerage models to transaction-fee models. New-generation models that entered the market have shown growth, while legacy models have reported declines in agent count, sales volume and unit sales. COVID-19 magnified those trends. According to a data-backed study examining brokerage profitability by real estate tech strategist Mike DelPrete, United was one of two national brokerages to be profitable in Q1 2023.
As brokerages move further into the new real estate market, change and innovation will become imperative for survival. In hindsight, we will look back and realize 2023 was the turning point for both legacy and new-generation models.
“Danny, Tim, Charlene, Chelsea and their respective employees and agents are creating forward momentum. What’s very exciting is that we have a carefully crafted strategic plan to navigate their agents successfully into the future. Today’s real estate landscape is vastly different than just five years ago, and these entrepreneurs are leveraging their unique talents and United Real Estate’s national resources to great advantage for their company and agents,” stated Rick Haase, President of United Real Estate.
About United Real Estate
United Real Estate (United) – a division of United Real Estate Group – was founded with the purpose of offering solutions to real estate brokers and agents in the rapidly changing real estate brokerage industry. United provides the latest training, marketing and technology tools to agents and brokers under a flat-fee, transaction-based agent commission model. By leveraging the company’s proprietary cloud-based Bullseye™ Agent & Broker Productivity Platform, United delivers a more profitable outcome for agents and brokers. United Real Estate operates in 33 states with 148 offices and 18,500 agents. The company produced over 77,900 transactions and $27.9 billion in sales volume in 2022.
About Leading Edge Real Estate Group
Founded in 2013 by Danny and Charlene Sullivan, Leading Edge Real Estate Group’s mission is “Leading the way, using cutting-edge technology to sell your home quickly and effectively while having fun in the process.” The company is committed to professionalism and quality and serves the real estate needs of clients throughout North Alabama.
About Revolved Realty
Founded in 2018 by Tim Knox and Chelsea McKinney, Revolved Realty was built on the premise that buying or selling a home is more than just a transaction: it’s a life-changing experience. Their team of highly-seasoned real estate professionals is dedicated to providing exceptional, personalized service for all clients throughout North Alabama. A champion of relationships, Revolved Realty agents work relentlessly on the client’s behalf to achieve their real estate goals.
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Brokerage, Real Estate Investment
Businesswire | July 20, 2023
Rental Beast, a leading real estate technology firm, is thrilled to announce a groundbreaking platform integration with Southwest MLS today. Ranked 10th nationwide as a hotspot for sellers, the Albuquerque housing market continues to boom despite a shortage in housing supply. As home values remain high, prospective homebuyers are shifting their focus to the rental market. In fact, each rental property in Albuquerque receives an average of eight tenant applicants, creating a market that's ready for REALTORS® to showcase their expertise.
Recognizing the demand for innovative solutions, the MLS is revolutionizing the rental market in Albuquerque through an exciting platform integration with Rental Beast. By providing its members with a comprehensive suite of tools, SWMLS empowers them to succeed in this fiercely competitive landscape.
"The launch of Rental Beast and NMHomeRentals.com is an exciting development for consumers, REALTORS®, and landlords in Greater Albuquerque," said Tego Venturi, President of SWMLS, "This new platform creates a reliable marketplace for rental properties, increasing transparency in the rental process and helping protect renters from scams. SWMLS has long been the premier marketplace for the Albuquerque home sales market and this new platform will become the central source of truth for the rental market in the same way."
The platform integration includes an array of features, including a rental-centric Add/Edit tool, access to valuable leads, third-party syndication to premier websites, an online application and tenant screening tool, powerful client management tools, and comprehensive training and support for SWMLS members to become experts in the rental market.
"We are giving members the tools they need to thrive in this space," said Ishay Grinberg, CEO of Rental Beast. "Our integration equips SWMLS members with the cutting-edge tools and resources needed to navigate the dynamic rental market landscape, deliver exceptional service to their clients, and capitalize on the immense potential that the rental market presents."
About Southwest MLS
The Southwest MLS Inc, also known as SWMLS, is the top real estate information and data provider in New Mexico, offering services to Central New Mexico and includes coverage in Bernalillo, Valencia, Sandoval, Torrance, and the areas of Socorro and Santa Fe Counties. The Southwest MLS is headquartered in Albuquerque, NM and is committed to equipping its members with valuable products and services, promoting strong ethical and professional stands while also supporting private property rights.
About the Greater Albuquerque Association of REALTORS® (GAAR)
The voice for real estate in the Greater Albuquerque area, the Greater Albuquerque Association of REALTORS® (GAAR) represents the growing region of Central New Mexico, which includes Bernalillo, Valencia, Sandoval, Torrance, parts of Socorro, and Santa Fe Counties, and is recognized as the leading provider of real estate information services and data in New Mexico.
Chartered in 1921 as the Real Estate Board of Albuquerque, GAAR today is the largest, local professional trade association in Central New Mexico, with 4,300 members pledged to uphold a strict Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice. GAAR is an association of professional REALTORS® who work cooperatively to advance the industry and actively support the communities and people they serve.
About Rental Beast
Rental Beast is a leading real estate technology firm with an end-to-end SaaS platform designed to empower real estate professionals and the nation's most comprehensive database of nearly eleven million rental properties. Sourced directly from property owners, updated in real-time, and offering a fulfillment-grade rental dataset, the Rental Beast database provides real estate professionals with an unparalleled view of all properties and owner types.
Utilizing a seamless and secure integration, participating MLSs, and REALTOR® Associations can capture thousands of properties that are normally off-MLS inventory, and leverage essential search, data ingestion, and maintenance systems needed to help member agents and subscribers capture their share of $12 billion in annual leasing commissions.
Rental Beast is recognized and supported by Second Century Ventures, the capital and strategic growth arm of the National Association of REALTORS® and is a proud member of the 2022 REACH-Canada program.
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Real Estate Investment, Asset Management
Businesswire | July 18, 2023
Ares Management Corporation (NYSE: ARES) (“Ares”) announced today that Ares has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire 100% of Crescent Point Capital (“CPC”), a leading Asia-focused private equity firm with approximately $3.8 billion of assets under management, as of March 31, 2023.
Founded in 2003, CPC has approximately 50 professionals. The team is headquartered in Singapore and has a presence in China, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam. CPC pursues a private equity strategy focused on investing in industry-leading consumer companies across the larger Southeast Asia markets and China. Supported by a loyal and growing investor base over its nearly 20-year history, CPC has established a strong reputation and delivered attractive results investing through market cycles in its target sectors and geographies.
Ares has established direct sourcing and investment capabilities in the Asia Pacific region across the credit, private equity, real estate and infrastructure asset classes through Ares Asia, previously known as Ares SSG. Ares Asia operates with approximately 165 professionals across a local footprint of nine offices in key Asia Pacific markets, as of March 31, 2023. This transaction highlights a continuation of Ares’ global expansion and creates a compelling opportunity for Ares to capitalize on the strong growth prospects for dedicated Asia Pacific private equity strategies.
“We are proud of the significant Asia Pacific presence that we have established over the years, and we believe that CPC is an excellent platform that will further enhance our footprint and capabilities in the region,” said Michael Arougheti, Chief Executive Officer and President of Ares. “We have enjoyed the opportunity to develop a great relationship with the Crescent Point team. They are experienced investors who we believe will bring impactful synergies to our existing Asia team.”
“Similar to Ares, we believe CPC possesses a highly collaborative culture. We believe that they will bring deep private equity experience, relationships and a demonstrated track record of investing in markets that will greatly complement our efforts and footprint in the region,” said Edwin Wong, Head of Ares Asia. “The expansion of our local capabilities will also strengthen our position as a creative solutions provider to management teams and sponsors in the market.”
As part of Ares, CPC is expected to benefit from the advantages of Ares’ scaled global platform and network, including Ares’ local market presence across the Asia Pacific region. The transaction provides opportunities to enhance CPC’s growth through greater access to capital, market intelligence, transaction opportunities and expanded investor relationships.
“We look forward to joining Ares and we firmly believe that this combination will help further catalyze the growth of our business,” said David Hand, Managing Partner of CPC. “As part of a leading global brand and scaled platform, we expect to realize several shared benefits that will support our ability to deliver attractive investment returns for our investors, including greater market intelligence and a broader set of local sponsor relationships.”
The transaction is expected to be immediately accretive to Ares’ after-tax realized income per share of Class A and non-voting common stock. The transaction consideration will be primarily comprised of Ares Class A common shares subject to a multi-year lock-up. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2023 and is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals.
Latham & Watkins served as legal counsel to Ares and Kirkland & Ellis and Milbank LLP acted as legal counsel to CPC.
About Ares Management Corporation
Ares Management Corporation (NYSE: ARES) is a leading global alternative investment manager offering clients complementary primary and secondary investment solutions across the credit, private equity, real estate and infrastructure asset classes. We seek to provide flexible capital to support businesses and create value for our stakeholders and within our communities. By collaborating across our investment groups, we aim to generate consistent and attractive investment returns throughout market cycles. As of March 31, 2023, Ares Management Corporation's global platform had approximately $360 billion of assets under management, with more than 2,600 employees operating across North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and the Middle East.
About Crescent Point Capital
Crescent Point Capital pursues a private equity strategy focused on investing in category-leading companies in Southeast Asia and China. We focus on forming close partnerships with our portfolio companies by providing hands-on operational, financial and strategic value-add from the inception of an investment through to its exit. Since inception, we have completed investments in more than 50 transactions in our target markets, with 31 partial or complete monetization events accomplished as of March 31, 2023.
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