CMA launches investigation into leasehold residential market

CMA | June 12, 2019

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has formally launched an investigation to find out whether people are being treated fairly when buying their home. This follows ongoing concerns about the fairness, clarity and presentation of some leasehold contract terms, which could lead to people being stung by costly fees over a long period or having to abide by onerous terms. The CMA’s consumer protection law investigation will examine two key areas, potential mis-selling and potential unfair terms. It will look at whether people who have bought a leasehold property are given the information they need to fully understand the obligations they are taking on, for example the requirement to pay ground rent over a certain period of time, or whether they have an accurate understanding of their ability to buy their freehold.

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MARKET OUTLOOK, REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT

The Agency Launches Its First Office in Ontario's York Region

PRweb | March 29, 2023

Global real estate brokerage The Agency proudly announces the launch of its first franchise office in Ontario’s York Region. The new locale, which will be known as The Agency York Region, is the firm’s 16th office in Canada, joining the brokerage’s growing network of more than 75 offices in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Europe. The York Region office will be led by industry veterans Katia and Steve Bailey, and Niusha Walker who will serve as Managing Partners, and Adolphe Khouri who will serve as Managing Director. “Our brand new office in Ontario’s York Region is an exciting next chapter for The Agency as our brand continues to expand throughout sought-after regions in Canada,” said Mauricio Umansky, CEO and Founder of The Agency. “We’re delighted to partner again with Katia and Steve Bailey, as well as Niusha Walker and Adolphe Khouri, who are all well-respected leaders and innovators in our industry.” The Agency has rapidly expanded its presence across the globe throughout the past year, making it one of the fastest-growing luxury boutique brokerages in the world. The Agency’s independent-owned brokerages are referred to and integrated as true global partners. Every Managing Partner, from both corporate or independently-owned offices, operates cohesively as one true global network. Rather than simply using brand likeness in their marketing, The Agency’s global partners enjoy the same access to leadership, marketing, public relations, training, tools, and technology as our corporate offices. In Q1 of 2023 alone, The Agency has launched seven new offices, including the new office in the York Region, with more on the horizon in the coming months. “Our strategic expansion in Canada has been exceptional as we continue to seek like-minded partners who embody The Agency brand,” said Jim Ramsay, Executive Vice President of Franchise Sales at The Agency. “We’re thrilled to continue our work with Katia and Steve Bailey, as well as Niusha Walker and Adolphe Khouri as we debut our new office in the York Region, bringing our world-class offerings to buyers and sellers throughout the area.” Katia Bailey serves as Broker of Record and Managing Partner of several of The Agency's Canadian offices including Waterloo Region, Oakville, Muskoka, Brantford, Toronto West, and now York Region, bringing a true passion for real estate and an authentic, people-forward approach to running the brokerage. Since launching her career in real estate operations and marketing over 17 years ago, she has successfully managed a team that has produced more than $1 billion in sales. Katia’s accessibility to her agents and their clients, expedient work ethic, keen attention to detail and love for the nuanced processes that take place behind the scenes of every transaction make her an essential resource. Katia’s passion lies in making genuine connections and creating and delivering cutting-edge and strategic marketing. As the former Operations Manager for The Bailey Team, she helped her husband and business partner, Steve Bailey, grow the team to more than 20 agents and multiple administrators. The Bailey Team ranked #9 in Canada and #21 in the world for RE/MAX before launching at The Agency, overseeing more than a billion in sales and thousands of transactions. Steve Bailey, Broker and Managing Partner of multiple Agency offices, including Waterloo Region, Oakville, Muskoka, Brantford, Toronto West, and now York Region, is a seasoned real estate professional who has achieved more than $1 billion in sales over his decade-and-a-half-long career. Steve’s diligence, forthrightness and authenticity have made him an in-demand real estate advisor for clients throughout Canada. Prior to joining The Agency, Steve earned numerous awards for sales achievements and career excellence during his tenure at Re/MAX. A skilled communicator and world-aware market expert, Steve has a degree in Business from Wilfrid Laurier University. Though Steve has a broad-reaching knowledge of the local real estate landscape and can serve a range of clients, he is particularly passionate about luxury real estate and guiding clients through the sale of their homes. “With each Agency office we open, we’re reminded of the brand’s dominance and the burgeoning demand for it throughout Canada - our new office in the York Region is no exception,” said Katia and Steve Bailey. “We’re looking forward to ushering in a new era of real estate to the area with The Agency’s groundbreaking offerings, blue-chip service, and incomparable marketing power.” An award-winning real estate professional with nearly a decade of experience in property investing, Niusha Walker holds a vital leadership role at The Agency York Region, where she serves as Managing Partner. Specializing in assisting buyers, sellers, and investors within the Greater Toronto Area. Niusha adeptly provides highly personalized, white glove service to her clients while closing record-setting sales with poise and ease. In addition to achieving more than $40 million in sales in her first two years as an agent, Niusha has been presented with the Diamond Elite and Ruby Elite Awards from her previous brokerage, Engel & Völkers, which awarded agents who reached a specific gross commission income. Niusha is also a Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist and Certified International Property Specialist. Raised in Richmond Hill, Ontario, which is located in the York Region, where she still resides, Niusha is deeply familiar with the area’s unique neighborhoods and stays up-to-date on its ever-evolving market trends. Among Niusha’s many talents are her meticulous attention to detail, her ability to use thoughtful cross-market strategies to showcase exceptional homes to exclusive audiences, and negotiating powerfully to best serve her clients. “The Agency is making its mark across prominent destinations throughout Canada, and our office in the York Region will further differentiate the brand from other renowned brokerages in the area,” said Niusha Walker. “As a long-time resident of the York Region, I am thrilled to be leading a team in one of the most special markets in Ontario.” As Managing Director of The Agency York Region, Adolphe Khouri effectively and compassionately mentors teammates and guides clients through every aspect of today’s real estate market, leading with enthusiasm and confidence rooted in more than nine years of extensive industry experience. A highly respected top producer, Adolphe was named a Rising Star by The Agency in 2020 and is co-founder of WA Monteiro Group, a real estate group within The Agency that he founded alongside his life partner Woodrow Monteiro. Adolphe is passionate about every aspect of the home buying and selling process. Known for his unflappable work ethic and professional demeanor, Adolphe first entered the real estate realm as a manager of a more than 75-unit luxury corporate rental building in Downtown Toronto. Raised in Windsor, Ontario, Adolphe attended the University of Windsor and graduated with a dual degree in sociology and communications studies. With solid infrastructure, The Agency has a renowned brand that is featured on international television shows including Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, and Buying Beverly Hills, which debuted on Netflix on November 4, 2022. The Agency has grown to more than 70 corporately owned and franchise offices across the globe, making it one of the fastest-growing luxury boutique brokerages in the world. Poised for further expansion with like-minded partners in strategic markets, The Agency is noted by The Financial Times as one of America’s Fastest Growing Companies and has ranked among Inc. 5000’s list of fastest-growing private companies in the country for six consecutive years. Recently, The Agency ranked 21st on the 2022 RealTrends 500 list, and led the top 50 firms in average sales price by sides with a $2.5 million average sales price. In August 2022, Inman named The Agency Luxury Brokerage of the year. The Agency The Agency is an agent-first, tech-driven boutique luxury global brokerage representing clients worldwide in a broad spectrum of classes, including residential, new development, resort real estate, luxury leasing and vacation rentals. Breaking away from the traditional brokerage model, The Agency takes a collaborative approach to the business, fostering a culture of partnership in which all clients and listings are represented in a collaborative environment. Agents and clients benefit from the shared resources and networks of the entire global team, including in-house creative, public relations and cutting-edge technology divisions. The Agency has closed more than $57 billion real estate transactions since 2011, comprising over 70 offices in ten countries, and counting, as one of the fastest-growing boutique, luxury real estate brands in the world. Watch The Agency on Buying Beverly Hills, a new real estate occu-soap highlighting the high-stakes world of luxury real estate in Los Angeles, currently streaming on Netflix.

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REAL ESTATE TECHNOLOGY,REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT

Lessen Acquires SMS Assist to Expand Property Enterprise Solutions

Lessen | January 17, 2023

Lessen, the leading tech-enabled outsourced property services platform, recently announced the strategic acquisition of facilities maintenance technology leader SMS Assist. By combining the complementary strengths of both organizations, Lessen will continue to address real estate's pain points, offering its clients a scalable, tech-enabled enterprise solution for residential and commercial services. As a result, the companies will serve around 250,000 residential and commercial properties nationwide, enabling approximately 2.5 million repair and maintenance orders annually, in addition to expanding their property services. The transaction is completed with stock and cash, with Lessen raising roughly $500 million in combined new debt and equity. SMS Assist stockholders exchanged a portion of SMS stock for Lessen stock, resulting in a combined company valuation of over $2 billion. Debt and equity investors, including Värde Partners, Monroe Capital, and Koch Real Estate Investments, assisted with this transaction. Invitation Homes and American Homes 4 Rent are among the clients who invested in the deal with Lessen. Following the conclusion of the transaction, Lessen's Jay McKee will continue to serve as Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO of the newly-merged company. He states, "Lessen recognized early on the opportunity to provide an enterprise-level solution that solved the real estate industry's long-tenured property services pain points." He added, "This deal demonstrates the increasing demand within the underpenetrated, $330 billion addressable North American property services market for a unified, extensible delivery platform that provides transparency, efficiency and data-driven insights for the entire real estate ecosystem including investors, owners, managers and service providers. (Source – Business Wire) The new, unified technology platform will allow various service providers—from painters, contractors, and plumbers to electricians and more—to work as one on a national scale, which was previously impossible. The quality of this work will be supervised and inspected by Lessen's in-house project managers. This integrated solution will assist owners in overcoming skilled labor shortages while lessening administrative burden, enhancing project efficiency, and providing real-time project updates. About Lessen Lessen is the only end-to-end tech-enabled solution for outsourced real estate property services that delivers consistency, quality, and speed at scale, focusing on single-family and multifamily rental renovations, turns, and maintenance. Through automation and real-time analytics, the firm's technology suite is disrupting and modernizing a project management space that is still reliant on traditional organizational and communication models. The company's professional field project managers provide on-the-ground service, utilizing a network of verified service professionals in over 40 markets across the country, all powered by its proprietary technology platform.

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REAL ESTATE TECHNOLOGY, REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT

Robust Real Estate Teams up with Side to Enhance Real Estate Services

Side | January 30, 2023

Robust Real Estate, a client-centric residential sales and leasing firm, recently announced its partnership with Side, a real estate technology company. The collaboration will ensure that the relationship-driven firm of Robust Real Estate is powered by the industry's most advanced platform. Corey Nelson founded Robust Real Estate to assist Southern California homebuyers and sellers achieve their real estate objectives. With a total transaction volume of approximately $300 million, Nelson and his team earned a spot on the Los Angeles magazine Real Estate All-Stars list for 2023 and the RealTrends list of America's top real estate professionals in 2022. In addition, the team has 100 five-star Zillow ratings and many satisfied clients who support its referral-based business. Partnering with Side will ensure that Robust Real Estate remains at the forefront of the evolving real estate market and continues to provide its clients with premium services. Side supports Robust Real Estate with a one-of-a-kind brokerage platform consisting of proprietary technology, branding and marketing services, transaction management, public relations, lead generation, vendor management, legal support, and infrastructure solutions. In addition, Robust Real Estate will join an exclusive group of Side partners, gaining access to an expansive network. Corey Nelson, Founder of Robust Real Estate, shared, "I've dreamed of opening my own brokerage since obtaining my broker license in 2015, but I was hesitant to move forward because of the overhead, complexity, and liability." He adds, "Side solves many of my concerns by providing my team and me with access to state-of-the-art marketing, technology, administrative, and legal services, so we can spend more time delivering best-in-class service to our clients." (Source – PRWeb) About Side Headquartered in San Francisco (California) and founded in 2017, Side is a real estate brokerage platform empowering agents, teams, and independent brokers to establish and expand their boutique brands. The company works in the background to provide its partners with time-saving technology and superior support so brokers can work without worrying about the time, cost, or risk of operating a brokerage. Its proprietary technology platform and support solutions enable agent partners to increase productivity and expand their businesses. As a result, Side has helped launch more than 500 real estate companies across the country.

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