Real Estate Investment
PRnewswire | August 08, 2023
Modwell, the design technology company transforming how the $4 trillion dollar global realty market buys, sells and lists properties, and Christie's International Real Estate, today announced a first-of-its kind partnership that will provide top agents of the world's leading high-value real estate brand with access to its game-changing suite of real estate listings solutions.
The partnership between the two companies will give 50 of Christie's International Real Estate's Masters Circle agents – the highest grossing agents across the brand's U.S. network – the ability to leverage Modwell's proprietary and patented tech-based design platform in order to showcase home listings in an unprecedented, modernized fashion, drive sales and help future buyers envision the full potential of any home, apartment or property lot. The Modwell infrastructure is even flexible enough to accommodate developer-ready parcels.
Specifically, these Christie's International Real Estate Masters Circle agents, representing 39 luxury markets across at least 15 states, will be able to access Modwell's suite of solutions including:
Enhanced Listings. Which takes an existing property and applies 3D scanning and modeling technology in order to reimagine and fully realize the untapped design potential of any property's interior and exterior. From there, agents will be able to share design exhibits via their own user profile directly to their network of clients in order to sell more, faster.
Next Gen 3D Showrooms. Modwell's virtual "warehouse" that curates a highly individual aggregated listings experience for real-estate professionals and their organizations. These digital showrooms are designed so that agents can showcase featured properties and attach their personal showrooms to Modwell's larger Masterbrand Showroom.
Consumer Home Vaults. Created to supercharge referrals (which make up 82% of agent revenues in the U.S.), this interactive solution gives agents an opportunity to maintain more meaningful relationships with their clients over the lifetime of their home ownership. Clients are invited onto Modwell's platform in order to fully document their home by uploading their surveys, floor plans, 3D models and more into a purpose-built design hub.
"We're thrilled to be able to work with an esteemed brand like Christie's International Real Estate. Technology has enabled consumers to change how they live their lives – from how they communicate, to what, when and how they connect with content, to how they purchase goods and services. While home buying should be no different, and 97% of consumers use online tools when buying a home, listings have remained legacy based. Modwell is changing that paradigm through advanced technology and we're excited that Christie's International Real Estate's top agents will be able to leverage our platform in a way we think will help them sell more," said Jonathan Reisman, Co-Founder, Modwell.
"Christie's International Real Estate has a rich and storied history as a market leader and a lot of that has to do with continually giving our agents innovative ways to engage with potential clients. Our program with Modwell continues that high standard and we're excited to get their technology into the hands of our top agents in order to drive a more efficient and interactive process," said Thad Wong, co-CEO of Christie's International Real Estate.
In under a year, Modwell has disrupted an industry stuck in legacy models, creating the highest fidelity 3D technology to power a better overall real estate experience for both buyers and sellers across a varied array of industry verticals and segments.
The company was selected for the prestigious Moderne Ventures' Passport Program, a six-month industry immersion program that catalyzes the growth of its companies by offering its participants education, mentorship, and pilot opportunities with new customers via access and exposure to Moderne's Network of real estate – and real estate adjacent – industry leaders. The program is highly selective with the Moderne Ventures team evaluating over 4,500 companies a year, but selecting on average 6 to 10 companies per class. In February, the company's technology was prominently featured in the Bravo hit "Million Dollar Listings'' and, more recently, it provided the technology behind a prominent Robb Report listing and article.
About Christie's International Real Estate
Christie's International Real Estate has successfully marketed high-value real estate around the world for more than 30 years. Through its invitation-only Affiliate network spanning nearly 50 countries and territories, Christie's International Real Estate offers incomparable services to a global clientele at the luxury end of the residential property market.
About Modwell
Modwell is a design tech company whose first-of-its-kind collaborative platform and tools empower agents and buyers to modernize their real estate experience. While other industries have evolved to match our 21st century lifestyles and preferences, real estate has stayed relatively the same. Modwell was founded in 2020 by architecture and marketing veterans who not only set out to close that gap but who have a clear vision for where real estate is going as the world embraces virtual realities.
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Real Estate Technology, Mortgage and Lending
PRnewswire | July 28, 2023
Rhino, which pioneered security deposit insurance in 2017 and services a six-million-home partner network, today announced that Omega Realty Group is using the new Rhino+ platform to manage security deposits for renters.
Rhino+ is the rental industry's first digital deposit platform that simplifies and modernizes the security deposit process, making renting easier, transparent and affordable.
"Rhino has been a trusted partner for over three years, helping protect our thousands of rental units with security deposit insurance. With Rhino+, we now offer our renters the choice to use cash or insurance as part of their move-in experience," said John Ashley, Omega Realty Group. "We look forward to continuing our partnership with Rhino and delivering a digital experience to our residents, allowing them to move in seamlessly while protecting our assets."
Leasing teams typically deal with physical deposit checks that must be brought to the bank and held in an escrow account. Property owners often have to track these payments in software platforms coded in the 80s that can't always be used on personal computers. Cash sits in escrow, inaccessible until the end of the lease. The process is required for every unit, taking up to 20 hours per month.
"Rhino+ alleviates the headache of the traditional security process by giving owners and renters choices," said Ben Lantos, Rhino's CEO and co-founder. "Renters can transact digitally, which is their preferred method, and property owners save significant time on administrative tasks."
For owners, Rhino+ effortlessly automates every step of the deposit journey, from viewing and managing security deposits, insurance policies, claims, properties and renters, all in a single platform. The solution streamlines operations, reduces complexity and improves efficiency.
Rhino currently works with one-third of the Top 100 property owners in the U.S. Learn more at sayrhino.com.
About Rhino
Rhino was founded to give renters everywhere greater financial freedom to plan and enjoy their lives. In 2017, Rhino pioneered security deposit insurance, replacing cash deposits with smart, affordable insurance so renters can maintain control of their cash. Instead of a large upfront cash security deposit, renters pay Rhino a small fee, and Rhino insures the property owner for damages that might occur and lost rent. In 2022, Rhino launched an end-to-end deposit management and compliance platform, transforming how security deposits are administered.
In addition, Rhino today also offers Renters Insurance, giving renters a simple and affordable way to purchase contents and liability insurance, which property owners often also require at move-in. Rhino is offered in over two million homes with a six million home partner network, and we have saved renters over $1 billion in cash.
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Market Outlook, Real Estate Investment
PRNewswire | August 02, 2023
Zillow® Group's new-construction listings will soon be automatically syndicated to Redfin, connecting home builders with motivated buyers on both platforms. The strategic partnership will dramatically expand the reach of home builder listings on Zillow and allow Redfin customers to explore a broader range of new-construction homes for sale, creating a seamless home-buying experience.
The new partnership comes at a time when new construction is gaining prominence among buyers. In June 2023, new single-family home sales were up 23.8% from a year ago. This is partly because the inventory of existing homes is dwindling and consumers are shifting to new construction to find a home that meets their needs. Zillow's latest market report shows there were 28% fewer new listings added to the market this June compared to last year. A Redfin analysis found that in the first half of 2023, one-third of single-family homes available for buyers to choose from were new construction, a record-high share.
"Zillow provides a standout platform for home builders to highlight their communities and connect with potential buyers. Zillow's Community pages, in particular, help buyers understand the benefits of a new-construction home and give home builders a place to highlight all the amenities within a new-build community," said Owen Gehrett, vice president and general manager of New Construction at Zillow. "The partnership with Redfin extends this unique and valuable resource to a wider audience. It benefits home builders by expanding their reach to additional home buyers, while empowering home shoppers to make confident and informed decisions, regardless of where they choose to shop."
Zillow boasts the largest selection of new-construction communities of all real estate websites in the U.S.,1 making it the ultimate choice for buyers seeking new homes and home builders looking to connect with those prospective shoppers. Through this strategic partnership, home builders will also market their new-construction communities to Redfin's extensive customer base of 50 million monthly visitors. Builders partnering with Zillow will begin to see their listings and communities syndicated to Redfin in the fourth quarter of 2023.
"With buyer demand outpacing the supply of existing homes for sale, Redfin's home-buying customers are increasingly turning to new construction," said Adam Wiener, Redfin's president of real estate operations. "Our Zillow partnership will help our customers discover more homes that fit their criteria. This is a win-win-win for our customers, agents and the builders who advertise with Zillow, who will now reach the homebuyers on Redfin. The partnership provides a new revenue opportunity while allowing us to focus on what we do best, helping customers buy and sell homes with local Redfin agents."
As part of the rollout, Redfin will launch new features to help buyers discover new-construction communities and connect with home builders, powered by Zillow's Community pages. These pages highlight important community amenities, featuring photos, videos, community maps and amenity details, which is incredibly important to new-construction buyers. According to Zillow's 2023 New Construction Consumer Housing Trends Report, 53% of new-construction buyers greatly value shared amenities such as clubhouses and fitness centers, compared to only 24% of existing home buyers.
Community pages also list all available homes for sale within the community, including homes that are move-in ready, nearly complete and lots, and provide a direct link to the builder's website, contact information and sales center hours. These features enable builders to showcase their homes, amenities and details in one convenient place, and soon, the features will be accessible to both Zillow and Redfin shoppers.
Upon the launch of the partnership, Redfin will source non-MLS new-construction listings exclusively from Zillow. New-construction listings available through an MLS will still be discoverable on Redfin.
About Zillow Group
Zillow Group, Inc. is reimagining real estate to make home a reality for more and more people. As the most visited real estate website in the United States, Zillow and its affiliates help people find and get the home they want by connecting them with digital solutions, great partners, and easier buying, selling, financing and renting experiences.
Zillow Group's affiliates, subsidiaries and brands include Zillow®; Zillow Premier Agent®; Zillow Home Loans℠; Zillow Closing Services℠; Trulia®; Out East®; StreetEasy®; HotPads®; and ShowingTime+℠, which includes ShowingTime®, Bridge Interactive®, and dotloop®.
About Redfin
Redfin is a technology-powered real estate company. We help people find a place to live with brokerage, rentals, lending, title insurance, and renovations services. We also run the country's #1 real estate brokerage site. Our home-buying customers see homes first with same day tours, and our lending and title services help them close quickly. Customers selling a home in certain markets can have our renovations crew fix up their home to sell for top dollar. Our rentals business empowers millions nationwide to find apartments and houses for rent. Customers who buy and sell with Redfin pay a 1% listing fee, subject to minimums, less than half of what brokerages commonly charge. Since launching in 2006, we've saved customers more than $1.5 billion in commissions. We serve more than 100 markets across the U.S. and Canada and employ over 5,000 people.
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