Mortgage approvals increased in April, latest data shows

There was a sharp increase in mortgage approvals in April as home owners continued to take advantage of low mortgage rates across much of the market, the latest data shows. There were 65,781 mortgages approved during April 2019, up 2.7% compared to the same month in 2018, according to the mortgage monitor from residential chartered surveyors e.surv. The report points out that while new activity in the wider housing market remains stagnant in many areas of the country, existing home owners are capitalising on a battle between High Street banks and other lenders which has seen interest rates fall so far this year.

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Peachtree Group Announces New Brand Positioning and Logo

Peachtree Group | September 21, 2023

Peachtree Group, an investment firm with a diverse portfolio of commercial real estate assets, announced a refreshed corporate brand position to showcase better the company's fully integrated investment and service platforms. Accompanying the new brand position is a powerful new tagline, ‘Guided by Intuition, Grounded by Expertise.’ This succinct expression captures the essence of Peachtree Group's approach to investment strategies. The firm combines its intuitive understanding of commercial real estate with the wisdom of years of experience to make informed decisions that drive growth and deliver exceptional results. "Our dedication to branding has empowered us to maintain a competitive advantage in attracting top-tier talent, ensuring we consistently have the finest minds and skills to navigate a rapidly evolving business landscape," said Greg Friedman, Peachtree Group's CEO and managing principal. "Furthermore, our strategic branding approach, focused on unifying our extensive range of businesses, is positioned to unlock even more of the untapped potential within our investment platform. This platform, which has already demonstrated its value in the hospitality sector, has been instrumental in our successful expansion and diversification into other real estate sectors and ventures." The company has consolidated all affiliated brands under the Peachtree Group umbrella. This change unifies the Company's diverse portfolio of brands, including Stonehill and Peachtree Hospitality Management, into Peachtree Group Credit and Peachtree Group Hospitality Management, respectively. "By bringing the company's brands together, we aim to leverage our collective strengths, streamline our operations and provide an enhanced experience for our valued partners," Friedman said. Alongside the rebranding, Peachtree Group has unveiled a new logo that combines the simplified representation of a tree with the capital letter P letterform. It succinctly champions the company's roots and remarkable growth it achieved since its inception in 2007, driven by deep expertise and strategic foresight. "The introduction of our refreshed brand position and logo marks an exciting new chapter in Peachtree Group's journey," said Jatin Desai, Peachtree Group's CFO and managing principal. "The consolidation of our affiliated companies under one unified name reflects our commitment to delivering a seamless and cohesive experience to all our stakeholders. Our new tagline embodies the balance of our innovative vision and the profound expertise that underpins our success." About Peachtree Group Peachtree Group is an investment firm driving growth with a diverse portfolio of commercial real estate assets and other ventures. The company has executed hundreds of investments since its inception, focusing on real estate acquisition, development and lending valued at $9.0 billion in total market capitalization. Today, Peachtree manages over $2.5 billion in equity, augmented by services designed to protect, support and grow its investments.

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JPAR Meets Consumer Demand for Floor Plans in Real Estate Listings with CubiCasa Partnership

PR Newswire | October 17, 2023

JPAR, a leading name in real estate, is proud to announce a groundbreaking partnership with CubiCasa, a pioneer in floor plan technology. The partnership marks one of CubiCasa's first partnerships with a residential real estate brand. The companies have joined in executing a vision to bring a floor plan to every listing. In a survey by the National Association of REALTORS®, it was revealed that 67% of home buyers consider floor plans "very useful" in their property search, yet this essential feature is often overlooked in listings. Following photos and listing data, a floor plan is the most coveted data asset for consumers. "We want every interaction with one of our agents and listings to be a quality experience for consumers. This partnership empowers our sales professionals to meet the demands of modern buyers by providing them with the information they need to make some of the largest decisions in their lives," said Daniel Butbul, VP of Operations at JPAR's Affiliated Network. "Our goal is to have floor plans available on 90% of JPAR listings by the end of 2024," added Butbul. Effective immediately, agents may now register for a JPAR-sponsored CubiCasa account, accessible through the JPAR® OneStop HUB. "It's incredibly exciting to work with JPAR® on this project. They share our vision of a better real estate search experience powered by floor plans being attached to every listing, and our technology is the world's single-easiest and most-scalable solution to creating floor plans," according to Jeff Allen, President, CubiCasa. The CubiCasa app streamlines the process of creating floor plans for listings, requiring just 5-10 minutes to scan the property using almost any mobile device. Agents can then upload the scan on-site or at their convenience. CubiCasa's advanced AI technology transforms the scan into a professional-grade floor plan, which is delivered within 6-24 hours, available with and without measurements. About JPAR - Real Estate JPAR – Real Estate is a full-service real estate brand and franchise platform offering a highly competitive transaction fee-based model and agent-centric culture. The JPAR® platform provides agents seven (7) days-per-week support, a comprehensive tech stack, marketing, lead generation, training, and mentoring. JPAR® affiliated owners benefit from compliance review, 1-on-1 consulting, recruiting support, and a peer network of influential industry leaders. The company boasts more than 4,000 agents operating in 65 offices across 27 states, Washington, D.C. and closes over $8B annually in sales volume. About CubiCasa Headquartered in Oulu, Finland, CubiCasa is the global market leader in mobile indoor scanning and is known for its fast and easy-to-use floor plan app on the App Store and Google Play Store. CubiCasa's technology is used in 160 different countries and has helped create over 1 million floor plans to date. CubiCasa provides technology for the real estate, appraisal, and mortgage industries and is on a mission to digitize real estate.

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Barings and Foulger Pratt Close Acquisition of $50+ Million Build-to-Rent Community in Raleigh, NC

Business Wire | October 19, 2023

Barings, one of the world’s largest diversified real estate investment managers, today announced its joint venture with Foulger Pratt to acquire a 172-unit build-to-rent (BTR) community in the Raleigh, N.C. metropolitan area. The $50+ million acquisition marks Barings’ entrance into the BTR market and builds on the firm’s $12.5+ billion* U.S. real estate equity platform. The transaction brings Foulger Pratt’s BTR portfolio to 700 homes and approximately $250 million in investment across North Carolina and Maryland. “We believe build-to-rent is one of the fastest growing segments of the housing market given demographic trends, evolving consumer preferences, and a national housing shortage,” said Joe Gorin, Barings’ Head of U.S. Real Estate Equity. “We are excited to partner with the well-established team at Foulger Pratt on our first BTR acquisition and look forward to deploying more capital into attractively priced assets as we scale our capabilities in this segment.” “Foulger Pratt is excited to continue its investment in the Carolinas through the delivery of quality rental housing in partnership with Barings – one of the world’s leading investment managers,” said Cameron Pratt, Chief Executive Officer of Foulger Pratt. The community will consist of 89 townhomes and 83 single-family detached units situated on 39 acres in Wendell, N.C. – just east of Raleigh. The initial deliveries of homes are expected to be available for lease in H1 2024. “We anticipate strong job, population, and household growth in this emerging submarket and believe this property will be well-positioned to offer an affordable rent alternative, a high quality of life, as well as easy access to key employment centers and top-tier universities,” said Kevin Miller, Barings’ Head of Real Estate Acquisitions, Eastern U.S. Barings has been investing in U.S. real estate equity for nearly 30 years and today has $35.5 billion* in U.S. real estate AUM across equity and debt, with nearly 130 dedicated real estate investment professionals across six U.S. offices managing more than 550 assets.

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