REAL ESTATE TECHNOLOGY, REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT
Globenewswire | May 16, 2023
Ohmyhome Ltd. (NASDAQ: OMH, “Ohmyhome”, “the Company”) and Ohmyhome Property Inc. (“Ohmyhome Philippines”) are pleased to announce the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) of a strategic investment by Ohmyhome Ltd. into Ohmyhome Property Inc.’s Philippines operations, marking Ohmyhome’s plan of expanding in the large and growing Philippines market.
“Philippines has always been a great market for property transactions. The quality of developers and their projects have improved significantly over the decades, and the country’s economy has seen a strong rebound from COVID with a flourishing digital economy,” said Rhonda Wong, Chief Executive Officer “Many companies have set up their Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) and technology teams here, creating job opportunities and income for families. The growing Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) have also been a strong pillar of growth of the real estate industry. We believe that there are ample opportunities for a data-driven technology platform like us to help homebuyers, home sellers, and developers transact their properties.” added Ms. Wong.
Philippines as a Southeast Asia Growth Opportunity
The company’s move into the Philippines market provides robust business growth opportunities. With a record pace of 7.6% in 2022, Philippines is amongst the world's fastest growing emerging markets according to S&P Global. The population growth remains one of the strongest in Southeast Asia with a fertility rate of 2.78 in 2020, and the median age of 25.3 years as compared to 41.8 of Singapore and 38.1 of United States. The Philippines is also a country with one of the highest English-speaking populations in Southeast Asia, making it ripe for international businesses.
Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) are also increasingly contributing to the economy and the housing market in the Philippines. The total number of OFWs was estimated at 1.83 million in 2021, up by 3% compared to 2020. Total personal cash remittances grew 3.6% to USD 36.14 billion in 2022, accounting for 8.9% of the Philippines’ gross domestic product. The robust inward remittances reflected the increasing demand for OFWs amid the reopening of economies, and also presents great opportunities for families to upgrade their homes back in the Philippines.
“Ohmyhome’s vision is to be the most trusted and comprehensive property solution for everyone, and the Philippines currently lacks a platform that provides exceptional customer service that Ohmyhome is providing to our customers in the Singapore market,” said Herzon Garland, Founder of Ohmyhome Property Inc. “We believe that with this collaboration, we will be able to provide first class service to our customer base and bring the best Philippines properties to Filipinos here and around the globe.”
Strategic Partnership Provides Synergies
The core component of the collaboration and integration between Ohmyhome and Ohmyhome Philippines, will bring core technologies of Ohmyhome in closing transactions and its MATCH algorithm to complement Ohmyhome Philippines operations in property transactions. Additionally, the partnership will provide resources on both sides to allow for the ease of cross-border property transactions.
The integration of Ohmyhome Philippines’ huge portfolio of properties and units will allow interested buyers and investors of Philippines properties to select from a wide range of units that fit their needs and will be serviced by a dedicated team that works across Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines. myElite.pro, an exclusive members-only property network developed by Ohmyhome Philippines for salespersons and referral partners in the Philippines and beyond, could also potentially be deployed in other geographies to partner with trustworthy licensed salespersons and referral partners to serve both homebuyers and sellers who can access all information and services from a single platform on their fingertips.
“This MOU further solidifies our position as the go-to platform for property seekers and sellers to come. We hope to be able to bring our solutions to the millions of families in Southeast Asia, and bring speed, ease, and reliability to property related services in the region.” commented Race Wong, Chief Operating Officer.
The agreement will allow the Company to service the thousands of homeowners and homebuyers across Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines as a united team and a dedicated platform that ensures quality services and acts in the best interest of customers.
About Ohmyhome Property Inc.
Originally established by a few business partners who believed in similar visions of the founders of the Company, Ohmyhome Property Inc. was established to expand Ohmyhome’s branding and building partnerships in the Philippines and was provided with Ohmyhome’s branding and the support of web and mobile platforms.
Within a short span of 3 years since its inception, Ohmyhome Philippines has grown the brand into one of the leading property platforms in the Philippines. The business team has also secured partnerships with more than 150 developers with over 80,000 properties for customers to choose from. Ohmyhome Philippines has since become the platform with the largest and most comprehensive property inventory in the nation.
Separately, to leverage on the strong social networks of Filipinos across the country and globally, Ohmyhome Philippines has developed and launched in 2022 myElite.pro with close to 5,000 verified members. myElite.pro is a members-only property network where verified referral partners and salespersons are able to access the most comprehensive property inventory in the Philippines and refer buyers to the network and earn incentives upon successful close. This taps onto the informal network of Filipinos across the country and the world and allows clients to be served by verified partnering salespersons everywhere without incurring additional headcount.
About Ohmyhome
Ohmyhome is a one-stop-shop property technology platform in Singapore that provides end-to-end property solutions and services for buying, selling, renting, and renovating homes. Since its launch in 2016, Ohmyhome has transacted over 13,100 properties. It is also the highest rated property transaction platform with more than 8,000 genuine reviews with an average rating of 4.9 out of 5 stars.
Today, Ohmyhome is the first Singaporean company listed in the US in 2023 and the first women-only founded Proptech company listed in the US.
Ohmyhome is dedicated to bringing speed, ease, and reliability to the property-related services, and to become the most trusted and comprehensive property solution for everyone.
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REAL ESTATE TECHNOLOGY, REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT
Globenewswire | June 07, 2023
Today’s launch of BrainBox AI’s Autonomous Decarbonization solution suite marks another milestone for the company as it continues to deliver innovative and impactful solutions aiding the built environment in its fight against climate change. This unique product suite was created as an end-to-end sustainability platform for commercial and retail real estate portfolio owners seeking an AI-driven emissions reduction solution to propel their decarbonization journey.
BrainBox AI’s autonomous decarbonization solution directly addresses the 38% of global greenhouse gases (GHG) emitted annually by commercial buildings by measuring, reducing, and offsetting them, thereby supporting building owners in their journeys to net zero and carbon neutrality. This industry-defining technology uses deep learning, cloud computing and custom algorithms to empower building owners to drastically reduce their scope 1 and 2 emissions while decreasing energy costs.
“Your building is currently emitting 30% more GHG emissions than it should. That stat is scary but solvable,” comments Sam Ramadori, Chief Executive Officer at BrainBox AI. “Our new solution suite not only grants commercial and retail real estate owners the capability to measure their emissions, but autonomously implements optimization strategies that can reduce emissions by up to 40%. Our award-winning AI technology pinpoints and addresses both operational and environmental inefficiencies in buildings in real time. We are excited to offer this turnkey solution that generates continuous positive impacts on carbon emissions for the industry at large.”
BrainBox AI’s 3-part Autonomous Decarbonization suite launches a continuous AI-powered measurement and decarbonization system that unlocks a building’s true potential for emission reductions;
Measure: Easily generate a full scope 1 & 2, audit grade GHG assessment powered by the building’s data and trusted emissions factors, enabling the identification of operational inefficiencies. In addition, our individual building analysis compares your building’s energy usage intensity (EUI) to other comparable buildings and demonstrates your energy and emissions reduction potential.
Reduce: Act and conquer one of the most energy consuming and inefficient operational components of your building by layering our autonomous AI-tech onto your existing heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) system. BrainBox AI learns, modulates, and optimizes building HVAC systems resulting in a reduction of operational carbon emissions by up to 40% and a decrease in energy costs by up to 25%.
Offset: Access high quality carbon credits through a voluntary market. The virtual marketplace supports multiple types of options like carbon-capture technology, nature-based solutions, and renewable energy projects, giving clients the ability to make customized carbon credit purchases with key insights on the quality of the projects that are available.
While the deployment of each part of the suite can be done independently, adoption of the three maximizes emissions reduction impact and enables the successful execution of a decarbonization program.
“What we are hearing from our customers and the market is that measurement without action is not nearly enough to get us where we need to be,” said Omar Tabba, Chief Product Officer at BrainBox AI. “With this new product category, not only can we autonomously reduce carbon emissions using our AI technology, but we can also offer the tools to accurately and precisely measure where operational optimization can take place and offer clients a solution to explore and take part in the voluntary carbon markets – all in one platform.”
Buildings are on the frontline of the climate change battle, and the commercial real estate and retail markets are in the hotseat. The market is ripe for a solution that can deliver emissions measurement as well as reduction, two components that are absolutely necessary to reach net-zero and carbon neutrality.
About BrainBox AI
Founded in 2017, BrainBox AI was created to address the dilemma currently facing the built environment, its energy consumption and significant contribution to climate change. As innovators of the global energy transition, BrainBox AI’s game-changing HVAC technology leverages autonomous AI to make buildings smarter, greener, and more efficient. Working together with our trusted global partners, BrainBox AI supports real estate clients in various sectors, including office buildings, hotels, commercial retail, grocery stores, airports, and more.
Headquartered in Montreal, Canada, a global AI hub, our workforce of over 150 employees, bring with them talent from all sectors with the common thread of being in business to heal our planet. BrainBox AI works in collaboration with research partners including Montreal’s Institute for Learning Algorithms (MILA), the Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory (LBNL), the Institute for Data Valorization (IVADO) as well as educational institutions including and McGill University.
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MORTGAGE AND LENDING, ASSET MANAGEMENT
PRnewswire | June 02, 2023
Planet Home Lending, LLC, a national mortgage lender and servicer, announced the asset acquisition of retail lender Platinum Home Mortgage Corporation, Hoffman Estates, Illinois. Planet will acquire the majority of Platinum's origination staff, including more than 20 branch offices in strategic locations throughout the United States.
"We look to acquire right-sized, financially solid distributed retail companies," said Michael Dubeck, CEO and President of Planet Financial Group, parent of Planet Home Lending. "Platinum is a solid cultural fit. Its talented, highly experienced people share our commitment to delivering exceptional lending experiences supported by deep personal care for borrowers."
Planet expects to continue gaining market share through organic growth and strategic acquisitions. The Platinum acquisition brings to Planet a purchase-focused platform and high-producing branches, expanding the company's footprint in Midwest, Northwest, and West Coast markets.
Planet is now #9 on Inside Mortgage Finance's overall lender leaderboard and #4 among government loan producers.
"The move to Planet brings immediate access to improved pricing, technology, and marketing to Platinum's branches," said Platinum CEO and President Lee M. Gross. Gross will join Planet as Senior Vice President and will continue to lead the Platinum team at Planet.
"Planet's efficient platform gives us the pricing advantage of $26 billion in volume," Gross said. "In addition to agency and GSE home loans, Planet also has niche products tailored to today's tight real estate markets, including self-funded One-Time Close (OTC) construction loans as well as manufactured housing and renovation mortgage loans."
Platinum's former President and CEO Bill Giambrone, along with his brother Michael Giambrone, founded the company in 1993. Bill Giambrone's illustrious 30-year career as an independent mortgage banker includes remarkable contributions to the industry, highlighted by his service as a board member and past president of the Community Home Lenders Association.
About Planet Financial Group, LLC
Planet Financial Group, LLC, Meriden, Connecticut, is a fully integrated family of companies delivering innovative origination, servicing and asset management solutions. Through this synergistic ecosystem of products, services and technologies, Planet Financial Group provides best-in-class experiences for investors pursuing value maximization and borrowers seeking streamlined end-to-end loan lifecycle support. Planet Financial Group is the parent of Planet Home Lending, LLC and Planet Management Group, LLC, which also does business under the name Planet Renovation Capital.
About Planet Home Lending, LLC
Planet Home Lending, LLC, Meriden, Connecticut, (NMLS #17022) is an approved originator and servicer for FHA, VA and USDA, as well as a Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae Seller/Servicer, a full Ginnie Mae Issuer and approved sub-servicer and a Standard & Poor's Global Ratings- and Fitch Ratings-rated special and prime residential servicer. Planet Home Lending, LLC has been assigned a corporate family rating by Moody's Investors Service viewable at www.moodys.com. Its correspondent division offers a full suite of government, agency and niche home loans. Planet Home Lending, LLC is also a special servicer managing diverse investor portfolios. Its customized servicing solutions maximize asset recovery and optimize performance through active management at the portfolio and loan levels. Planet Home Lending, LLC is an Equal Housing Lender. For more information about Planet Home Lending, LLC,
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