Real Estate Technology
PR Newswire | January 10, 2024
RentSpree, the industry's premier end-to-end rental management software provider, announced it achieved System and Organization Controls (SOC) 2 Type II compliance, demonstrating RentSpree's commitment to data security and adherence to industry-leading information security policies and practices.
Acknowledged as the leading data security standard for SaaS providers, SOC 2 Type II compliance involves a rigorous process, ensuring that a company securely manages data, safeguarding both the organization and the privacy of its customers.
Developed by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the SOC 2 Type II audit provides a report on the examination of a company's controls related to security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality and privacy. RentSpree's audit report was issued with a "clean" audit opinion from national audit firm Sensiba LLP.
"This achievement is huge for us and was a top priority this past year as the integrity of our systems and the policies and practices we have in place to protect sensitive information is integral in today's marketplace," said Michael Lucarelli, CEO and Co-Founder, RentSpree.
RentSpree offers rental software solutions such as tenant screening, online applications, document automation, e-signatures, denial and approval communications, and property landing pages. RentSpree has also added renter services capabilities including rent payment reporting.
"While we've consistently prioritized the security of our platform, having this affirmation from a nationally-recognized third-party auditor adds further validation that we are implementing the necessary measures to safeguard our systems and users," said Jonathan Holland, Chief Technology Officer, RentSpree.
In addition to auditor Sensiba LLP, RentSpree utilized Drata, the leading compliance automation platform, to streamline its compliance efforts and continuously monitor its security controls.
About RentSpree
Los Angeles-based RentSpree is a provider of award-winning rental software that helps seamlessly connect real estate agents, owners, and renters to simplify and automate the entire rental process, from listing to lease. The all-in-one platform is known across all 50 states for its easy and secure interface and suite of rental tools, including tenant screening, rent payments, marketing and renter management. To date, RentSpree has partnered with more than 300 of the most influential MLSs, real estate associations and brokerages to serve over two million users in the U.S. RentSpree has been ranked on Inc. 5000's fastest-growing private companies in 2022 and 2023.
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Real Estate Technology
PR Newswire | January 10, 2024
AirDNA, a leading short-term rental (STR) data provider, announced today the acquisition of vacation rental software and channel management system Uplisting. This acquisition marks a pivotal leap in AirDNA's mission to provide a comprehensive, one-stop solution for those investing in and operating short-term rental properties.
Demi Horvat, CEO of AirDNA, shares the vision behind the acquisition: "Merging Uplisting's first-class property management tools with our unparalleled market insights will create holistic, tailored solutions for all STR stakeholders, from aspiring hosts to large professional managers. This integration equips users with robust tools for every step on their journey, from research and investment to set-up and ongoing optimization of their properties."
Uplisting, an Airbnb Preferred Plus software partner, is a powerhouse for effectively managing and synchronizing STR listings on key platforms like Airbnb, Vrbo, and Booking.com. Its automation of critical tasks like real-time booking updates and guest communication has made it indispensable in optimizing the operations of vacation rental hosts and property managers globally. In 2023 alone, Uplisting processed an estimated $400 million in bookings, empowering users with reliable technology tools that catalyze growth.
Vincent Breslin, Founder of Uplisting, commented: "Joining forces with AirDNA opens up a realm of possibilities for the vacation rental market. With our combined wealth of expertise, we are poised to redefine industry standards, driving innovation and delivering enhanced value to all our clients."
In another decisive move to strengthen its commitment to STR hosts, AirDNA is introducing a new Dynamic Pricing feature that automatically syncs AirDNA's Smart Rates™ to Airbnb. This much-requested functionality empowers users to maximize booking revenues, drawing on extensive data from millions of listings on Airbnb and Vrbo to provide effective pricing recommendations.
"Dynamic Pricing makes it easier for busy STR hosts to set their rates by automatically analyzing market and competitor trends. This ensures the best prices are delivered in real-time to their Airbnb listings, eliminating guesswork and manual adjustments. With our focus on building easy-to-use tools for hosts and Uplisting's comprehensive suite for bookings, operations, guest communication, and beyond, we're bringing professional tools within reach of everyone," said Horvat.
Following AirDNA's acquisition of Arrivalist in July 2023, these strategic milestones showcase AirDNA's dynamic expansion under the umbrella of predictis, a family of software-enabled data businesses, and a portfolio company of Alpine Investors. "With this second acquisition in just six months, AirDNA is poised for continued growth and innovation, and with more developments in the pipeline, it is well positioned to expand its leadership position at the forefront of the short-term rental industry," remarked Jean-Marc Levy, CEO of predictis.
FOCUS Capital Partners Ireland served as the financial advisor to Uplisting.
About AirDNA
AirDNA is a global authority in short-term rental data, offering comprehensive insights and analytics to empower businesses in the short-term rental industry. AirDNA helps vacation rental hosts, managers, and investors make smarter decisions in any market or economic climate. For every short-term rental question, AirDNA has the answer.
About Uplisting
Uplisting is an all-in-one vacation rental and channel management software that allows short-term rental property managers and owners to manage bookings, message guests, and automate their daily tasks across multiple listing sites, including Airbnb, Vrbo, and Booking.com. Designed to fuel growth, it offers flexible, powerful, and reliable technology tools that revolutionize the way owners operate. As a testament to its excellence, Uplisting is recognized as a top 10 Airbnb software partner and distinguishes itself in the property management software sector with an impressive 4.8/5 score on G2.
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Real Estate Technology
PR Newswire | January 09, 2024
Nestfully, an innovative public search portal in the real estate industry powered by some of the country's largest MLSs, today announced a collaboration with Local Logic, a leading location intelligence software provider. Local Logic's advanced location and demographic insights are now directly integrated into Nestfully's platform, enhancing the home search experience for both consumers and real estate professionals.
Nestfully connects consumers directly with the most accurate and up-to-date listing information from the MLS and is elevating its service offerings by integrating two of Local Logic's flagship products - Local Content and Local Demographics. These additions will empower homebuyers with deeper insights into potential properties, covering aspects such as neighborhood characteristics, local services, transportation options, and detailed demographic data.
"Our collaboration with Local Logic marks a milestone for Nestfully," said Amit Kulkarni, Bright MLS Chief Marketing Officer. "Integrating Local Logic's advanced location and demographic insights directly into Nestfully introduces new value to agents and homebuyers and brings them a new innovative tool that enhances the homebuying search."
Local Logic's Local Content product offers 18 distinct location scores across services, transportation, and character, along with details on nearby points of interest and school data. This user-friendly and customizable interface ensures brand consistency while enriching the user's understanding of a home's lifestyle and location characteristics.
Local Demographics provides a comprehensive view of neighborhood dynamics, including income, employment statistics, population demographics, education levels, housing data, and more. This feature is designed for fast implementation and consistent site design, allowing real estate companies to focus on their core business while offering valuable insights to modern home seekers.
"Nestfully's innovative approach to real estate search aligns seamlessly with our mission at Local Logic," said Vincent-Charles Hodder, Co-founder and CEO of Local Logic. "By infusing our comprehensive location intelligence into their platform, we're not just enhancing the homebuying experience; we're reshaping it. This partnership reinforces our position as the go-to provider of neighborhood insights, benefiting both real estate professionals and homebuyers."
About Nestfully
Nestfully delivers millions of residential property listings and a wealth of information to home buyers and sellers from the definitive source used by real estate pros – the MLS. Consumers get access – at no charge – to a search experience that has no advertisements, just home listings and seamless connection to local agents and brokers who know the properties and markets the best. Nestfully was designed, engineered and launched by several of the nation's leading MLSs including California Regional MLS and Bright MLS, with REcolorado, BeachesMLS and Miami REALTORS® as participants.
About Local Logic
Local Logic is a location intelligence platform that digitizes the built world for consumers, investors, developers, and governments – delivering unrivaled clarity and actionable insights capable of creating more sustainable, equitable cities. With more than 85 billion unique data points – the largest unique location data set in the U.S. and Canada – the platform creates a digital twin of cities, quantifying the built world and offering predictive, precise analytics to inform the present and future of over 250 million individual addresses.
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Real Estate Investment
PR Newswire | January 11, 2024
Cohen & Steers, Inc. announced today the launch of the Real Assets Compass, an interactive tool focused on real estate allocations designed to help financial advisors and institutional investors improve portfolio risk-return profiles. Using the firm's Capital Market Assumptions for the next 10 years and 30 years of historical data, the Real Assets Compass ("the Compass") compares historical and expected returns and volatility of traditional portfolios of only stocks and bonds with those of a more diversified portfolio of stocks, bonds and listed and private real estate.
Cohen & Steers believes that many investors are under-allocated to real estate despite the well-documented benefits of the asset class, including its strong performance and potential to enhance risk-adjusted returns. These investors include those across a range of profiles, from self-directed investors to those investing with financial advisors or family offices.
Cohen & Steers' analysis, utilized in the Real Assets Compass, suggests that adding real estate to an investor's portfolio of stocks and bonds can improve its total return and risk-reward profile. The Compass can help advisors demonstrate the impacts of adding real estate to a portfolio and address client questions about allocating to real estate. The potential benefits of a real estate allocation apply to an array of investor styles, ranging from those more conservative seeking income or lower risk to those seeking growth or higher returns.
Joe Harvey, Chief Executive Officer & President, said:
"The Real Assets Compass is the latest example of Cohen & Steers' commitment to innovation and providing advisors with the tools necessary to build better portfolios and educate clients around the benefits of private and listed real estate allocations."
The Cohen & Steers Real Assets Compass will enable financial advisors to:
Build customized investment profiles based on general risk tolerance, investment objective and portfolio size
View a portfolio allocation with both listed and private real estate based on that profile
Adjust the total real estate allocation and the mix between listed and private real estate
Forecast the impact of an allocation to real estate on the risk/return profile of a portfolio through a clear comparison to a traditional stock/bond portfolio
View resulting 10-year expected portfolio growth in dollars and quantitative performance and risk metrics, as well as the past-30-year return profile
Download easy-to-understand reports to review with clients
Jon Cheigh, Chief Investment Officer, said:
"We believe real estate should be a strategic, long-term allocation for most investors. Yet too few investors recognize that allocations to real estate can deliver strong absolute and relative returns at lower risk. As a result, we created our Real Estate Advisory Services, which aim to help institutional clients allocate to listed and private real estate based on where we are in the market cycle. These capabilities, along with the Real Assets Compass, will play an instrumental role in Cohen & Steers' work to close the education gap that exists in investors' understanding of the power of real estate allocations."
The launch of the Real Assets Compass follows the appointments of Rich Hill as Head of Real Estate Strategy and Research in September 2022 and Jeff Palma as Head of Multi-Asset Solutions in November 2021, to grow Cohen & Steers' portfolio allocation and research capabilities. The Compass tool can be used by institutional investors in conjunction with the portfolio allocation and real estate strategy insights produced by the firm.
About Cohen & Steers.
Cohen & Steers is a leading global investment manager specializing in real assets and alternative income, including real estate, preferred securities, infrastructure, resource equities, commodities, as well as multi-strategy solutions. Founded in 1986, the firm is headquartered in New York City, with offices in London, Dublin, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Singapore.
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