Search results for: “proptech”
-
Fintech and Proptech and Deeds… Oh My! Trends Shaping the Future of Real Estate
Tech is transforming real estate at a speed that worries some and excites others. But many would agree that current real estate transactions trigger as much anxiety as joy. A deal can take months, with a string of third parties showering sellers and buyers with fees and paperwork. Those with inside knowledge have an edge…
-
What’s the Latest With AI in Real Estate? Ask Claire.
A company named reAlpha is a publicly traded firm focused on property technology — proptech. And it’s very big on artificial intelligence. But who’s Claire? That’s reAlpha’s Smart Buyer’s Agent. Claire is powered by generative AI. Claire helps the home buyer pick out the best homes to consider. Claire then provides data-informed virtual tours, and…
-
Blockchain for Real Estate: It’s Coming.
If you’ve ever bought a house, condo, or co-op, you’ll know it’s a major process. Many joyful buys took a good deal of trudging through weeks of stressful communication challenges. The journey was loaded with people, paperwork, and fees. Why do we put ourselves through it? Because getting into the market is a key wealth-building…
-
Fannie Mae Was Going to Save Mortgage Borrowers Thousands by Dropping Its Title Insurance Requirement. Never Mind.
The Biden administration was working with loan backers to delete title insurance charges from closing costs. The move would have saved quite a few home buyers hundreds or even thousands of dollars. Noting that the plan had been silently scuttled, the Wall Street Journal said pressure against it came from “an obscure industry.” The obscure…
-
And the Winner Is… NAR’s AI Contest “Homes In” on Phone Call Tech
The National Association of Realtors® (NAR) is on the hunt for “the next big thing in real estate tech,” says Bob Goldberg, the group’s CEO. Last month, in our update on artificial intelligence for home searches, we saw NAR advertising a contest to showcase the best uses it could find for artificial intelligence in real…
-
Artificial Intelligence for Home Searches Actually Works! And Look at What Else AI Can Do.
If you’ve noticed improved property valuations and descriptions on real estate sites lately, you might want to credit artificial intelligence (AI). Platforms like Compass, Zillow, and Redfin are all utilizing AI to enhance the user experience. They’re introducing impressive new search features that truly deliver. Millennials and the younger generations are resonating with AI. Many…
-
Inclusivity Matters: Making Real Estate Accessible
The internet and the smartphone help with all kinds of tasks. But can technology support accessibility at home? Property-related technology, or proptech, can indeed. To start, tech innovations can make housing safer. They can monitor and improve indoor air quality. They can warn us about potential outages of basic systems in our homes. Smart…
-
Can Tech Make Real Estate Affordable?
Owning a decent, healthful, attainably priced home should be possible for everyone. Buyers in the modest- and middle-income categories should be able to achieve homeownership. After all, buying a home is considered a key to building up a store of value and attaining financial safety. Lately, though, the dream of homeownership has been fading for…
-
Remote Work Is Freeing Up Office Space. Can Old Office Buildings Become Housing?
Some big banks and major corporations are asking their employees to come back to their offices. But many of these employees will only work in office buildings for part of the week. Remote work is changing how people get things done. We now know this is a long-term dynamic, transforming even the most traditional workforces.…
-
Why Did Zillow Suddenly Pause Its Home-Flipping Business?
Unexpected Flip-Flop The online real estate company Zillow announced it was putting its iBuying business, Zillow Offers, on hold in mid-October. The company has been buying homes from eager owners who’d like to sell without handling repairs, tours, or closings. Thousands sold their homes to Zillow in 2021 before the company announced the decision to…
-
Residential Real Estate Investors: Truths and Myths
Pandemic Highlights Differences Between Local Landlords and Big Companies In the middle of a housing shortage, rental companies attract a certain amount of criticism. What buyer wants to wind up in a bidding war with a big company? And that’s exactly what happens in many of the top competitive markets. Some hopeful home buyers just…
-
Mortgage Approvals: The New Landscape for Post-Pandemic Home Buyers
It’s now obvious: the mortgage lending industry is forever changed. Here’s what happened — and what’s likely to come next. The Year of Minimum-Risk Lending Back in April 2020, we noted that mortgage lenders were getting tougher on loan applicants. Perversely, the borrowers who stood to benefit most from the low interest rates that led…
-
Home Tech Update 2021: Trendsetters Focus on Three Themes
Real estate is different this year. So is the way people think about buying homes. Three standout themes have emerged so far in the 2021 home shopping experience: The buyers of 2021 are more health-conscious than ever. The public health emergency of 2020 transformed the real estate space. Virtual tours, once a snazzy extra feature,…
-
Six Trends That Will Define Real Estate in 2021
What does the future hold in store for real estate? After an unimaginable 2020, dare we guess? There’s one thing we can say. People want to sell and buy houses. A few key facts and trends can give us some idea of what they might encounter in the coming year.
-
Concierge Services for Home Sellers
Today’s Real Estate Pros Let You Renovate Now and Pay Later Concierge services are making a big splash in the real estate world. Chances are, you’ve received postcards from local agents showing before-and-after images of recently spruced-up homes. Text on the postcards explains how a local agent just sold a comparable home to yours at…
