Lindsay Liu, Co-founder and CEO of Super, discusses the challenges property managers face with busy work and inefficient communication. Property managers spend a significant amount of time on tasks like email and phone calls, which can be automated and streamlined. Super aims to centralize communications and automate tasks for property managers, allowing them to focus on more important work. The use of AI in property management can boost productivity and provide scalable assistance to property managers. However, it's important for companies to prioritize data security and privacy and be aware of potential biases in AI algorithms. Embracing technology and change will be crucial for property management companies to succeed in the future.

More about Lindsay and Super

Property managers are inundated with more and more text messages, emails, calls, and work orders. With Super, they get an AI assistant that centralizes all of these communications into one hub that then automates triage and tracking, saving 6+ hours of weekly manual and repetitive work.

Lindsay Liu has turned a passion for real estate from a side hustle into an industry she seeks to transform. For over a decade while working in tech, she managed multifamily rentals, vacation rentals, and flips—including three stints on HOA boards. Now, she’s one of the founders and CEO of Super, a company transforming the industry through AI-powered tools for property managers.

• Connect with Lindsay on LinkedIn
• Follow Lindsay on Twitter
• Follow Super on Twitter
• Check out Super

In this episode of Tech Nest, I explore commercial real estate auctions with Stephen Jacobs, President of Ten-X. Stephen shares his journey leading Ten-X (which is a really cool story, BTW) and debunks myths about auctions, explaining their strategic advantages beyond just distressed properties.

Learn how Ten-X leverages data and technology to streamline the auction process, ensuring faster and more certain sales. Stephen also discusses the evolving role of brokers and current market trends, providing valuable insights into the future of commercial real estate transactions. Hint: brokers are still very much relevant in today's transactions.

Listen in today!

More about Steven and Ten-X
Ten-X is the world’s largest, online commercial real estate auction platform. Our platform empowers brokers, sellers and buyers with data-driven technology and comprehensive marketing tools to expand market visibility and decrease time to close.

CoStar Group’s online property auction platform, Ten-X, is the leading example of the rapid growth of online property auction marketplaces. Each year more and more buyers, sellers, and brokers are using this proptech tool to exchange properties. Events like its Battle of the Bids, which feature thousands of players duking it out for $3.1 million in prizes over 6 rounds to correctly guess how much various properties will sell for on the Ten-X platform, are a way to highlight the innovative ways that CRE marketplaces are drawing attention to their ecosystems. Battle of the Bids is also an example of the notoriously staid industry having a little fun and using gamification tools to drive awareness of new trends.

• Follow Ten-X on Twitter
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• Check out Ten-X

Here's a fun one for y'all. Frank Rohde, Founder and CEO of Ownify, a company working to revolutionize homeownership through fractional ownership joins the show.

Frank shares insights into Ownify's innovative model that helps first-time homebuyers with good income and credit but limited savings gradually build equity in their homes. You'll hear about Frank's diverse background, including his roles at FICO and Nomis, and how these experiences helped shape Ownify. He explains the dual nature of Ownify's operations, balancing PropCo and OpCo dynamics to benefit both consumers and investors.

We get practical, outlining steps for using Ownify, the challenges and opportunities in the current real estate market, and Frank's predictions for the future of homeownership and proptech. Listen in!

More about Frank and Ownify
Ownify is rebuilding the path to homeownership to make it achievable for the next generation of homebuyers. Our fractional ownership platform partners savvy investors with qualified first-time homebuyers to buy their home "brick by brick" - zero debt & no surprises. With Ownify, homebuyers and investors together reap the collective benefits of building equity, creating stability, and investing in the health of local communities for years to come. For our "Ownis", Ownify offers a low down payment of 2%, a powerful cash offer to compete against corporate buyers, no unforeseen costs & surprises, and evergreen equity in their home. For our investors, Ownify offers fractional ownership in a single family home generating income and real estate returns, shared equity & shared purpose with the Owni, and positive community impact by helping first-time homebuyers.

Frank originally hails from Germany. Early attempts at becoming a child prodigy violinist were unsuccessful which forced his parents to abandon any hope or supervision. Left to his own, Frank quickly became famous for wrestling rattlesnakes and kayaking. His sister meanwhile became the child prodigy violinist. Looking for a brighter future, Frank moved to California where his first job was a choice between watering marijuana plants in the Northern California mountains or building a neural network-based prediction engine for horse racing results. Ever focused on doing the right thing, he built the neural network for horse racing. Several other lucky turns led him to stay in the US and eventually graduate from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania with a BS in Economics. Since then, he’s been a consultant at Oliver Wyman, started an online insurance company, spent 4 years at FICO, and grew Nomis from <$2M to $25M+ in ARR before selling it. His most recent challenge is building Ownify - a new path to ownership for the ~2M first-time homebuyers each year.

• Connect with Frank LinkedIn
• Follow Frank on Twitter
• Follow Ownify on Twitter
• Check out Ownify

In this episode we dig into the side of real estate that seems to be the big, sleeping topic: insurance.

Valkyrie Holmes, Founder and CEO of Faura, discusses the impact of natural disasters on insurance, the challenges faced by insurance companies, and the innovative solutions offered by Faura. The conversation covers risk assessment, loss control solutions, the impact of climate change, and the future of insurance tech.

More about Valkyrie and Faura
Faura provides loss control solutions for insurance companies with high-risk books of business. We specialize in risk assessments in disaster zones on everything from wildfires to hurricanes and are available all over the country.

Valkyrie is the CEO and Co-founder of Faura, an insurtech startup that creates loss control solutions for insurance companies with high-risk books of business. She began her work as a data analyst and engineering intern at SpaceX before being awarded the 776 Fellowship to work in sustainability. Since then, she's launched both wildfire and wind assessments to add climate resilience data to the insurance market and is now operational across the country.

• Connect with Valkyrie on LinkedIn
• Follow Valkyrie on Twitter
• Follow Faura on Twitter
• Check out Faura

We've got a solid interview for y'all this week. Raunaq Singh, Founder and CEO of Roam, comes on the show to discuss their platform for purchasing homes using assumable low-rate mortgages.

Raunaq digs into the history of assumable mortgages, the potential size of the market, and the challenges and opportunities for buyers and sellers. Raunaq also explains how Roam is working with agents, and is addressing misconceptions about assumable mortgages. We discuss the potential impact on real estate transactions as a whole nationwide—but also how much education is necessary to drive that impact. We also get into the benefits for both buyers and sellers, the underwriting process, and the future trends in the real estate market.

Listen in!

More about Ranuq and Roam
Roam is a platform that enables homebuyers to purchase a home with an assumable low-rate mortgage included and save up to 50% on monthly payments compared to buying the same house with a traditional mortgage. To date, Roam has helped buyers save $12k per year and $350k over the life of their loan compared to taking out a new mortgage. To date, over 500k buyers have used Roam to find their next home with a low-rate assumable mortgage.

Raunaq Singh is the founder and CEO of Roam, the platform for purchasing a home with an assumable, low-rate mortgage included. Prior to founding Roam, Raunaq spent a decade in various product and operations roles across Uber, Opendoor, and Culdesac. He received a Bachelor's degree in Political Economy from NYU and currently resides in New York City.

• Connect with Raunaq on LinkedIn
• Follow Raunaq on Twitter
• Follow Roam on Twitter
• Check out Roam

Have we all been ignoring opportunities to uncover inventory? Amanda Orson, Founder and CEO of Galleon, reveals the hidden potential in the real estate marketplace by exposing inventory not visible on the MLS. She shares insights on industry challenges and opportunities, and how technological advances are revolutionizing real estate transactions.

Amanda discusses why the traditional 3% buyer's agent fee may soon be obsolete and the need for a pragmatic industry outlook. That's not to say buyer's agents can't or won't be paid in the future—just that it's time to re-evaluate how we're doing things. She addresses the detrimental trend of denying the need for change and emphasizes preparing for a dynamic future.

Listen in to learn about Galleon's goal to become the largest network of off-market, non-MLS inventory in the U.S.

More about Amanda and Galleon
Galleon is reshaping real estate by providing a commission-free, by-owner marketplace where anyone can list their home in minutes and transact on their own terms.

Amanda Orson is the Founder and CEO of Galleon, the direct consumer-led real estate marketplace. As a serial entrepreneur and tech executive, prior to Galleon, she was the CEO of Curve US, leading the British fintech's expansion in the United States.

• Follow Amanda on Twitter
• Connect with Amanda on LinkedIn
• Follow Galleon on Twitter
• Check out Galleon

I'm super excited for this episode's guest, Lior Abramovich, co-founder and CEO of Blanket. Blanket is a property retention platform, designed to help property managers reduce churn and better inform owners.

Discover how Blanket launched to immediate acclaim and rapidly assembled a team driven by a shared mission. Lior outlines the dual aspects of their service: an owner investment dashboard that offers real-time metrics, educational tools, and AI-driven insights, alongside a marketplace exclusive to property managers. This marketplace not only facilitates property sales, enabling managers to maintain management and earn commissions but also acts as a potent tool for client retention and lead generation.

Amidst a shifting financial landscape and evolving industry regulations, Blanket's approach redefines property management as investment management, positioning property managers as essential, trusted advisors in the real estate sector.

More about Lior and Blanket
Blanket is a Property Retention Platform that helps property managers keep their owners happy and their doors under management so their businesses can thrive.

Lior Abramovich is the Co-Founder & CEO of Blanket, bringing a decade of experience in the single-family rental market with over $150 million worth of acquisitions for over 1,000 individual investors.
Lior served for 8 years as Naval Commander in the Israeli Navy and has co-founded a non-profit organization that renovates homes of senior citizens in need, and a foundation that has set on a mission to ensure every child in the world has access to clean drinking water.

• Follow Lior on Twitter
• Connect with Lior on LinkedIn
• Follow Blanket on LinkedIn
• Check out Blanket

He's back! Nima Wedlake, Managing Director at ThomVest Ventures, about the current state of Proptech and the themes he is tracking for 2024. We focused on an essay Nima penned, covering several topics including control point software, AI's impact on construction productivity, and the rise of home services businesses.

Nima discusses the challenges and opportunities in scaling tech-enabled service businesses and the potential of AI in the construction industry. The conversation also touches on the impact of COVID-19 on real estate tech investments and the future of venture capital in the space. We also explore the role of real estate agents in a changing market and the impact of technology on the industry (spoiler: uncertainty exists, but so will the agent).

More about Nima and Thomvest Ventures
Nima has published his 2024 proptech themes and would love to discuss them with you. Here is the link to the full report: https://blog.thomvest.com/real-estate-technology-themes-were-tracking-in-2024-124a5280c3dd

Below is a very quick overview of the three key themes that will play a dominant role in 2024 for Nima.

1. “Control point” software businesses in real estate: These crucial systems are core to how businesses operate and are difficult to displace. Three strategies for new entrants to compete in this space include targeting new customer segments, building value around existing control points, and selling complete tasks or processes instead of just software tools.
2. AI’s impact on construction productivity: There is growing excitement around startups focused on using AI in various aspects of construction, from pre-development analysis and permitting automation to design cycle shortening and physical robot automation on construction sites.
3. Residential real estate in a post-NAR world: Following the NAR settlement on residential real estate, lower commissions may lead to agents seeking efficiency measures and could pose challenges for existing real estate companies, while also creating opportunities for innovation and competition in the industry.

Nima Wedlake is a Managing Director at Thomvest Ventures, focusing on investment opportunities across the real estate & financial technology verticals. He spearheaded Thomvest’s investments in Baselane, Blend, Glide (acquired by Compass), Keyway, Maxwell, Mynd, Obie, Pine & Tala.

Thomvest Ventures is a San Francisco-based $750M evergreen venture capital fund by Peter Thomson (Thomson Reuters).

• Follow Nima on Twitter
• Connect with Nima on LinkedIn
• Check out Thomvest