Gone are the days when real estate professionals must simply make do with overloaded file cabinets and Rolodexes. Today, real estate professionals are able to benefit from a wealth of tools and technology that make it much easier to close transactions. Among those tools is RealtyOrganizer.

Designed to make document tracking and organization much easier, RealtyOrganizer tracks everything, including disclosures, forms, and all client correspondence. In a nutshell, it makes organization simple for real estate agents. An intuitive service geared specifically for real estate agents, RealtyOrganizer helps meet the needs of agents on the go.

How the Service Works

With RealtyOrganizer, real estate agents can upload scanned contracts as well as other documents and retrieve them later from any location. Now, real estate professionals never have to worry about wasting time or possibly even losing a deal because the documents they need were left back at the office. Agents can even take advantage of the opportunity to upload important property disclosures for later retrieval. With this service, when an agent is at a property and a client has a question about the property disclosure, the agent can retrieve the disclosure and answer the question on the spot without the client needing to wait. This helps to save both the agent and the client a tremendous amount of time and frustration.

Even tracking communication is made easier and more efficient with RealtyOrganizer. As most real estate professionals know, a single transaction can involve a multitude of different types of communication. In the past, trying to track such a massive amount of communication could be burdensome and time-consuming. RealtyOrganizer makes it easy and fast to keep track of emails as well as other correspondence from anywhere.

With technology evolving at an ever-increasing rate, it has become more important than ever for real estate offices to become as streamlined as possible. RealtyOrganizer’s paperless solution helps real estate professionals to ensure compliance while also providing oversight for all transactions.
Anytime and Anywhere Access

Real estate agents can even take advantage of 24/7 online access for their documents, including via mobile devices. Whether an agent is using a PC, notebook, tablet, or smartphone, he or she can benefit from access anywhere and at any time. Never again does an agent have to worry about making the drive back to the office or even being unable to access an important document at a critical juncture in a transaction.

The reality is that the real estate industry moves quickly. Now, real estate professionals can keep up with that rapidly moving pace better than ever. As a result, real estate agents can close more deals more efficiently and faster. By eliminating an outdated dependency on paper documents and manual processes, real estate agents can increase the speed of transactions, reduce mistakes, and close deals at a lower cost while increasing client satisfaction.

RealtyOrganizer gives real estate professionals the ability to manage their listings and transactions quickly, easily, and efficiently.

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Why the Need for the Funding Portal

In recent months, asset-based lenders, such as hard money companies, hedge funds, real estate crowdfunding portals, and private lenders, have expressed strong interest in investing capital into real estate. Finding borrowers and deals can sometimes prove to be complex, however. CiX.com is designed to provide asset-based lenders with the networking tools necessary to put their capital to work.

Lenders are not alone in their frustration. At the same time, on the borrower side, locating funding for investment properties has proven to be a challenge following the market crash, resulting in the loss of many deals. Prohibitive financial regulations have made accessing funding for investment properties even more complicated. Consequently, many potential deals have sat idle because developers were not able to find the funding they needed in time to fund those deals. Now, with the availability of CiX.com, borrowers are able to use the portal to answer a few simple questions and have their funding request forwarded to lenders. Lenders on the platform provide funding for a variety of types of real estate investment projects, ranging from large-scale commercial deals to residential flips. As such, CiX is now filling a vital gap within the investment marketplace by connecting real estate investors to alternative resources for capital.

Matching Lenders to Borrowers

The unique algorithm on CiX.com matches loan applications with the right lender for the necessary funding requirements, thus making the entire investment funding process as seamless as possible for both the lender and the borrower. Since lenders are actually competing to fund deals on the platform, borrowers can be assured they are receiving the best funding option. Lenders on the portal tend to have plenty of capital for funding projects and are actually eager to put that capital into deals. Borrowers who have found it difficult to locate available funding in the past may find that the breadth of funding available through the exchange is a welcome breath of fresh air.

Through the release of the portal, the real estate investing sector is now able to take full advantage of the Fintech revolution. Currently, the online marketplace boasts more than 200,000 members, making it the largest social network community dedicated solely to real estate investors. Lenders seeking investment opportunities will find that CiX offers an extensive inventory of bulk property packages and off-market properties. By bringing eager lenders together with borrowers searching for the best funding opportunities, CiX is helping to meet a strong demand and fulfill a vital need in the real estate lending sector.

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As most real estate professionals are well aware, the industry is more complex and competitive than ever before. While innovation in the commercial real estate space has made it possible for agents to reach more people, it has also placed increasing pressure on real estate professionals to do more and be more available than at any point in the past.

Now, AgentDesks is providing an innovative app to help empower real estate professionals. A mobile-first CRM, AgentDesks works by assisting real estate agents in managing their workflow, client communication, and lead generation in a more effective manner.

Rich in Features for Real Estate Professionals on the Go

Boasting a number of innovative features, AgentDesks is designed with the modern real estate professional in mind. For instance, with AgentDesks, agents never need to worry about missing a new lead thanks to the ability to import contacts from voice calls and their phonebook. Personalized communication also becomes much easier with the ability to classify contacts as sellers, buyers, vendors, or agents. Now, real estate professionals can quickly sort through contacts and never have to worry about forgetting how they should be classified.

Real estate professionals have always been on the go. Today, mobility has become even more important, with many buyers beginning their search for a property online. Real estate professionals simply cannot afford to sit back and wait for a buyer to come to them. At the same time, many markets have become increasingly competitive, and the reality is that the first buyer to take action often lands the property. In recognition of that need, AgentDesks offers real estate professionals the opportunity to recommend properties on the go by sharing links over text or email at any time.

It’s also possible to track previous client interactions by reviewing texts, emails, and calls all in one convenient location. As a result, AgentDesks users never have to worry about wasting time searching for the information they need.

As the old cliché goes, you can never be too prepared. This is certainly true when it comes to the real estate industry. Gone are the days when agents had to jot down notes on paper and worry about losing them or not having the information they need when they need it. With AgentDesks, real estate professionals can always ensure they are prepared by creating tasks and notes. Agents can even integrate reminders with their calendars to make certain they never miss a call or a meeting.

Background behind AgentDesks

The team behind AgentDesks has extensive experience in the real estate industry and is comprised of graduates from Harvard, Carnegie Mellon, and the University of Maryland. AgentDesks has been able to fund its development through a strong group of investors, including Sierra Ventures, AngelPad, Innospring, Cota Capital, and Kima Ventures. AgentDesks is based in San Francisco and Bangalore. Currently, AgentDesks has more than 8,000 agents signed up through its global network. The app is available on both Android and iPhone.

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With Create Premium, users are able to export data to display a wealth of information while rapidly visualizing the many factors that can influence properties. Such information can prove to be quite valuable for investors who are considering acquiring a property as well as for brokers who are marketing a property. For instance, the information displayed by Create Premium could be used to help users evaluate the potential impact of a development, including the impact on adjacent properties and even traffic flow. As such, the new interactive tech platform is assisting municipalities in enhancing their overall economic development in order to be more competitive.

Currently, the free platform boasts more than 4,000 users just within the District of Columbia. Among those users is the Washington DC Economic Partnership, who utilized the platform market potential sites to investors and retailers during the 2015 Annual Real Estate Conference of the International Council of Shopping Centers. Other agencies that have used the Create platform include the DC Office of Planning, the DC Department of the Environment, the DC Office of Zoning, and the Department of Consumer & Regulatory Affairs.

With a single click, Create brings together zoning, real estate, and property data from hundreds of sources in a single convenient location, making it easier and faster for users to get the full picture for any property. As a result, users are able to understand neighborhoods and properties in context with their surroundings. Premium users are able to take advantage of advanced market data and demographics to search for properties in a completely new way.

Create also displays beautiful visualizations and complete city data, helping illustrate the numerous elements that impact the value and use of a property. Premium users are able to export comprehensive property reports to PDF and spreadsheets in order to collaborate with key stakeholders and colleagues. The types of data that can be exported from Create include:

• Property overview
• Ownership details
• Building details
• Assessment and taxes
• Debt rates
• Financing requirements
• Incentives
• Equity structures
• Demographics
• Zoning parameters

Create has also partnered with Trepp, a leading provider of analytics, information, and technology, to provide advanced insight and data into market conditions.

Background for Create

The second release of the platform, Create Premium, was launched in mid-September. Primary users of the platform include site selectors, brokers, and investors. Create.io was originally launched back in 2011 as a property information platform aimed at real estate and economic development. Founders of the platform are Ed Switzer, a city planner; Stefan Martinovic; and Laura Ferguson.

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The easy-to-use mobile app creation, hosting, and management platform gives real estate professionals everything they need to create and publish their own app. Even if a user does not have any previous development experience, iBuildApp makes it possible to create an app within just a matter of minutes. The platform builds apps for both iPhone and Android.

Features Offered in App Building Platform

Users will find the solution-based web interface full of helpful widgets to easily add such functions as location/contact us, audio, and video, giving real estate professionals the ability to engage prospective clients more easily. Pictures can also be loaded with ease, which is great for including property listings. Users can even add social media and an RSS feed to their apps. The widgets and design marketplace offers developers and graphic designers the chance to sell custom modules and mobile templates, if they wish. The Google Maps feature even allows local customers to find your office with ease.

Building an app is relatively easy with iBuildApp thanks to the drag-and-drop design features. There is no need to be a developer or programmer in order to build a fully functional app, as there is no coding required. Simply select a design from thousands of customizable templates. Next, add your information, including your logo, along with desired functionality. Publish on Google Play and iTunes, and your app is ready to go. It’s that simple and fast to design and publish a customized app.

Relevance of Apps to Real Estate Industry in Today’s Digital World

In an age in which more consumers are searching for properties and investment opportunities while on the go, iBuildApp is helping level the playing field for real estate professionals by giving even small brokerages the ability to compete on the same level as larger firms. No longer is it necessary to spend a small fortune hiring a developer and designer to build a custom app. With just a few taps, iBuildApp offers the ability to reach prospective customers on the go. As the mobile revolution becomes more firmly entrenched and consumers continue to turn to their smartphones for assistance with everything from the mundane to the most important of tasks, having an app can help real estate professionals stand out from the competition. iBuildApp makes it possible for real estate professionals to tap into that growing trend and put their smartphones to work for them without the need to spend a lot of money.iBuildApp was launched in 2011. Since then, the company reports more than 35 million downloads of apps created by 1.2 million businesses. The firm has been named as one of the 5 Best App-Bu Programs by Complex.com and has also been featured in a number of publications.

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1. Greater Market Insight

Increasingly rapid urbanization combined with demographic changes are poised to result in substantial growth within the commercial real estate industry over the next several years. Intense competition is also likely to drive real estate professionals to venture into emerging markets and new territories. Increasingly evolved technological tools provide investors and developers with the insight they need to manage a greater array of risks. Thanks to the availability of an increasing amount of data in real time, real estate professionals now have the ability to pinpoint the places to compete and how to compete the most efficiently. This will prove to be even more important as competition for prime real estate assets intensifies.

2. Energy Efficiency

For most building managers and building owners, achieving energy efficiency is now considered a high priority. Unfortunately, the task of achieving energy efficiency is also often viewed as daunting given the many elements involved in doing so. Advanced technological solutions have now made it possible for building owners and managers to get started with low-cost options that provide quick returns. Such options can often provide the motivation necessary for property owners to undertake energy-efficient measures that are more complex while offering a higher return.

In terms of adding value to commercial real estate assets, energy optimization is considered one of the most significant benefits that technology provides to the commercial real estate industry. More efficiently operated buildings tend to deliver higher returns. Building owners who opt to invest in technologies that drive improvements in energy efficiency are offered the potential to increase the value and marketability of their commercial real estate assets significantly. Among the most important value-added opportunities offered by technological developments today are persistent building optimization, continual energy commissioning, and real-time utility benchmarking.

3. On-the-Go Access

The ability to respond to the needs of clients and emerging opportunities quickly has always been important in the commercial real estate industry. Due to the mobile revolution, the ability to respond quickly has become even more important. With an onslaught of new tech tools available, commercial real estate professionals are able to access vital information anytime they need it and from any location. As real estate tech tools continue developing, real estate professionals will be able to operate with even more efficiency and compete to an even greater degree.

As commercial real estate tech continues to grow and evolve, the value added to the commercial real estate space will continue to grow as well.

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The firm has become known in the real estate industry for making it possible to trade industrial or office space for the right space when it is made available by others who are also considering making a move; essentially allowing a real estate trade. Users of the platform are even able to trade everything in their space, including equipment and furniture, in order to save money, hassles, and time.

The Right Place at the Right Time

In an industry that moves with incredible swiftness, businesses simply do not have time to wait around until the right property becomes available. TradeAddresses makes it possible for businesses to move with the speed necessary to meet operational needs. Most recently, TradeAddresses has begun to offer “off-market properties,” which includes those properties that can only be found on the firm’s websites. The platform’s trade facilitators use a proprietary database in order to gain access to off-market properties and provide users with more options in terms of location, lease duration, size, and features.

Dedicated trade facilitators work to find matches for both a user’s desired space as well as its current space while maintaining its anonymity. Information is provided in real time, answering a user’s questions throughout the entire process. In some instances, trade facilitators are also able to work out multiparty trades in order to ensure that the needs of all parties are met in the timeliest manner.

Reducing the Risk of Being Left out in the Cold

One of the elements that set TradeAddresses apart from working with a traditional commercial real estate broker is the fact that users are able to reduce their risk of being left without a new space to move into. Traditionally, when a tenant decides to sublease a space and does not already have a tenant, the landlord retains the right to recapture that space immediately. This means that the tenant could be forced from an existing space without any recourse. TradeAddresses helps facilitate deals to ensure this does not happen.

All trade facilitators working with TradeAddresses are licensed commercial real estate agents with substantial experience in negotiating with landlords and subleasing properties. Although it can be difficult to determine exactly how long it will take to trade a space, the process used by TradeAddresses is designed to save clients both time and money.

In order to ensure the greatest amount of market exposure possible, TradeAddresses does allow users to continue marketing their property for sublease while also offering their property with the platform. In the event that a user accepts the trade offered by TradeAddresses, the client is still responsible for paying a 4 percent fee.

In an age in which businesses must move quickly to remain competitive, TradeAddresses is providing the swiftness necessary to meet evolving demands.

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Zillow/Trulia/Dotloop

It all began with the Zillow/Trulia merger and was quickly followed by the acquisition of Dotloop by Zillow Group. With more and more real estate transactions moving online, it certainly seems to be the perfect time for such a merger to take place. Because three of the largest tech firms in real estate are now housed under one roof, real estate professionals will be able to take advantage of a much larger audience and network. Although Dotloop might not at first seem to fit into Zillow’s wheelhouse, what this merger does mean is that Zillow could not potentially have access to all of the information Dotloop receives from transactions. Additionally, this merger could position Zillow even closer to becoming a superpower in the real estate industry.

Constellation/Market Leader

While Zillow has been picking up new additions for its real estate family, the firm has also divested itself of some holdings. Zillow made the headlines recently when it announced it would be selling Market Leader to Constellation Software. Of specific note is the fact that Zillow let Market Leader go at a loss. Market Leader was originally acquired in 2013 by Trulia. After Zillow acquired Trulia earlier in the year, Market Leader became part of Zillow. The customer relationship management system has over 100,000 users who utilize the tool for tracking and managing leads. Zillow first announced it would be looking to sell the company shortly after inheriting it in the Trulia acquisition. According to Zillow, the company felt that Market Leader’s users would best be served by a company specializing in the delivery of enterprise software. Since the deal has not yet been finalized, Constellation has yet to release details regarding the platform’s future.

ZipRealty/Realogy

Last year, Realogy announced it would be acquiring ZipRealty in a $166 million cash deal. Other franchise brands owned by Realogy include Century 21, Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate, ERA, Coldwell Banker, Sotheby’s International Realty, etc. ZipRealty, a national real estate brokerage, has become known for its ability to leverage technology. That ability appears to be precisely what attracted to Realogy to ZipRealty. At the time of the acquisition announcement, Realogy stated it planned to capitalize on ZipRealty’s innovative tech platform across its entire business operations, enabling all of the firm’s franchise brands to work more productively and efficiently while improving customer service. Digital lead generation has become a hot topic in the real estate industry in the last few years, and Realogy seems eager to make the most of every mobile-based lead generation opportunity available. The acquisition of ZipRealty will allow the real estate titan to do precisely that.

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Commercial real estate technology has disrupted the property management sector to such a degree that CRE professionals are struggling to maximize the possibilities at their fingertips. A new survey, conducted by MACH Energy, received a sizable 800 responses from the building professional responsible with overseeing everything from Energy Star scores & sustainability reporting to technology procurement & implementation.

The survey found that property managers are too often undereducated about energy management software, resulting in missed opportunities to capitalize on the transformative benefits CRETech applications have to offer. We had the wonderful opportunity to speak with Jon Moeller, President & Head of Sales of MACH Energy to find out more!

Q. Tell us about the survey; why did you choose to conduct this type of survey and what were you hoping to find?

Given the vast amount of energy consumption in the commercial real estate (CRE) sector, there has been a gradual increase in public awareness of energy efficiency, as well as the potential savings associated with CRETech applications like energy management software (EMS). In the spirit of providing more information and transparency to the industry, MACH Energy has conducted one of the largest industry surveys of building professionals to date to determine:

1)  What the primary goals in implementing EMS are – which is to say, is there a clear trend towards sustainability or is reducing costs the highest priority?

2)  Which factors are most important to each individual in the running of their buildings? Some examples of these factors include tenant comfort, benchmarking requirements, ENERGY STAR score etc.

3)  How important energy management software is, or if installed already, which particular features and tactics are the most useful?

Q. What were the top findings of the survey?

Overall, there seems to be a lack of understanding surrounding the benefits, uses and implementation of energy management software and systems vs. building management systems (BMS). As a result, although many property managers are interested in future deployment, adoption has been inhibited.

For 61% of respondents, cost reduction was still pinpointed as the most important goal in implementing EMS, followed by energy efficiency reasons and increasing ease and flexibility for job purposes. ENERGY STAR benchmarking, which has been a major part of many city and state ordinances is still important, at 28%, but interestingly, the survey showed savings are still the most critical driver – an important takeaway for industry participants.

Even with the increased adoption of energy management systems, the market therefore still remains in a potentially high-growth stage, with 25% of surveyed individuals responding positively to current or future implementation of energy management software and almost 50% leaving the door open for significant future growth.

Q. Did any of the findings surprise you?

One issue muddying the waters is the fact that most surveyed respondents tended to confuse categorical definitions, correlating energy management software (sophisticated technology delivering analytics—real time or otherwise, budget and reporting functions) with building management systems, which are often costly, and integrate and control equipment such as building HVAC systems, VAV boxes, chillers and lighting.

Unlike Energy Management Software, Building Management Systems can often be difficult to use and do not provide analytics, dollar visibility or reporting that optimize energy management operations, resulting in a less-than-ideal framework for reducing costs and increasing job efficiency.

Another surprising discovery was that nearly 60% of the respondents were from buildings 100,000 square feet or higher. There are a number of reasons that could explain this lack of responses from smaller building managers, such as real or perceived lack of budget in smaller buildings, perhaps due to exposure only to expensive BMS systems, less understanding of the benefits of energy efficiency, or the fact that benchmarking ordinances typically target larger buildings first and then proceed to properties with smaller square footages. All in all, though, this suggests that personnel at smaller buildings still need to be educated about the many merits, both practical and financial, of energy management solutions.

Q. What do the survey results mean for MACH Energy?

First, we are extremely grateful to the nearly 800 respondents that spent time answering questions; that sample size alone demonstrates that industry momentum is quickly building. While this rapid shift in the CRE sector is certainly cause for excitement, it is also triggering growing pains throughout the industry. However, with this feedback clarifying the primary concerns and future needs of the marketplace, we believe that MACH’s CRETech solution can remedy many of these symptoms. Easy-to-use automated tenant billing/ sub-metering, dollar impact reporting, and multi-utility monitoring that not only analyzes electricity usage, but water, gas, and steam as well were cited as vital EMS services that property managers wanted to maximize their buildings’ operational potential. Through a lot of hard work by our team, all are services that have been modernized and improved through MACH’s CRETechnology.

Q. What other CRE technologies do you enjoy right now?

Besides the new mobile platform for our own energy management software, which automatically identifies savings opportunities and automates ENERGY STAR metrics, tenant billing and budget reporting, we have worked closely with a complementary company called Electronic Tenant Solutions (ETS) for several years now. With nearly 500 million square feet using their system, they have a number of CRETech software modules that help enable better tenant communications and improved property operations. For example, ETS has developed several intuitive web-based applications that increase tenant engagement, including a sophisticated tenant and emergency communications platform. They also offer tools that reduce risk of ownership and improve the day-to-day life of building personnel, such as automated certificate of insurance forms for customized renewal and compliance requests.

Essentially, based on our assessment of the survey results, we want to ensure that people are aware of the benefits of Energy Management Software as a cornerstone CRE technology. Unlike Building Management Systems that may be difficult and/or cost prohibitive, EMS can be deployed easily as an overlay to optimize BMS or, alternatively, as a standalone to more efficiently run a building, saving both time and money.

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Historically, direct real estate investing has certainly proved to be a lucrative endeavor, but it was also difficult to access. EquityMultiple is setting out to change that by modernizing the investment process to connect investors to quality commercial real estate. Currently, EquityMultiple is the only online real estate investing platform backed by a national real estate advisory firm, Mission Capital.

To date, the platform has completed more than 440 transactions and raised $3.2 billion in capital. With more than 17,000 investors in its network, EquityMultiple is certainly making a strong showing. The platform specializes in the hospitality, industrial, office, retail, and multifamily and single-family residential segments while covering dozens of markets spanning multiple states.

Platform Launches 1st Public Deal

Recently, the online investment marketplace announced the public launch of its first deal. A redevelopment project in Brooklyn, the deal has an equity offering of $750,000. Sponsoring the deal is Bushwack Capital, who will be responsible for developing a mixed-use project with a value of $7 million. Located in North Bushwick, a neighborhood in Brooklyn, the subject property is a former warehouse that will be redeveloped into a music venue. In an earlier private launch, EquityMultiple attracted the attention of several investors. As a result, the project is already funded in part. Later this fall, EquityMultiple plans to make a number of other projects available to investors.

EquityMultiple Led by Team of Veterans

EquityMultiple is led by a highly experienced team with an extensive history in executing transactions and client services. Heading up that team is Charles Clinton, CEO, a real estate attorney who has previously worked with a broad range of multibillion-dollar transactions for clients that have included KKR and Blackstone. Also onboard is Marious Sjulsen, CIO, who previously worked in real estate development and equity.

By leveraging its relationship with Mission Capital, EquityMultiple has the ability to source investment deals from some of the largest sponsors in the real estate industry. In addition, the firm is able to choose deals from smaller real estate developers who are often at risk of being neglected by large institutional investors. The online marketplace plans to primarily focus on stabilized assets that provide value-add opportunities and predictable cash flow for investors. Plans are underway for EquityMultiple to host between two and five offerings simultaneously. As EquityMultiple grows, the platform plans to expand its number of offerings.

Among the major benefits offered by EquityMultiple is the platform’s industry-leading review process. The firm’s team of experienced market veterans will evaluate sponsor track records vigorously while also carefully evaluating the risk and return of each prospective deal. Because of such a comprehensive vetting process, only quality investment opportunities will be made available to the platform’s users.

Later in the year, EquityMultiple plans to seek out additional capital in order to fund an expansion and introduce more technology products to meet the demands of sponsors and investors.

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