Thursday, May 31, 2018
The Counteroffer: Negotiating a Real Estate Deal
Buying a home is rarely as simple as making an offer and paying that offer out. Negotiations can go back and forth for weeks before the seller and buyer are both satisfied.
The vehicle for this negotiation is the counteroffer - a vital and complex rejection and counter to an offer made by either party. Counteroffers are typically handled between real estate agents and are time sensitive.
Selling or buying a home is more of a process than a transaction, so it's important to understand counteroffers before you make your first offer.
Why was I countered?
As a home buyer, if you make an offer below list price, the seller may choose to reject, accept or simply let the offer expire. If there are multiple offers, the listing agent will lay out the options for their client and then notify all buyers’ agents of the choices.
Sellers may also counter your proposed closing date. If they need to move out quickly, they may want to push it earlier. They may also ask to rent the property for a time after the settlement.
Price and closing date negotiations are common from both parties, but there are even more reasons sellers can potentially get countered.
The condition of the home is likely the biggest factor here. As home buyers conduct ongoing research into the home, any problems with the condition of the house can result in a counteroffer.
If you've chosen to take appliances with you when you move, buyers may also look to negotiate for those.
Appraisals are another reason for counteroffers. If an appraisal comes in below the agreed-upon sale price, it will affect the amount the mortgage company will lend to the buyer.
Negotiation power
When reviewing a counteroffer, it's important to have an experienced real estate agent who can capitalize on your advantages in a negotiation. Both sellers and buyers can take steps to put themselves in an advantageous position through planning and smart counteroffers.
Knowledge is power in negotiations, so try to glean as much information about the seller or buyer as you can. Your agent will also seek information from the other agent on your behalf.
Sometimes sellers use the pending sale of their home to finance another, meaning they have a truncated timeline and could be more eager to make a deal. Similarly, buyers who have terminated a lease may be desperate for a place to live and more willing to negotiate.
If you’re selling a home with known issues, anticipate how these problems may put you at a disadvantage during negotiations. A leaky roof may not be discovered until after buyers order a home inspection. Depending on the cost, they may ask the seller to either fix the roof or deduct the cost of a new roof from the sale price.
These types of issues put sellers at a distinct disadvantage because they have to either pay for repairs, lower the selling price, or reject the counteroffer and hope the next buyer doesn't notice or care about repairs.
This is why it's worth the money (around $500) to pay for an inspection before listing a house. Preparation can save you headaches and money down the road.
Responding to a counteroffer
If you've received a counteroffer as a buyer or a seller, carefully review every aspect. Real estate agents, apart from yours, are under no obligation to ensure you read the full contract. So make sure you read everything carefully before you sign.
With each individual counteroffer, consider every aspect of the sale, including old and new information. If you made an offer above the list price, there is always the possibility for an appraisal to come in low.
If you are responding to a counteroffer before an appraisal or inspection, keep those at the forefront of your mind. Prepare yourself for future counteroffers once they are completed.
Whether you're selling or buying a home, establish a baseline for when you will walk away from a sale. As a buyer, you don't want to spend so much on a home that you move in with no cash for improvements and repairs. And as a seller, you should know how much you want to make off the sale.
With a measured and informed approach, counteroffers can be your friend. Communicate often with your agent to let them know what you want from the sale, and never be afraid to walk away if things go south.
Top featured photo from Shutterstock.
Related:
- The Huge Risk Home Buyers Take When They Waive Inspections
- How to Make a Competitive Offer Against All-Cash Home Buyers
- A 3-Step Plan for Finding and Buying Your Next Home
Note: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or position of Zillow.
Originally published October 25, 2016.
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Wednesday, May 30, 2018
Rhys Hoskins is One Tough Kid
I like Rhys Hoskins a lot. I think he’s going to have a huge second half, and get the Phillies into the NL Wildcard game (along with a great supporting cast).
Last night on Memorial Day, he fouled a ball off his face and had to leave the game in the ninth. He was in the middle of a tough at-bat against Kenley Jansen.
Rhys Hoskins the victim of FREAK play… pic.twitter.com/DWTR55dohH
— Marc Farzetta (@MarcFarzetta) May 29, 2018
He let the fans know he was okay:
All good guys, just a liiiiiittle swollen. Thanks for reaching out!
On the positive side I’ll get to wear a helmet flap like the cool kids now
#GoPhils
— Rhys Hoskins (@rhyshoskins) May 29, 2018
Tonight, the Phillies tuned up my Dodgers 6-1 down at Chavez Ravine. He climbed in the box late as a pinch hitter against Daniel Hudson and ripped a double. Impressive to see.
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Tuesday, May 29, 2018
Memorial Day Weekend Ends
Memorial Day is always such a great holiday, coincided with Major League Baseball. I spent a lot of time this weekend on the couch with the stomach flu, thanks to my two kids who passed it along to me. Other than that, I did get to watch a lot of baseball. Here are some notes on a weekend gone by way too fast.
- Mike Trout always seems to assault Yankee Stadium. The guy is truly unbelievable. He went 5 for 5 on Saturday in the Bronx. Every year he just plays three games there – and every year he does something like that – where he’s a one-man wrecking crew. I’m starting to feel like Trout stays put in Anaheim for the long haul, and that would be great.
- Scooter Gennett had five hits of his own at Coors field, and he’s currently leading the NL in hitting. Guy is a ballplayer.
- Walker Buehler is looking other-worldly special through his first seven starts of his career. Whispers of ‘the next Kershaw’ are already happening. I also just traded for Buehler in my dynasty fantasy baseball league. Goodbye to Khris Davis and Fernando Vazquez/Felipe Rivero. Hello to Buehler; who adds to a Verlander/Castillo/Newcomb/Charlie Morton/Manaea staff. I don’t normally build around pitching. For Buehler, I’ll make the exception.
- Byron Buxton is still really scuffling. He crashed into a wall on Saturday night, decided to play Sunday; went hitless. He played again today and went 1 for 5. This is just not getting any better.
- Aaron Judge hit one 120 MPH over the weekend, and is the fastest player to 70 career home runs in terms of games played. He’s a superstar, obviously.
It’s officially summer, and the heat is touching 90 degrees where I live. It’s hard to believe that summer is here – and what we see in baseball is officially reality.
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Monday, May 28, 2018
Meet the Real Estate Tech Founder: Ryan Freed from hOM
Without further ado…
What do you do?
What problem does your product/service solve?
We are solving a few problems:
- With the rise of WeWork and Co-living communities landlords are looking to stay competitive in a changing environment. We help bring them a completely seamless programming option to build community and convenience for their tenants helping them retain tenants and keep competitive rents and properties.
- For the tenants themselves, our customers, we are saving them time in seeking out a wellness option by bringing boutique fitness classes directly to their home and work. We are also making cities, that can sometimes feel lonely, feel like a much more connected place.
- For our yoga instructors who service out properties we are solving the independent contractor problem. Instructors are used to running all around the city with unpredictable income and no benefits. We employ all of our instructors with full-time salaries, full benefits packages, and provide a job with a mission they are passionate about.
What are you most excited about right now?
Two things:
- We just released, to our knowledge, the first ever maternity/paternity policy for yoga instructors!
- The evolving commercial real estate landscape. Commercial landlords are recognizing amenities, community, and convenience as an integral piece of the work-place. At hOM we are focusing heavily on bringing our product and services to the commercial real estate landscape so we can create positive change in the work-place through wellness and happiness.
What’s next for you?
New markets. We are growing the hOM mission first to Toronto then to Seattle with more markets to follow.
What’s a cause you’re passionate about and why?
I am very passionate about mental health and how meditation and wellness can lead to happier and healthier lives for everyone. Particularly the benefits of meditation and alternative health-care for cancer patients as it can not only help prevent and assist in curing disease but also leads to true awareness and love of your self whether you are going through cancer or in your every day life.
Since the above is closely related to my business I’ll highlight one other cause
Animal Welfare. Consumerism has created a broken system when it comes to the food we consume and the material objects we possess. As a result corporations and laws have followed suit to the mass “production” of animals through harmful practices to animals and our environment. I am passionate about improving the system and contributing to causes that do so.
Thanks to Ryan for sharing his story. If you’d like to connect, find him on LinkedIn here.
The post Meet the Real Estate Tech Founder: Ryan Freed from hOM appeared first on GeekEstate Blog.
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Dodgers Make it a Winning Memorial Day Weekend
[Box Score]
[Dodgers Insider] [Dodgers Nation]
Cody Bellinger hit his 8th home run of the season, and Max Muncy hit his 6th. It was a picture perfect day down at Dodger Stadium.
Walker Buehler went seven innings, allowing four hits and one run, striking out eight. He brought his season ERA down to 2.20 and his record to 3-1.
The Dodgers are now 24-28 on the season and right in the thick of things here on Memorial Day.
It’s been a long time – perhaps never – that I have seen a young pitcher as dominant as @buehlersdayoff, at 23, has been. A 4-pitch mix w/great late life both up in the zone and at the bottom of the zone – at 98 mph no less – coupled with feel and intellect. Rare. Oh so rare. pic.twitter.com/PDUfxCk5zP
— Ned Colletti (@realnedcolletti) May 28, 2018
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Sunday, May 27, 2018
Taking the decision to follow the light
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Saturday, May 26, 2018
Your Saturday Baseball Post
It’s the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. I have my kids all day long to myself with my wife attending a bar crawl to benefit breast cancer, which both of our moms have suffered from.
But not to be worried, we have you covered here with the best post of the week. It’s the Saturday baseball post. Summer is officially here. It’s hard to believe we are into another hot weather stretch of a baseball season. We have enjoyed so many of these in life and all the small traditions they bring.
The smell of fresh cut grass, sunburns, grills, barbecues. Memorial Day is the official kick off of all that. Your kids will either be out of school or are already. It’s time to dig in and enjoy the meat of the baseball season. For a baseball fan: this is what we live for.
Your 1980’s song of the week that should be played on a ballpark loudspeaker nearest you is by The Cars, our all-time favorite rock group.
So go and enjoy your Saturday. We will hold it down and provide some updates where we can. Thank you for your continued support of Diamond Hoggers.
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Friday, May 25, 2018
Geek Estate Mastermind Newsletter #30 – AI and Home Search and eXp Realty Listing on the NASDAQ
- Curate the most incredible and diverse membership of real estate innovators, creatives, doers, and creators in the world.
- Make our members wildly successful in their careers building real estate companies.
This week’s member newsletter (#30) touched on two main topics: AI and home search (with some thoughts on the recent Zillow & AI article) and eXp Realty listing on the NASDAQ and becoming the next billion dollar franchise.
If you want to read the entire newsletter, and future newsletters, please apply for membership below.
Geek Estate Membership
Interested in joining?
The post Geek Estate Mastermind Newsletter #30 – AI and Home Search and eXp Realty Listing on the NASDAQ appeared first on GeekEstate Blog.
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Between faith and prayer
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Wednesday, May 23, 2018
Is My Tree Dying? Top 5 Warning Signs
“Is my tree dying?”
Many of us can relate: there’s that one tree on our property that is our favorite. It might provide tons of shade for the back patio in the summer time. Perhaps it flowers really beautifully in the spring. Maybe it was planted in memory of someone dear to you. Whatever the reason, many of us are really attached to our trees.
And this is when the panicked calls start. We get them on a regular basis: “I think my tree is really sick. Can you help with that?” The honest answer to this question (which no one really wants to hear) is “Maybe.” Depending on the severity of the issue or the amount of irreversible damage, as professionals, we may or may not be able to do anything about it. There are lots of factors in play that we have no control over. For example, the presence of certain fungi, the amount of humidity and rainfall, and the actual location of a tree are often outside of our control.
The one factor working in our favor is early detection. This increases the likelihood that your tree service company will be able to make an impact. Here are the Top 5 Warning Signs of a sick tree:
1. Leaf Damage
This is perhaps the easiest place to start for many homeowners. Discoloration, deformity, or extra, abnormal “growths” on leaf tissue can all be signs of a potential problems. These range in size, shape of spots, color of spots, and deformity of leaves or needles. This can vary depending on the tree and the disease you’re looking for. For example, evergreen trees are not susceptible to a disease called anthracnose. Anthracnose only effects deciduous (leaf-dropping) trees, and is actually deadly for certain species (like an American dogwood). Conversely, deciduous trees are not generally affected by bagworms, which prefer to feed on needle-producing evergreen trees.
What to Look For
A good practice to get yourself into is to familiarize yourself with the look of the trees in your landscape. What do they look like in a “normal” year? You might even want to consider doing a Google image search for what healthy leaves look like for that species of tree, so you have a baseline reference. If you know what a healthy example of a leaf should look like, you’ll be able to tell when there’s a lesion or deformity. Lesions, deformity, and discoloration or leaves can be indicative of serious pest or disease problems with your trees, which may lead to some of the other signs we’ll discuss.
2. Canopy Decline
This one can be a little harder to nail down. Generally speaking, when a tree has lost about 30% of it’s canopy, it is beyond saving. This is especially true for boring insects, like the Emerald Ash Borer. Your tree needs a certain amount of leaf tissue to properly convert sunlight into the food it needs to survive (called photosynthesis). Without the proper amount of chlorophyll (the chemical in plants that makes them green) exposed to the sun, the tree will begin to struggle to stay healthy.
What to Look For
In order to determine whether a tree’s canopy is in decline, you should again try to get a baseline reference. You should try, as much as possible, to get a view of the whole tree. This may involve walking across the street and standing on the sidewalk in front of your neighbor’s house, or asking a neighbor if you can stand in their yard to get this view. Whatever the case, make sure you can see the whole tree to the best of your ability.
When you start to be able to see through the tree’s leaves pretty easily, that’s a bad sign. Consider taking a picture on your phone when the canopy is full (late Spring would be good) for reference the following year. You want to especially look for decline near the top of the tree; many tree problems will cause the tree to decline at the top first, so this is usually the place you’ll see serious problems pop up.
3. Shoot Growth Lower on Branches or Trunk
Diseases often start in the leaf tissue and then work their way into the stems and branches, so when you see a tree pushing leaf tissue anywhere but the very end of a branch, it’s usually an indication that the tree is under some serious stress.
Here’s a fun fact about trees: they often have a “emergency fund” of nutrients stored up, just in case they need them. They’re pretty industrious that way. You’ve probably seen evidence of this when you see a stump that suddenly starts pushing new branches and leaves up. Why the stump is able to push new growth when it’s been cut all the way down to the ground? Or, for that matter, when it has been cut in such a way that all the leaves are gone? Because it had this energy reserve saved.
But trees don’t just save this nest-egg for when someone tries to cut them down. They’ll tap in to this fund any time they need to convert more sunlight into energy. A pest or disease issue that causes canopy decline will often trigger this “new-growth” strategy from a tree. In a tree that’s stressed by one of these factors, you’ll often seen new leaves popping up from much lower on the branch, or even off the trunk itself. Trees by nature typically push new growth at the end of the branches, where it’s got the best chance of getting maximum exposure to sunlight.
What to Look For
If a tree starts pushing new growth closer to the trunk or off the trunk itself, this is a big “red-flag” that the tree is experiencing a potentially deadly form of stress. Look for new leaves growing near where the branches emerge from the trunk or off the of the trunk itself.
4. Many Dead Branches/Pushing Growth in the Wrong Places
We covered some of this in the last point; when a tree is pushing new growth closer to the trunk than the very end of the branch, that’s a bad sign. When you start to see lots of dead wood near the end of the branches, that’s also a very bad sign.
You will often see this, especially with disease issues on trees. A branch may look dead at the end, but new growth is popping up lower on the branch. Another sign to look for is a “hole” in the canopy; the canopy will look full and healthy, except where you see a branch or two that have been affected by disease and aren’t pushing leaves out. A branch or two not pushing new growth will usually be very visible in a mature tree, as the canopy will have a large gap.
What to Look For
Many times, the tree will tap into the above mentioned “emergency fund” to push new growth as close to the end of the branch as possible. A good way to look for this is to stand near the trunk of the tree and simply look up. If a lot of branches with no growth on them or look dead are visible, it’s probably a sign that it’s been stressed for a period of time.
5. Early Leaf Color Change or Early Leaf Drop
We often select trees to plant or become attached to a tree because of the vibrant, beautiful color it gives us, especially in the fall. You’ll be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn’t have some sense of awe when all the wooded areas around us here in Central Pennsylvania begin to change color. It’s a truly breath-taking sight each autumn!
Tree leaves change color because the trees has decided to move it’s chlorophyll in preparation for winter; it is conserving energy so that it can make it through the winter in a healthy way. There are other chemical changes happening, like the one the seals the place where the leaf attaches to the stem (like a scab covering a wound) so that no infections can harm the tree.
However, when this color change, and the subsequent shedding of leaves, happens much earlier in the season than normal, it’s usually a good indicator that the tree is in trouble. Sometimes, when the issue is severe enough, instead of pushing new growth, the tree will decide instead to “cut losses” and go into an early winter hibernation. Think of it like a “fight or flight” response for a tree; new growth is the “fight” response, while the shedding of leaves and closing up shop early is the “flight” response. Instead of wasting energy trying to produce more energy, the tree decides that it cannot out-produce the loss. So, it tries to minimize the damage by waiting until conditions improve. It decides to “ride it out” until things get better.
What to Look For
When the tree reaches this grim conclusion, it’s in a really bad place. You want to look for leaves that are changing color far too early. Here in Central PA, a tree changing color in July or August is a bad sign. You might even be concerned about leaf drop in late August or September, depending on the species.
Comparing the tree you’re concerned about to other trees is also helpful. Are all the trees in your area changing colors? If so, you might not need to be as worried. If not, your tree might be in dire straits.
Conclusion
Now you’re armed with some helpful tips to determine if your favorite tree is in trouble. You should contact a Certified Arborist to examine your tree and recommend the appropriate treatment, if possible. You should also be prepared to hear the worst, and take the recommendation of the Arborist you’ve selected. That means you may need to have the tree removed.
If you’d like to talk to one of our ISA Certified Arborists about your tree’s health, we’re happy to help. Contact us, and we’ll be in touch with you shortly.
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Tuesday, May 22, 2018
Can the Astros repeat as champions in 2018?
Last year’s thrilling World Series triumph will live long in the memory of Astros fans, but for the players and coaching staff, it is ancient history as they focus on achieving the rare feat of winning back-to-back World Series.
In theory, it shouldn’t be unusual. After all, if one team emerges as the best side in MLB, they should have a good chance of continuing their dominance just a few months later. In practice, however, it doesn’t work like that. In fact, only two teams have won back-to-back World Series titles in the last 39 years. The Yankees pulled it off when they won three in a row between 1998 and 2000, while the Blue Jays were triumphant in 1992 and 1993.
Can the Astros make history in 2018? They’ve certainly made a solid start. Fans who check out the MLB standings at Stakers.com will see that Houston are behind only the Yankees and the Red Sox in the American League and are dominating the Western Division.
There are other factors in their favor. For a start, they are a better team than last time around. They have added key players such as Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole. The Astros’ starting rotation is so strong that the likes of Collin McHugh and Brad Peacock, who would be sure-fire starters in any other franchise, will be in the bullpen.
Most of their stars also have plenty of goals to aim at. The likes of José Altuve, Dallas Keuchel and Carlos Correa are striving to put themselves into the best possible position to earn the life-changing figures that World Series-wining free agents are entitled to ask for. If Astros fans are wondering whether those guys will be bringing the same intensity this season as last, the answer is almost certainly yes.
However, there are plenty of pitfalls to negotiate if the Astros are going to repeat their success. Many of their rivals are stronger this time around. The Yankees, who have added Giancarlo Stanton, have made a blistering start to the season, as have the Red Sox. The Angels also have more depth this time around, while the Indians, Mariners, Blue Jays, Dodgers and Cubs are all likely to mount a strong challenge this year.
Then there is the question of luck. So many of the big games last season were decided on fine margins. Of their 11 postseason victories, five were settled by a single run, and the Astros clinched three of their wins in the ninth innings or later. All of those wins were deserved, but a stroke of bad luck at the wrong time can turn narrow wins into narrow defeats, and bad luck is something that no amount of planning can prepare for.
There is also the issue of motivation. While it is true that many of the Astros players have personal goals to achieve that will keep them focused throughout the season, winning the World Series is a career-defining achievement. Will every member of the roster be just as hungry come the postseason as they were last year? It will be up to the team management to spot any complacency and deal with it as soon as it becomes evident.
Finally, the Astros will have to deal with opponents who have had months to focus on finding ways to beat them. Also, the advantage that Houston once had when it came to scouting, data and analysis probably no longer exists. The Yankees now have a bigger data analysis unit and a number of other teams have closed the gap on the champions in terms of their planning, data gathering and tactical awareness.
There is no doubt that the challenge of winning back-to-back World Series is huge. Very few teams manage to do it, and in the ultra-competitive world of professional baseball, no team is able to gain an advantage for long. If the Astros are going to pull it off, they will need to guard against complacency, come up with new strategies and ways to win, and hope that luck favors them rather than their opponents. Either way, with so many teams looking ready to mount a strong challenge, this year’s MLB season is already shaping up to be a classic.
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Why Does Horizon Still Exist?
Below is an update we sent this morning to all users of Horizon and our previous product, Oh Hey World (which failed). I know some of you are on that list.
Bottom line: Yes, startups are hard.
Why Does Horizon Still Exist?
Remember when you found Horizon App and discovered a way to connect members of communities around the globe? We, the Horizon team, envisioned a new way to travel—one that would facilitate homestays among friends, friends of friends, and communities, such as the Peace Corps and StartingBloc. We are on a mission to make travel accessible, make it more personal for you, and give you a way to form deeper connections in each destination you visit.
It’s been an incredible, challenging, and humbling journey. And yes, we’re still here. Horizon exists, but it needs you more than ever. Four years ago, we joined Start-up Chile with a private hospitality networks concept and a small team. We overcame many challenges in those early years, and now, many thousands of dollars poorer, I’m still here.
Years later, you might wonder: Why do I even think Horizon is still a good, viable idea? Does Horizon need to exist at all?
I wonder that, too. Every day bringing new hurdles and challenges, setbacks, and requiring more time and money, I ask myself that question.
Even as the challenges stack up, and the money runs dry. The answer is a resounding yes.
Yes, the world needs what Horizon provides. We need travels involving deep conversations, fascinating new friendships, challenging perspectives, and ways to not just see the world, but experience it through our own eyes. We need more community to counter growing divisiness and isolation.
The need for a platform like Horizon facilitating global communities coming together in person comes down to the importance of humans understanding the reality of the vast world in which we live. It comes down to the importance of traveling in a way that contextualizes our place on a wider scale—understanding that “necessities” such as shoes and electricity are extreme luxuries to much of the world’s population.
Chance is the only thing separating you from someone born into extreme poverty.
It’s this very fact of chance that I know we can address through conscious travel—travel that pairs connected, immersive local travels with a powerful mission to funnel tourism dollars into pressing local social issues. Connecting travelers to the realities on the ground opens entirely new avenues to become the type of engaged and informed citizens we need: Citizens committed to spending their tourism dollars in ways that make a real impact on local communities.
The Road Building to Horizon
After graduating college and backpacking Europe in 2005, I haven’t been able to kick my unabiding love for travel. After using all of my vacation days to travel as widely as possible, I left “startup” America in 2010 to travel full time.
As is the case with traveling, I would meet all sorts of amazing people around the globe in those years on the road and I would learn from them all, be they rich or poor, Russian, Alaskan, or Kiwi. When I returned home, friends and relatives asked me how I did it—the implied question being how they might do the same. After hundreds of conversations, I came to realize the reason why more people don’t travel. It wasn’t just time and wasn’t not just about the money. While those were certainly factors, the underlying thread in every conversation was fear.
We fear that which we don’t know, and that seemed to be the key to unlocking a more powerful way for people to travel. We would build a hospitality exchange network based on existing interests—existing connections and passions. But we wouldn’t stop there, we would help travelers truly connect to the social causes impacting the places they travel, and we would do it by baking our social mission into the very core of our platform.
Accomplishments
- Acceptance in Startup Chile, and a demo day pitch (you can view it here).
- We launched publicly in 2015, first on Product Hunt, and then publicly on the app store a couple months later.
- Despite running the business in the red on a monthly basis for more months in a row than I can count, we’ve grown to over 13,000 members—our mission clearly resonates deeply with travelers.
- The native Android app was well-received.
- Our current Stay a Night, Give a Night Campaign launched in Seattle, with two completed stays in our pilot. Our campaign is bringing much-needed money and attention to Seattle’s serious homelessness situation.
- Members of major communities such as Peace Corps, StartingBloc, and Product Hunt have joined Horizon, and several sponsors such as Avail, CityBldr, R6 Ventures, Susi Musi & Co Real Estate, Wikileaf, and WealthSimple have partnered on our latest campaign.
Challenges
- We’ve lost money. A lot of money. I’m personally very far in debt as a result of Horizon.
- We lost core team members who had to move on due to life and financial realities.
- We failed at our fundraising effort in late 2014 and early 2015.
- The need to scrap both our native iOS and Android apps (for the time being) when Facebook changed a few APIs and broke our login system.
Every passing day I increasingly believe Horizon’s platform is needed. I’m not interested in living in the world shaped by screen addiction spreading unopposed. That’s a soulless, lonely world. We needed Horizon back in 2014, but we could have never foreseen what four short years would bring—we need Horizon now more than ever. Screen addiction is at all time high. Empathy is at all time low.
The world needs community more than anything if we are to overcome our challenges. People need to live within other reality bubbles.
The Reality of the Current Home Sharing and Hospitality Exchange Landscape (Hint: It’s Not About Community)
You may point to Couchsurfing and Airbnb as platforms addressing this every issue, but they both fall well short. I’ve said it before, Couchsurfing was one of the coolest social movements created in my lifetime. It enabled millions of budget travelers to take trips they otherwise might have never taken. That said, the world is bigger than one community. We need to build community around shared ideals of not just budget travel, but of travel that changes the way we see the world and how we make an impact.
Airbnb’s early business was “paid couchsurfing,” but these days it’s not really that at all. More than 10 years later, the majority of Airbnb’s business comes from renting entire apartments, homes, yachts, etc., and travelers never even meet their host. With its recent support for boutique hotels and traditional bed and breakfasts, it’s moving farther away from its “community” roots , not closer. The Airbnb “business” is monetizing space, not building community. Which is fine, but it’s missing the chance to form real community connections on our travels.
When we remove connection and community from the equation, we lose a very real piece of what has always made travel so transformational. Horizon is the antidote, it’s the platform where community is not an afterthought: it’s the whole damn point.
Where Horizon is Heading
Horizon removes technology challenges from the world’s greatest communities: Harley riders, Returned Peace Corps Volunteers, bicyclists, and more. These groups already share a strong sense of belonging, so we asked ourselves: What would it look like to build the world’s best global hospitality exchange platform? How could we facilitate existing communities rather than build a new one? Rather than building an entire technology platform (both extremely expensive and time consuming), what if these communities could simply click a button and pay a small monthly fee? What if creating a hospitality exchange network to connect your community was as easy as starting a Meetup group?
There doesn’t have to be a what-if, because Horizon is how we’re keeping you connected to the communities you care about, connected to the causes and people who have made your life better.
But we need your help. A member-funded route is the only way we can continue to build community in the physical world. That’s why we’re asking for your support on Patreon, a crowdfunding platform that allows you to support the creatives and creators you believe in.
Do you believe the world needs a community-funded (and ad-free) hospitality exchange platform focused on facilitating true community, empathy and not just “transactions”? A platform that believes in creating real change in local communities through socially responsible initiatives? We need your financial help to continue improving Horizon’s product and unlock travel opportunities to grow our community of global citizens.
I believe there are 15,000 people in the world willing to give up the equivalent of one cup of coffee per month to keep a community-funded and community-owned hospitality exchange platform alive. With Patreon, you choose your level of support, whether that is $10 per month or just $60 a year. Horizon is, quite simply, the best community building tool that’s ever been created. It’s a tool empowering distributed communities to come together in person, strengthen relationships through meaningful real-world interactions, to make a real difference in your life, as well as the lives of those in each place you travel.
Our community is already 13,000 strong. Now we need you to join us on the next step as we transform the way travelers experience cities and countries around the globe. Join us as we build empathy.
This is our big ask. Horizon needs its community’s support and no donation is too small. Make a monthly pledge now. And if you really love what we’re working on, but can’t contribute even $5 per month, we gratefully welcome your one-time contribution here.
I have never wavered in my belief that there is a better way for us to understand the world. Understanding comes through real-world experiences, not screens. Horizon will transform how we live and travel, and we need your help to continue making that mission a reality.
Thank you for your generous support,
Drew Meyers
Co-founder, Horizon
The post Why Does Horizon Still Exist? appeared first on GeekEstate Blog.
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Google Maps and a Coming Crisis for Real Estate Techies
It’s blatantly obvious Google Maps is the best product. However, at some point, price will be prohibitive for tech vendors to continue to support the platform. After all, even if developers prefer to work with Google Maps, clients are the ones who will be forced to foot the bill.
Even if you’re not using the full Maps API, literally every website I use seems to use the Google places auto complete for places. Including the startup I’ve been working on, Horizon.
Luxury real estate sites will likely stay the course, but anything at the middle and lower price points will likely be migrated off Google Maps in short order. I have to imagine Mapbox and OpenStreetMap are salivating at the real estate opportunity Google is presenting them.
If you agree Google Maps will become too cost prohibitive, here are a few options for you to consider:
Have you already made a decision? What else are you considering?
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Monday, May 21, 2018
.realestate Domains
I saw the news that NAR is launching the .realestate top-level domain later this year, which is a result of winning the rights to do so back in 2014.
Domain names are not valuable by themselves. They aren’t going rank in Google without great content and backlinks, both of which require either considerable time or money. It’s no secret I’m a skeptic of the value of top level domain names, just read the comments on this post about .realtor for my thoughts on the topic from several years ago.
From today’s press release:
“The launch of the .realestate domain with top-level domain industry leader Second Generation, will bring great benefit from day one,” said NAR CEO Bob Goldberg.
I’m genuinely curious, can someone explain to me just what benefit that is?
If you’re convinced of the value and interested in signing up early, you can do so here.
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Association of the Week: The Triangle
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Sunday, May 20, 2018
Meet the Real Estate Tech Founder: Jatinder Singh from Botplan
Without further ado…
What do you do?
I am the founder and CEO of Botplan. Botplan is a Real Estate Chatbot company. Our software is a white label chatbot that Real Estate Agents and Brokers can install on their Websites, Facebook, and SMS to engage traffic to these channels and convert more of that traffic into Leads.
What problem does your product/service solve?
year to drive traffic to their sites, listings, and social pages. Less than 1% of the traffic that visits these web pages converts into leads. That is in-spite of the fact that average home buyer is spending 26 hours online searching for their next home? Our solution is focused on solving this problem and converting more of this traffic into leads.
Our unique insight is buried in these fairly common stats: #1: 70% of the new home buyers
sign up with the first agent they meet. #2: Millennials do not like to wait – if an Agent does
not respond to an online inquiry in minutes, the buyers would have already moved on to a
new agent.
How do we solve this problem? Unlike the cold “contact us” forms. Our chatbot starts the
conversation with “How can I help you?”. This allows us to engage the customer in
conversation so that we can truly understand their pain points. Once the customer realizes
that we are interested in their questions, they are open to giving us their contact information so that we can connect the Agent with the customer.
What are you most excited about right now?
We just got approved to roll out our chatbot to 1400 agents across two of the country’s most
successful real estate brokerages. One of the brokerage is a top 20 brokerage in US based
on their annual revenue for 2017. Our teams are super excited at this milestone. Not only
that, we have just rolled out a customer success strategy, where we provide Real Estate Agents tips, tricks, and trainings on how to get more engagements from their chatbots and generate more leads. We are getting very good feedback from our agents, and we are psyched to roll out this program to all of our Real Estate clients.
What’s next for you?
Currently our focus is to bring more agents to our platform. For the remainder of this year
we are going to continue to focus on bringing more brokerages online and get more agents
to use our product. We are also raising our next funding round. So we would welcome any
Real Estate Technology investors that are interested to speak with us. We are also feverishly working to expand our Real Estate Advisory board. Anyone who has had a long career in Real Estate, in Tech or as a Brokerage owner, would be a great individual for us to bring to our board.
What’s a cause you’re passionate about and why?
I feel very strongly that childhood is very important phase in everyone’s life. Some of us are fortunate that our parents understood not only how to give us safety and security, but also how to instill values that will guide our path in our life’s journey. But a very large number of children grow up with abuse from their parents – knowingly or unknowingly so. Children who become part of the “system” has an even tougher and troublesome road in front of them. I have been involved in an organization called Preventing Child Abuse Minnesota (PCAMN) as a Board Member and as an Advisor to the CEO. This organization helps the most vulnerable children in our own society by educating parents and communities on not only how to spot child abuse, but also how to stop and prevent it from happening. Organizations like PCAMN are core to making sure that the “opportunities” are equally available to each and every child born in this great country.
Thanks to Jatinder for sharing his story. If you’d like to connect, find him on LinkedIn here.
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Friday, May 18, 2018
89 quotes
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HIPPIE: PREMIER CHAPITRE
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Thursday, May 17, 2018
Geek Estate Founding Member Spotlight: Dan Green from Growella
Our ninth interview is with Dan Green at Growella.
Without further ado…
What is Growella?
Growella publishes problem-solving financial content for high-intent consumers. To reach its audience, Growella uses a mix of interactive tools, empathic how-to articles, and high-value human interest stories plus a mortgage- and real estate-themed news show filmed in the company’s dedicated production studio.
How does the company help agents, brokers, and other professionals?
Growella generates high-intent leads for mortgage lenders and real estate brokerages.
What did you learn from building Mortgage Reports that you’re incorporating into this business?
People say you can’t win the SEO game to which I say: the people who say you can’t win at SEO have just never been able to do it. It’s entirely possible and building The Mortgage Reports taught me that. Winning steady, buyer-ready traffic from the search engines is a game that’s won with commitment to readers and the problems they need solved.
Why does Growella focus on organic readers when paid-readers can pay more immediate dividends?
Over time, the cost of acquiring organic readers moves to zero. This is opposite of using paid traffic, which increases in cost and complexity each quarter. Organic keeps it simple. Build incredible tools, tell wonderful stories, and produce relevant shows that connect to readers on an nuanced, emotional level. That kind of content attracts high-intent readers and kicks off high-value leads year after year. Contrast that to paid traffic, which stops when you stop writing checks.
What are two business goals for 2018?
Growella’s two big goals for 2018:
- Secure sponsorship for our 3x weekly show, The Mortgage Minute-and-a-Half, and our weekly live web show.
- Debut a new story-telling technique to help first-time home buyers make better choices.
What is one personal goal for the year?
Shave 3 minutes off my marathon time and qualify for the Boston Marathon.
What do you like about being a Geek Estate member?
The breadth of the Geek Estate community excites me. Lots of people with lots of different experiences.
Thank you Dan for being a founding member!
Geek Estate Mastermind Membership
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Geek Estate Newsletter #29 – Minting Cash Buyers, Luxury Travel, and Smart Homes
- Curate the most incredible and diverse membership of real estate innovators, creatives, doers, and creators in the world.
- Make our members wildly successful in their careers building real estate companies.
This week’s member newsletter (#29) touched on several topics. Minting cash buyers (Ribbon launched last week), luxury travel, and smart homes. On the topic of Ribbon, I’ll leave you with this:
The ginormous idea sitting inside Ribbon that I see? Creating a moving experience where you just “select” the house, condo, or coop you want to live in — regardless of whether it’s for sale or for rent. What if every home was simply “available” or not available, and the financing and payments were decided and settled in the background?
If you want to read the entire newsletter, and future newsletters, please apply for membership below.
Geek Estate Membership
Interested in joining?
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Wednesday, May 16, 2018
Uber Elevate, Urban Mobility, and Future of Cities
I’ve honestly never been a big fan of Uber as a company (I’m long Lyft), but the following video about urban mobility got my excited about the future of transportation (and cities):
Slowly, but surely, Uber is changing their public perception and positioning themselves as a thought leader on transportation. Well done (for their sake).
That said — who is thinking about the convergence of the future of cities, and the future of real estate? I’d love to chat with anyone who is, as it’s a topic I’m personally fascinated with.
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Email de minha irmã sobre HIPPIE
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Monday, May 14, 2018
Tick Control in South Central Pennsylvania
Of increasing concern in our area is the tick population. There are a lot of common misconceptions about the nature and behavior of ticks, and what people can do about them. This post aims to address some of those concerns, and educate you about how to protect yourself, your family, and your pets from these nuisances. It will also (hopefully) educate you about the risks of disease associated with tick bites.
Myths and Misconceptions
As a professional pest control company, we often get questions from clients about ticks. One of the most common questions we’ve gotten over the last couple of years have been about control for ticks; how to protect people and pets.
First and foremost, you need to understand some things about tick behavior and biology that will help you better arm yourself against this threat: ticks do not jump onto people, at least not in the way that fleas do. Often clients think that fleas and ticks are both these long-jumping, blood-sucking nuisances. That’s only half true; they both seek bloodmeals.
However, ticks are far less mobile than fleas. They often hang onto plant material, and stick their two front legs out in the air. Entomologist’s have labeled this behavior as “questing” – the tick is trying to go on a journey! Those two front legs have little “hooks” on them if you will, and when an animal or person brushes against the plant they’re on, the front legs snag on, like Velcro. That’s how the tick “hitchhikes” to its next destination or its next meal.
The reason so many people believe they jump like fleas is largely due to the way pet treatment products are marketed – namely as “flea and tick” products. Many people assume that the products work because the pests behave the same way. This is untrue; the products work because they are targeting the pest’s food source.
Types of Ticks
The four common ticks found in Pennsylvania are: the American Dog Tick, the Blacklegged Tick, the Lone Star Tick, and the Groundhog Tick. Groundhog ticks are a vector (read: carrier) for Lyme’s Disease, as are blacklegged ticks. Since groundhog ticks are largely found in Western Pennsylvania, however, we’ll focus on the other three.
Lone Star Ticks
Lone Star ticks are easily identifiable. They are brown in color and have a large whitish dot on their backs. Their native range is mostly in the Midwest, but they have been found in recent years in counties in Southern Pennsylvania. You are most likely to encounter these ticks here in South Central PA in an urban area.
American Dog Tick
American dog ticks are found all up and down the east coast of North America, from Canadian provinces all the way to states on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. This is by far the most commonly encountered tick in Pennsylvania. American dog ticks are identifiable by their mottled brown appearance.
Blacklegged (Deer) Ticks
Black legged deer tick isolated – Ixodes scapularis
Blacklegged ticks are also incredibly common here in Lancaster, Lebanon, Dauphin, Berks, York, and Cumberland Counties. We live and operate our business is in a part of the state that is considered to have a “heavy infestation” of blacklegged ticks. They are usually dark brown, with a large black spot on their backs, near the head, and of course have black legs.
Diseases
There are a whole host of diseases that ticks can carry and transmit to humans, and in some cases pets. Here are a few of the most common or most dangerous ailments you should be concerned about…
Lyme’s Disease
This is the most commonly known tick-borne disease. The first sign of Lyme’s disease is usually a bulls-eye rash around the bite site. Symptoms can range from flu-like symptoms to swelling of the joints and extreme fatigue.
Most patients recover fully with antibiotic treatments. In extreme cases, a doctor may prescribe pain medication to help alleviate symptoms.
Carriers for this are the blacklegged tick and the groundhog tick.
Powassan Virus
This virus is named for the town of Powassan, Ontario, where it was identified in a young boy who eventually died from complications. Symptoms show up between a week and a month after transmission of the virus and include fever, nausea, and vomiting. Symptoms may progress and become more serious, including memory loss or confusion and even seizures.
There is no specific treatment for Powassan virus, according to the CDC , and patients often need to be hospitalized and receive breathing support, medication to reduce brain swelling, and IV fluids to prevent dehydration.
Carrier for this is the blacklegged (deer) tick.
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF)
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever was first diagnosed, as the name implies, in people who spent time in the forests of the Rocky Mountains. By the early 1960’s, over 90% of the cases in the U.S. were reported east of the Mississippi River. Symptoms include bruising around the wrists and ankles. Fever, headaches, and a general sort of “malaise” are other symptoms.
Treatment for Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever includes a course of antibiotics.
Carriers for this are the Lone Star tick and the American dog tick.
Prevention and Personal Precautions
These are common-sense measures, really. If you’re an avid outdoors-person, you really should do a few things to protect yourself.
- Wear long sleeves.
- Wear light colored clothing, and check if frequently for the dark-colored ticks.
- Long pants, with long socks, are a must. Tuck the pant bottoms into the socks for best protection.
- Use bug spray. Your best bet is a bug spray with no more than 35% DEET, or a permethrin applied ONLY to your clothing (permethrin isn’t labelled for use on human skin like DEET).
- Check your person and people travelling with you regularly to make sure you don’t have any of these “hitchhikers.”
For pets, you should use a topical treatment that is applied at regular intervals (i.e. monthly). Be diligent about both the application and checking your pet’s coat regularly once they’ve re-entered the home after being outside.
For more information about our treatment services for your property that help reduce both tick and mosquito populations, we’d love to talk with you. Please contact our office.
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Sunday, May 13, 2018
Meet the Real Estate Tech Founder: Amit Haller from Reali
Without further ado…
What do you do?
As CEO of Reali, I’m the number one salesman of the company. I sell all day long. I sell our product and value to our customers, ideas to my team, our vision to our investors, and opportunities to our partners. Our business is growing exponentially. As we expand, it’s my responsibility to make sure that we choose markets that are the best fit for our business while maximizing efficiencies. All while empowering my team to offer the best experience possible to our customers and embracing new technologies.
What problem does your product/service solve?
Reali makes it easy for customers to buy and sell a home using our app technology. With fully licensed Reali Experts working behind the scenes, we guide home buyers and sellers through the entire real estate process, and we do it for a flat fee. Leveraging technology, we have put thousands of dollars back into the hands of buyers and sellers. Reali’s flat fee model for both buyers and sellers replaces the costly and inefficient commission model used in real estate transactions today.
What are you most excited about right now?
What I’m most excited about is seeing our customers fully-aligned with our vision and willing to be part of a changing real estate industry. We’re working on a new product offering that will use AI to provide our customers with pricing insights in ways that haven’t been seen in the real estate industry.
What’s next for you?
Reali is focused on helping home buyers and sellers keep more money in their pocket and reducing anxiety when it comes to real estate transactions. We currently serve the Bay Area and Sacramento and we are expanding our footprint. It’s my job to help us get there. In the second half of 2018, I’ll be laser-focused on company growth and working with our team of engineers and Reali Experts to keep innovating the real estate space. I can’t think of a better job than that!
What’s a cause you’re passionate about and why?
I really care about animals and causes related to animal welfare. My dog Lulu is a rescue, and I hope to adopt another pet this year. I also enjoy traveling and recently returned from Tanzania, Africa where I spent time learning about animal wildlife and protection.
Thanks to Amit for sharing his story. If you’d like to connect, find him on LinkedIn here.
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Smart Digital Cities: Digitizing Seattle, Helsinki, Copenhagen, Stockholm & Oslo
Greg Howes (a Geek Estate Mastermind founding member) organized a “Smart Digital Cities” meetup here in Seattle a couple weeks ago that I attended. Below is the full video of the presentations:
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Charlie Morton’s Saturday Carving Station
The Houston Astros are turds – but I like Chuck Morton. Guy has transformed from a groundball pitcher to an absolute monster; keeping my fantasy team in my big money league in things. He struck out 14 Texas Rangers on Saturday, a career high total.
Cheatin’ Charlie is on fire!
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Saturday, May 12, 2018
Dodgers Lose Third Straight to Hapless Reds
It would be like Groundhog Day, only each day is a little worse than the day before. The Dodgers squandered a great start from Ross Stripling, and managed to lose in embarrassing fashion to the Reds. The win marks the first time in over a year that Cincinnati has won five games in a row. It was Homer Bailey’s first victory in nine tries this season.
Cody Bellinger hit his fifth home run of the season to give Los Angeles a 1-0 lead.
It ended up being a really tough night for Bellinger who not only went 1 for 5, but bunted back to the pitcher for an out in the ninth inning in a 3-0 count. Instead of the talk being him coming out of his slump, his manager had qualms with him to the press after the game.
Back to Stripling – he couldn’t have been more excellent for 5 and 1/3 innings. He struck out a career-high seven, walked no one; and was lifted for J.T. Chargois after giving up a hit through the shift, one hitter after striking out Joey Votto on a vicious curveball.
Two hitters later, Scott Schebler homered to left field; and the Reds led 4-3. From there, the Dodgers wouldn’t lead again despite a few idle threats.
This one feels like it’s on Dave Roberts, and it gets overshadowed a bit because of Bellinger’s gaffe in the ninth. That’s unfortunate.
It sucks because during times like this, the fans want the players blood. They don’t want to be positive about anything – and they’re mostly not objective about anyone. It’s a trying time to be pulling for the Dodgers – a proud franchise that honored the 1988 team before the game.
It should have been a banner night that broke the losing streak. Instead, the Dodgers come back at home tomorrow; some 8 games back of Arizona, and try to avoid getting swept by the friggin’ loser Cincinnati Reds. Unbelievable.
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When You Thought I Wasn’t Looking
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Your Saturday Baseball Post
It’s Saturday, and it feels like summer. Most of the landscaping is done. We missed the Dodgers/Reds game last night, because for the first time in ages we were asleep by 9 PM.
It’s also Mother’s Day Weekend. So call your mom this weekend and tell her you love her. As a dad, when your wife is a mother, it’s truly an all-weekend thing. It’s not good enough to just honor them on Sunday. You better be prepared for a triple-header. So, I have my kids right now and it seems like it’s going to be a week of me digging my feet into the batters box of life.
It’s truly the greatest day of the week, and the best sport on earth has a full slate going.
Today’s 1980’s song of the week that should be played on a ballpark loudspeaker nearest you is Tarzan Boy. It’s a special one, by Baltimora. First big hit of my life that came during travel baseball – this song played before I stepped to the plate. Then bang! My “career” started. The rest is literally history.
So go and enjoy your Saturday. You are blessed! Thank you for your continued support of Diamond Hoggers.
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