AND NOW…

from Paulo Coelho http://bit.ly/2CIGJxB

30 SEC READ: Success

Success comes to those who do not waste time comparing what they are doing with what others are doing; it enters the house of the person who says every day: ‘I will do my best.’ People who seek only success rarely find it, because success is not an end in itself, but a consequence. Obsession […]

from Paulo Coelho http://bit.ly/2RpmLjJ

Changes

Think of the lizard. It spends most of its life on the ground, envying the birds and indignant at its fate and its shape. “I am the most disliked of all the creatures,” it thinks. “Ugly, repulsive, and condemned to crawl along the ground.” One day, though, Mother Nature asks the lizard to make a […]

from Paulo Coelho http://bit.ly/2EStsnJ

3 Last Minute Christmas Decorations for Your Home

Were you too busy shopping for gifts that, now, you don’t have enough time to decorate your home to your satisfaction? Add some last minute touches that will surely liven up the Christmas spirit in your home using the following tips:

Photo by Anita Jankovic on Unsplash

Holly Napkin Holders
Dress up the dinner table with napkin holders made from felt holly leaves and a jingle bell.

To make, photocopy our template, and cut out. Trace onto felt; cut out shape. Fold each leaf in half lengthwise, then steam with an iron to create creases. Thread a jingle bell onto the middle of decorative cording. Tie cord around base of leaves, positioning leaves at bell; knot. Tie cord behind folded napkin. Source: MarthaStewart

Fairy Lights
‘Fairy lights are not just for your Christmas tree. You can use this lighting to give the different rooms of your home, such as your conservatory or living room, a Christmas twinkle. Create a beautiful contrast with the wintry world outside by festooning festive white fairy lights around your home. For a simple, chic touch, bunch together some fairy lights in a vase, or wrap them around a picture frame or mirror.’ – Anglian Home Improvement Source: HouseBeautiful

Christmas Trinkets
All you need to add Christmas sparkle in your home is some baubles and bells from your nearest store, strewn around the house! Its Christmas time and quite certainly you will find Christmas tree decorations in those ubiquitous general stores that lace your pavement. Pick a few in silver and gold, add a red ribbon and tie them to your mirrors, kitchen rack, coat hangers, or attach it with a magnet on the fridge. You can use a variety of ribbons (and create double bows too) or use a single colour to unify the display. Source: HuffingtonPost

Don’t forget to give your home some love, too! Stop delaying that much-needed repair. Call us today!

 

Contact:
Kerrisdale Roofing & Drains
8279 Ross St, Vancouver, BC V5X 4W1
(604) 360-2114

from Kerrisdale RD http://bit.ly/2AgM5P6

44 Paulo Coelho Quotes On Love, Life, And Friendship

  #1 “There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.” #2 “Everyone seems to have a clear idea of how other people should lead their lives, but none about his or her own.” #3 “Don’t waste your time with explanations: people only hear what they want to […]

from Paulo Coelho http://bit.ly/2Tczcwn

Christmas Tale : The music coming from the house

  On Christmas Eve, the king invited the prime minister to join him for their usual walk together. He enjoyed seeing the decorations in the streets, but since he didn’t want his subjects to spend too much money on these just to please him, the two men always disguised themselves as traders from some far […]

from Paulo Coelho http://bit.ly/2EL5prJ

Meet the Real Estate Tech Exec: Prem Khatri at Chetu

In our latest real estate tech executive interview, we’re speaking with Prem Khatri at Chetu.

Without further ado…

What do you do?

Chetu is a custom software development company, servicing a myriad of industries across the IT spectrum for the past 18 years. These industries range from real estate to gaming, with things like payments, healthcare, and retail falling in between. The solutions we provide are as diverse as the industries we tend to.

The operations team is very much the engine of the company, propelling this company in new directions, challenging our current boundaries, while maintaining the reliability our customers have come to expect.

As Vice President of Operations, I ensure this engine is running harmoniously, taking all the steps necessary to keep the machine well-oiled and healthy. At the moment, this undertaking includes a staff of 1,400, each of whom is an indispensable part of the whole.

As for me, my role requires me to zoom in on day-to-day, moment-to-moment exchanges, while zooming out to understand how the micro plays to the macro. This is how we formulate strategies and instrument benchmarks to judge our progress by; when there is disconnect between the micro and the macro settings, I know it’s time to pivot and evolve our processes.

We believe process propagates success, and where you find success you replicate the process. At Chetu, we have developed processes for nearly every department within our ecosystem, establishing a heightened standard for the entire team to meet.

And for us, it has been widely successful, instigating exponential company growth year over year.

What problem does your product/service solve?

I could in fewer words articulate the problems Chetu has not solved. Our clients come to us with their technical hurdles and we solve them, and therefore it’s difficult to boil it down to just one or two problem areas we tackle (impossible actually). Generally, we accommodate staffing needs, allowing clients to segment a project between us and their internal team. Anything from custom software development, integrations, implementations, and taking a partner software and rounding the edges a bit to make it fit perfectly within the client’s ecosystem.

In terms of the real estate and lending fields, we have historically focused on facilities management, HOA management, IDX, MLS, property management, RETS, real estate valuation engines, and on top of the real estate niche services, we have had many clients come to us for web portal development, a platform to display their listings from and a repository for active and inactive properties.

Chetu’s selling point is our industry expertise. Although we have software engineers who preform application maintenance, backup and disaster recoveries, custom app development, infrastructure support, quality assurance, system integrations, we have engineers who carry out these services for a particular vertical. Each vertical contains its own set of software engineers fluent in the latest coding trends and industry compliance standards.

If we were to backtrack, and address this question head-on, I would say Chetu is the bridge between where clients are and where they would like to be, the bridge consisting of a scalable, intuitive solution that stretches if the gap were ever to widen. Chetu’s solutions evolve alongside our clients.

What are you most excited about right now?

Blockchain. To think that less than a year ago we were limiting blockchain to digital coinage, and now it has bled into industries across the board—I am eager to watch blockchain dismantle the silos it was initially bound within to leave its mark in unconventional ways. This decentralized ledger has the capacity to revolutionize exchanges of all kinds, even within the real estate industry.

Smart contracts will truly change how players within the real estate community negotiate by eliminating the need for immediataries. Blockchain provides a common, transparent platform for offers to take place, an environment highly sought after in a time of growing interconnectivity. I think moving forward, any technology that gives way to a heightened level of data integrity will be progressively disruptive to the operational structures we are beginning to outgrow.

Under the same umbrella of next generation technologies, I am extremely excited to see where automation takes us, RPA in particular. These past ten years have been all about big data, and we are certainly excavating data at an alarming rate, as system dialogues forged through the internet of things open new data streams. Our next major roadblock will be finding the means to apply data funneling in at such high volumes. This is where RPA comes in, formulating outputs through a predefined narrative of input/output relationships.

We have many blockchain and RPA projects in the works already, and we are receiving new inquiries about these technologies everyday. I’m sure we will see a far greater adoption rate in the next few years as next generation technologies transition into a marketplace imperative.

What’s next for you?

Chetu has had international clients for over a decade, but this year we are working to penetrate our Latin America market, catering to native-Spanish speakers by distributing all of our sales and marketing collateral in Spanish as well.

Communication is our number-one priority, employing a transparent, open lines of communication between developers, directors, sales team members, and clients at all times. Hence, our website will be accessible in various languages to accommodate a broader market as well as bringing on multi-lingual operations and sales personnel.

Offering our services in languages apart from English will certainly take our communication model to the next level.

What’s a cause you’re passionate about and why?

Chetu is remarkable in that most of the individuals in the highest positions, has incredibly humble beginnings—we’ve all begun as developers and built ourselves from the ground up, so I’m passionate about guiding others through a similar journey and encouraging young minds to think outside their current circumstances, toward a bigger picture.

I believe we need to cultivate this entrepreneurial spirit from the very beginning, instilling a go-getter attitude, and this begins in the classroom. Along with several other members at Chetu, we have begun STEM outreach, partnering with our local school system in Florida to inspire children to reach beyond themselves toward something greater.

So I guess you can say I’m passionate about two things: education and the progression of technology. Fortunately, I’ve had the opportunity to marry the two into an awesome program for our community that gives schoolchildren who have already expressed an interest in technological entrepreneurialism a glimpse into the future.

Thanks to Prem for sharing his story. If you’d like to connect, find him on LinkedIn here.

We’re constantly looking for great real estate tech entrepreneurs to feature. If that’s you, please read this post — then drop me a line (drew @ geekestatelabs dot com).

The post Meet the Real Estate Tech Exec: Prem Khatri at Chetu appeared first on GeekEstate Blog.

from GeekEstate Blog http://bit.ly/2EELycS

Christmas Stories

Amazon     iBooks Amazon     iBooks Amazon     iBooks Amazon     iBooks Amazon     iBooks

from Paulo Coelho http://bit.ly/2QI2nL4

3 Must-Do Tips on Protecting Your Deck This Winter

The view of a winter wonderland is a sight to behold. But, if you don’t properly maintain your home, especially the parts exposed to the harsh weather, it might lead to damage. Prevent this from happening by following these tips:

 Photo by Camylla Battani on Unsplash

Keep the deck clean
Ground-in dirt and barbecue stains can ruin your deck’s appearance and ultimately cause degrading of the wood. Exposure to sun can cause wood to turn gray and exposure to moisture can create the perfect conditions for the growth of mold, mildew, moss and algae. All these conditions make it important to clean your deck thoroughly to remove the remnants of summer and get it ready for winter.

Use a bleach-free cleaner specifically formulated for wood to restore your deck to its natural beauty without yellowing. Cleaners like JOMAX Deck Wash loosen and lift dirt, and they remove gray, weathered wood and stains from mold and mildew to prepare the deck for a new protective coating. Just attach the applicator to an ordinary garden hose and spray.

If your stained or painted deck has seen better days, consider stripping any faded or deteriorating finish prior to applying a water-repellent sealer or stain. Source: HGTV

Protect the deck from snow
Plunging temperatures aren’t the only things that will put a damper on an outdoor gathering. Snow and ice can do a number on your deck’s surfaces, and contribute to cracking, splitting, or warping. If it’s too late to put down a water-repellent protective finish, you can still help your deck by removing snow properly. Instead of shoveling, use a sturdy broom to sweep away any accumulation: that will keep you from scoring gouges or scratches into the wood. If you find you must shovel, though, make sure to move parallel with the boards’ lengths instead of going across. This, along with the perfect heater and some cheerful, freeze-proof decor, will keep you happily sipping cider until spring. Source: Homes

Hide your furniture
Don’t leave your outdoor furniture out all winter unless you’ve been dying for an excuse to get a new set in the spring. Give it a good cleaning, and then store it in a garage, basement, or shed.

This applies to plant containers as well, especially ceramic ones. If you leave them outside all winter, they will crack. Empty them and move them to a garage or storage shed. If you have plants in them and want to bring them inside, make sure you check for pests first. Source: BuildDirect

Have a worry-free holiday by letting us take care of your winter home improvements. Give us a call anytime!

 

Contact:
Kerrisdale Roofing & Drains
8279 Ross St, Vancouver, BC V5X 4W1
(604) 360-2114

from Kerrisdale RD http://bit.ly/2AbqU0H

Colwood Corners by Onni in Victoria

Colwood Corners by Onni Group is a new 5 storey condo development located in Victoria, BC. This project will offer 284 units. Upon completion, Colwood Corners has the potential to provide 125,000 square feet of retail as well as multi-family residential.

The post Colwood Corners by Onni in Victoria appeared first on Vancouver New Condos.

from Projects – Vancouver New Condos https://ift.tt/2A5mWqs

Geek Estate Offer: 10% Off GeoCV DIY until Jan 31

[Editor’s Note: Geek Estate Offers are special offers members of the Geek Estate Mastermind]

GeoCV is happy to invite you to the closed beta of their Do-It-Yourself solution for capturing and visualizing real estate spaces in 3D+360°.

How it works

They provide your representative or preferred photographer their hardware, software and training so they could film listings by themselves and automatically get 3D tours and floor plans.

Camera: GeoCV provides the whole setup including the smartphone (we can’t support your phones yet), you will only need a tripod extra.

Software: Scan via an easy-to-use mobile app. One-button upload to our cloud, processing is done automatically. Edit 3D tour in web dashboard, add info and tags. Share and distribute 3D tour via a link, embed on your website. Receive floor plan with dimensions as a file.

Training: Remote anywhere or in-person in NYC. Takes 30-60 minutes. No special skills required.

Video demo:

Interested?

Email Jonathan Klein to Learn More

The post Geek Estate Offer: 10% Off GeoCV DIY until Jan 31 appeared first on GeekEstate Blog.

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Fantastic Code Snippets for Trying Popular Gooey Effect

The gooey effect is one of those features that is able to separate the interface from the mass of projects with crude boxy aesthetics and standard solutions. Though of...

The post Fantastic Code Snippets for Trying Popular Gooey Effect appeared first on Onextrapixel.

from Onextrapixel https://ift.tt/2GyAroh

I’m not mad

Drawing is the honesty of the art. There is no possibility of cheating. It is either good or bad. Have no fear of perfection-you’ll never reach it. Mistakes are almost always of a sacred nature. Never try to correct them. On the contrary: rationalize them, understand them thoroughly. The first man to compare the cheeks […]

from Paulo Coelho https://ift.tt/2QGzQpm

A Peek Behind the Compass Curtain

As you know, Compass is a company that both fascinates and confuses me. This weekend, I watched an hour long video from their all-hands gathering in Los Angeles a few weeks ago. It’s a great look into the company and thought it worth sharing.

A few top of mind thoughts (my deeper thoughts are in the Mastermind):

• Compass Cares upped the giving bar for the entire industry, and this week announced Chloe Drew will manage the program as President, Philanthropy and Community Impact. There’s nothing but good that can/will come from that in my book. I wrote a longer article on this as a Weekly Transmission for members of the Mastermind.
• There is no question they understand branding, presentation and aspiration/inspiration better than anyone.
• The Compass Card and its associated line of credit is a smart strategic move.

I’d love to hear from agents/brokers as to what you think, particularly those who have seriously considered switching to Compass.

The post A Peek Behind the Compass Curtain appeared first on GeekEstate Blog.

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2019 Design Forecast: What's In, What's Out

As we flip to the last pages of our 2018 calendar, it’s time to look at interior design trends on the rise - and say goodbye to those on their way out in 2019.

Here are our predictions about what’s in and what’s out in the year to come.

What’s in

Warm modernism

It’s official - many regions throughout the U.S. are choosing a modern aesthetic over a rustic style.

While black-and-white contrast and raw materials like steel and wood will continue to be popular, they’ll be softened by color and asymmetry. These modern elements will have a fresh approachability when surrounded by sun-soaked fabrics and natural wallcoverings.

Effortless technology and transformations

Talk-to-me tech products help you get things done with your voice, and homeowners are using them to modernize their daily routine.

In 2019 you’ll see smart faucets, fans, window coverings and appliances paired with popular platforms - Google Home, Amazon Alexa and Apple HomePod - for a convenient, connected home.

Additionally, products that offer easy installation and seamless integration into existing layouts make projects remodel-friendly. Innovative sinks, faucets, medicine cabinets, appliances and lighting provide a quick transformation to refresh the style and functionality of your space.

Om sweet home

Though talk-to-me tech is trending, some will be looking for ways to escape the chatter.

Meditative and sound-barrier features will appear in more homes this year - think transformative experiences using acoustic panels, colored lights and aura effects. Ethereal, sheer and translucent fabrics will support the aesthetic, pairing an organic feel with the benefits and convenience of select technology.

Industrial style

Concrete, quartz and metal lovers, rejoice! Industrial styles are predicted to rise in popularity in 2019.

Matte black and bronze continue to dominate and complement a more industrial vibe. But when selecting wall colors, appliances, faucet finishes and fabrics, consider the possibilities of moody blues and the gray color spectrum. From warm light grays to the coolness of matte black, these tones add a subtle layer of intrigue and distinction.

Plus, black and charcoal gray front doors could earn up to $6,271 more when selling your home!

Organic maker accents

Handmade details can immediately soften an interior. This year you’ll see rhythmic patterns and imperfect lines incorporated through hand-painting, stitching and detailing, expanding the possibilities for endless mixing and matching in the home. Additionally, fabrics and accents with strands of crystal, wooden and pearlescent beads present a sophisticated flair for artful detail.

Home decor favorites will still include earthy elements and nubby textures. Think neutral naturals by simply adding a wooden side table and sculpture, live and fake plants for color, and natural fibers through rugs and fabrics.

What’s out

Rustic

Is America finally over the “Fixer Upper” movement? Not quite, but the rustic, farmhouse-chic elements are getting refined.

The shiplap-crazy trend seems to be leaning toward a modern twist, simplifying layers of the look. Cutesy barn doors will take a backseat to more modern versions featuring glass and metal instead of reclaimed barn wood.

The signature statement range hood covered in rustic materials will swing to simplified finishes, like brushed brass, stainless and matte black. Lastly, the harsh light of the Edison bulb will move to a more complementary glow, reflecting concealed bulbs versus exposed ones.

Millennial pink

Bold, trendy color schemes are likely on the way out, with more subtle earth tones and cool, classic palettes on the rise.

Blues and neutrals continue to top Zillow trend reports, adding higher dollar values related to home sales when used in kitchen and bathroom areas. While millennial pink may have been all the rage on designer Instagram feeds, people don’t actually want to live with it throughout their homes.

Whether trends inspire you or not, it’s important to be aware of them, because they help shape our own personal interior style. If you love purple gingham in your dining room, go for it. If an all-white interior speaks to you, celebrate it.

Our homes are where we express ourselves and tell our unique style story, so I encourage you to do just that in the new year.

Related:

• 3 Design Tricks That Will Make Your Small Space Feel Big
• Quiz: What Type of Bar Should You Build in Your Home?
• A Park Slope Townhome That Went From ‘Mess’ to Masterpiece

from Zillow Porchlight https://ift.tt/2EsVTIB

[Note from editor: We publish a Weekly Transmission for Geek Estate Mastermind members that consists of long form articles covering the spectrum from shipping container co-living spaces to the battle for listing acquisition in the first iBuyer world war. Below is a sample Transmission.]

Certainty as a Service

BY GREG FISCHER
Originally Published: August 29th, 2018

As Opendoor and Zillow compete on certainty centered services, others may benefit from competing from the other side of the same coin by unbundling and compressing the market.

It’s possible the iBuyer label is too narrow to describe the emerging market associated with the onset of certainty as a service. While iBuyers comprise a segment of overlapping functions within the certainty domain, entire categories (such as rentals) are yet untouched by the concept in a significant way.

There are geographical markets, and price ranges the iBuyer model won’t work for today, where alternative services might be able to provide certainty-centered outcomes for consumers where iBuyers cannot.

Moreover, in markets where the iBuyer model is growing in popularity (Phoenix, Las Vegas, Atlanta), is an even more pressing incentive to unbundle certainty’s components. There’s an opportunity to sell into the new consumer disposition that corporations are spending millions to cultivate, but which they can’t yet serve at scale.

At first glance, it seems like investor offers are one broad product category providing certainty to home sellers by activating cash offers to purchase the home on a defined timeline.

Upon further investigation, investor offers is a marketplace of services that provide varying degrees of certainty across the transaction timeline more than any one action stands on its own.

LAY OF THE LAND

When reverse engineering the components that add up to a sum of certainty that Opendoor and Zillow are selling into the marketplace, I’d posit they revolve around a few core concepts; inspect, warrant, cash, carry, and float, which make up the ecosystem of certainty as a service (CaaS).

So while there are a few startups already specializing in some of these categories, the most efficient channel to sell services through is a brokerage. If audience is the golden egg of startup growth, then top producing brokers are playing with a stacked deck and just don’t know it yet.

With real estate practitioners spending so much time defending the status quo, it shouldn’t be a surprise they can’t see how easy it’d be for them to distribute certainty-based experiences to consumers if only their values and compensation were aligned with the kind of results those services produce.

Picking a fight over Zillow Offers might get a few likes from other agents online, but is challenging the notion of certainty in anybody’s best interest? Brokers should feel comfortable defending the traditional model, but not at the expense of new ones that are working too.

Not only are operators best positioned to unbundle the components of certainty, it’s not a stretch of the imagination to think they might be able to provide better results than all-in-one solutions can by anchoring certainty around what they do best; traditional sales, and bundling additional services as they enter the larger certainty ecosystem from the other side.

Here’s a closer look at the concepts driving certainty as a service, how iBuyers are addressing them, which startups are attacking the space, and what brokers might do to get in the game.

Inspect
to view closely in critical appraisal: look over

Example: Buyers purchase inspections after negotiating the sale, without knowing much about the material condition of the home or any of its systems before committing to buy it.

Future: Buyers see inspections, maintenance, and parts inventory before submitting an offer.

iBuyers: Zillow is actively prototyping experiences that induce homeowners to upload home inspections to their listing detail page, promising better visibility and more upside in a sale. It’s logical to think they’ll provide inspections on their own listings at some point.

Brokers: If Zillow promises better visibility for listings with inspections and more upside in a sale, why don’t brokers mandate that all listings come with a home inspection as a feature of their sales model?

Warrant
a writing that authorizes a person to pay or deliver to another and the other to receive money or other consideration

Example: Sellers rarely have a home warranty in place during the listing period, and buyers infrequently purchase or receive the product upon closing.

Future: Every party to a real estate transaction gets complimentary warranty coverage.

iBuyers: Opendoor offers a 30-day satisfaction guarantee allowing homebuyers to return their house to the company if they’re unhappy with the purchase, taking the idea of a warranty to a whole new level. New home builders provide warranties because its the law.

Brokers: If Opendoor and new home builders are providing warranties on every home they sell, what’s preventing brokers from attaching a one year warranty to every single house they sell? I do.

Cash
ready money

Example: Sellers enter negotiations without knowing how strong the loan application is going to be while buyers hang their hopes and dreams on an institutional backing.

Future: Every transaction side will have access to cash-like instruments as needed.

iBuyers: It’s quite apparent how Opendoor and Zillow leverage cash to make offers and remove a significant barrier to closing right out of the gate. The liquidity of this cash allows them to make minor repairs and upgrades to the home which helps it sell faster the next time around.

Brokers: If iBuyers use cash to make upgrades to the home and sell it faster than it would have before they got involved, couldn’t brokers use cash to make updates and unlock mobility for the seller without having to buy the entire house? Ribbon is one clue.

Carry
to keep on one’s books as a debtor

Example: The market traps aspirational buyers during any given year their circumstances don’t position them to buy.

Future: Buyers can lock in a position on properties they’ll purchase at a later date.

iBuyers: Zillow nor Opendoor provide this outcome in a very intentional way, but unlock its benefits the more they allow potential buyers to control rehab particulars or liquidate sellers and lease homes back to them to optimize logistics and seasonal market advantages.

Brokers: It’s not unreasonable to expect that brokers understand the market better than any algorithm does, and might benefit from holding rentals for transitional buyers as a strategy to increase capture rates and provide agreeable returns to investor clients. Divvy is another clue.

Float
the time between a transaction and the actual withdrawal of funds to cover it

Example: Transitional sellers are weighed down by the expenses of moving and make unnecessary compromises.

Future: Sellers can get access to capital for repairs or to secure the next property.

iBuyers: Opendoor and Zillow could provide this outcome over time as they develop in-house lending solutions that unlock creative approaches to removing roadblocks for even more potential customers than they already serve.

Brokers: If sellers are willing to gamble thousands of dollars on brokers, why aren’t brokers willing to bet the inverse? If iBuyers created a brand new business category to optimize listing acquisitions, why aren’t brokers spending in parallel? Felix might have the answers.

CERTAINTY THIS IS THE END AND THE BEGINNING
As soon as brokers stop battling over which overpriced and obsolete software stack is going to attract the most agents to their firm and instead start competing over which certainty-centered services will attract the most consumers to their firm, we’ll be entering quite exciting times.

As brokers double and triple down on outbound advertising models like predictive analytics and home value landing pages, iBuyers and other startups are doubling and tripling down on inbound strategies like providing transparency and increasing mobility.

Certainty isn’t a zero-sum game. If iBuyers have enough data to guarantee what they’ll buy a home for, then brokers should have enough data to promise what they can sell one for too. The opportunity at hand is to redefine and enhance how houses get listed in the retail segment, not to eliminate the channel altogether.

---

GEEK ESTATE MASTERMIND BRIEFING

A PRIVATE GROUP OF INDEPENDENT THINKERS, FREE FROM SPONSORED MESSAGES, SALES PITCHES AND NOISE

There are four parts to membership:

• Long form articles covering the spectrum from shipping container co-living spaces to the battle for listing acquisition in the first iBuyer world war (Weekly Transmission).
• Curated real estate, startups, & built world links & analysis blended with out of the box ideas (Weekly Radar).
• Special reports (our first is a category review of Small Landlord Prop Mgmt Software).
• Networking opportunities with 145+ innovators from across the globe through the private forum & in-person gatherings.

Membership is $97 / quarter

OUR MEMBERS PROMISE

• We deliver an exclusive, objective lens into the trends, companies, people, and ideas shaping real estate technology with thought-provoking analysis and conversations that keep you inspired every week.
• We help you make better, more well-informed decisions to help grow and support people and companies making a difference in real estate.
• We enable discovery and meeting others with shared interests online and in person (whether they live near you or are traveling to the same conference).

We’re looking for the best and brightest founders, operators, innovators, & investors in the industry…

READY TO JOIN RIGHT NOW?

Apply for Membership

To receive the Monthly Transmission & Radar going forward, please ensure “Receive Monthly Radar/Transmission” is set to YES in your email settings. The full versions will NOT be posted on the blog in future months.

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The post Certainty as a Service appeared first on GeekEstate Blog.

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Geek Estate Offer: 30 Days Free + Name Your Price Forever for 5 Syndafeed Brokerage Customers

[Editor’s Note: Geek Estate Offers are special offers members of the Geek Estate Mastermind]

Syndafeed is a syndication service that accepts manual input (new feature), by RETS download from the MLS, or by XML feed file, and provides delivery to all publisher locations with full visual error and progress reporting. They provide sold data to Zillow and are able to fully manage “Coming Soon” listings.

They are seeking 5 qualified brokers as customers for their new manual input service and are offering to waive all fees for for 30 days (normally $50 / month). After 30 days, those customers can name their own monthly flat-fee price to continue using the service. Other than $0, there is no minimum price limit. There is no contract obligation.

Would prefer smaller brokerages (20-50 listings) whose agents don’t like what they are getting now. If the broker has 200 listings or more, a direct broker feed to Zillow/Trulia will be provided.

Interested in being one of the 5 brokers?

Email Bud Hovell to claim your spot

The post Geek Estate Offer: 30 Days Free + Name Your Price Forever for 5 Syndafeed Brokerage Customers appeared first on GeekEstate Blog.

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Meet the Real Estate Tech Founder: Steve Johnston from Ideal Agent

In our latest real estate tech entrepreneur interview, we’re speaking with Steve Johnston, the founder and CEO of Ideal Agent. We’re thrilled to have him as a recent addition to the Geek Estate Mastermind.

Without further ado…

What do you do?

Ideal Agent is a pro-agent consumer-focused home selling platform.  We match home sellers with top-rated full-service local agents, whom in most cases are in the top 1% in their market if not, nationwide. Sellers experience better sales results and a smoother transaction with our agents because they are highly experienced and deliver 5-Star service at a fair commission as low as 2%. Agents love our high-quality listing referrals because we don’t waste their time competing against other agents and there’s no upfront or monthly fees.

What problem does your product/service solve?

Ideal Agent solves long-standing problems facing the residential real estate industry; high commissions, bad service and notoriously bad leads.

Discount brokerages historically have never gained any meaningful market share. The reason, the residential real estate industry was built on a cooperation model between the listing agent and buyer’s agent. Discount brokers often disparage traditional real estate agents, making fun of them in their ads and more pointedly their effortless work along with the ridiculously high commissions. This causes resentment and breaks the harmony of the cooperation model. Some/many agents won’t show discount brokerage homes. So, this hurts the consumer. The more buyers that participate, the more potential the seller has in selling for the highest amount in the shortest amount of time. We solved this problem. Our platform provides you with a top agent who is well respected by their peers at a fair commission. Our listings don’t get blacklisted and our sellers experience superior service and results.

We are building a platform where you simply inquire to sell your home and we connected you with one of the best agents in town at a fair commission.

What are you most excited about right now?

We are experiencing amazing interest right now and we continue to bring on the highest caliber of agents across the nation to handle our referrals. I’m most excited about our plans to grow our team and technology. We talk to sellers and agents every day and there’s nothing more gratifying than to hear their success stories and appreciation for what we are doing. We spent a ton of time figuring out what works and what doesn’t. If you look at our client reviews and agent results you can see that the foundation of the service is solid and it’s now time to scale.

What’s next for you?

To this point, we’ve been privately funded and we’re now seeking an investment partner that shares our vision to exponentially scale the Ideal Agent platform. Residential real estate is the primary focus at the moment, however there are multiple verticals to expand our platform in the near future. We have a title company in Florida, a property insurance company on the way, and a lending company will follow in short order.

What’s a cause you’re passionate about and why?

I really enjoy mentoring start-ups in Tampa Bay. Tampa is a great place to live, work and play. It’s coming into its own on the start-up scene more recently and the growth of our downtown is amazing. Any chance I can advise new or young entrepreneurs not to make the same mistakes I’ve made in the past is rewarding and helps our community when they succeed.

Thanks to Steve for sharing his story. If you’d like to connect, find him on LinkedIn here.

We’re constantly looking for great real estate tech entrepreneurs to feature. If that’s you, please read this post — then drop me a line (drew @ geekestatelabs dot com).

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How to Use Google’s SMTP Server to Send Emails for Free

Google’s SMTP server is a free service that you can use to send emails from your custom domain, website, or web application. SMTP stands for Simple Mail Transfer Protocol....

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$100 000 for the Best Blockchain Application for Real Estate

There are a wide range of blockchain real estate opportunities worth chasing.

For those entrepreneurs/hackers building blockchain technology for real estate, read on for details for a competition from CV Labs (located in the heart of the Crypto Valley in Zug, Switzerland)…

CV Competition, Europe’s leading blockchain startup competition, is announcing the worldwide call for applications for its 2019 edition with a focus on the real estate market. The winner of the startup competition will be rewarded with $100,000 cash prize money, one year of co-working space at CV Labs and expert coaching included.

Free money is always a good thing, right?

Applications are free and open until December 31st.

Apply Now

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Was CREtech NYC Worth Attending?

Taking a two hour train ride to Seattle, then a second 30 minute train to the airport, fly for 5 hours, and then ride in a Lyft for an hour into NYC is a lot of time to invest in getting to CREtech NYC.

But was it worth it?

Absolutely!

After attending CREtech, here’s my one, single biggest take away: I’m more convinced than ever that real estate (commercial and residential) is headed for a massive transition because of tech advancement.

About CREtech NYC

Over 1,000 investors, commercial brokers, tech leaders, founders, VCs, and angels came together for a full-day of insightful panel discussions and meetings. Lots of ideas were shared on stage and during one-on-ones in the different conferencing areas set up.

Of the ideas and statements I captured, not all are new or different from things you’ve read before, but these are straight from the VCs that are funding the transformation of real estate through tech.

My Notes from CREtech:

• Tools that are/will continue to emerge:
  • Are focused on one niche
  • Solve specific pain-points
  • Are easy to use
  • Are self-serving (to the user)
• Real estate tech lack top talent
• Consumers of tech are not ready for adopting all new tech
  • Creates challenge of timing new products and services
• Accelerators should be specialists and focused
  • Generalists aren’t bad, but won’t likely help companies advance as well to their next round
• Angels wants:
  • A working product (not perfect, but working)
  • Be able to test and fail fast
• Stages of funding as perceived by angels
  • Have team / idea – pre-seed
  • Validation stage – seed
  • Traction stage – Series A
• Advice to Founders
  • Along with updates, ask your angels for help & be specific
    • Finding talent
    • Getting intros to other industry leaders
• Predictions
  • Next big segments ripe for mass disruption:
    • Senior living
    • Home based healthcare
    • Affordability
    • Student housing
• 5G is going to make use & consumption of data in the Built Word far more accessible
• From JLL Spark:
  • They only invest in companies they can add strategic value. Will turn down game-changing startups if they can’t add strategic value.
• Value props of real estate tech services need to be self-evident
• Key to adoption is simplicity and ease to obtain (From the panel, “Investors want/need tech to have this”)
• Build vs. Buy
  • Common is to buy vs build because of pressure to scale, but often buying doesn’t meet business structure or goals
• Things to consider with broker tools
  • Should enable to broker to deliver better level of service
  • It’s still a people business, so focus should enable for people to do business together
• Why Real Estate and Why Now?
  • Softbank representative – based on trends from last 5 years, business is big enough to warrant the size of funds they are committing
  • Talent has helped propel product, now capital is following
  • “No other choice” in regards to what vertical remain for disruption
  • Companies mentioned as disruptors include Ribbon, Compass, Opendoor
  • Companies most exciting to VCs are, “making processes frictionless”
• VCs want to see more
  • Data plays, monetizing data
  • Access to investment opportunities
  • Reduce friction in transactions
  • Reduce the needs for intermediaries
• Big “Obvious” opportunities includes
  • Title insurance
    • “Blockchain could be the solution”
    • And then someone said, “AI is much closer to making impact than Blockchain”  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
• Leading Venture Capitalists Talk
  • 10-15 years there will be no discernible difference between real estate and tech companies
  • China is where opportunity will be in 10-15 years
  • US may be leading proptech overall, but lots of very interesting products overseas that could pass US in distinct categories
  • Fintech and Proptech are bleeding so much together, some VCs are no longer making distinctions
  • Student housing, senior living, multi-family, & SFH all have different operations and require different levels of service
  • View failure as a datapoint (when asked about RealtyShares)
  • Exciting Categories include:
    • Internet of Things
    • Apartment Buildings
  • Commercial appraisal software mentioned as ripe for disruption
  • Opendoor talked about quite a bit

CREtech NYC was exciting and overwhelming. CREtech announced event locations and cities for 2019. I’ll likely be attending at least one–if not all.

• LA – March 28-29
• Boston – April 11
• NYC – October 16-17
• Seattle – Not announced but come on, let’s make that happen!

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3 Ways to Improve Your Home’s Insulation

Winter would be perfect if only we didn’t have to spend so much on heating. That’s why we’ve come up with this list, so you can have a warmer winter without worrying about your bill. Take a look!

Image Source: Flickr

Check the chimney
It has been calculated that over four per cent of a home’s heat is lost straight up an open chimney, but this can be easily solved by inserting a device that blocks the draught, such as the Chimney Sheep. Made of a thick layer of felt, it can be inserted up the chimney when the fireplace isn’t in use and simply removed when you want to light a fire. If the fireplace is never used, you could opt for a chimney balloon instead. Source: RealHomes

Have a professional energy audit
If you own an older home, consider a home energy audit to identify air leaks and areas where insulation may need improvement. Think of it as a physical exam for your house. An audit may include a blower door test, which uses a high-powered fan to lower the air pressure inside; the higher outside pressure then finds its way back in through unsealed openings and cracks, revealing your air leaks. A home energy audit will also examine existing insulation’s R-value, which is a measure of how well it resists heat — and cold — traveling through it. Source: Zillow

Build a dry wall
If you have some “cold wall” in your home , usually concrete wall with no or with bad insulation you can build 10–15 centimeter (3.9–5.9 in) thick dry wall to it. Process is very simple , you can choose between Ytong wall or plasterboard wall. Plasterboard wall is very simple to build and you can add very good and very cheap Glass wool into it. Glass wool is excellent insulator but you can get glass wool for soundproofing. Both kind of walls are Fire-resistant. Source: WikiHow

We still have a few months of winter left. Let us help you with your insulation problems so you can start saving on your energy bill. Call us today!

 

Contact:
Kerrisdale Roofing & Drains
8279 Ross St, Vancouver, BC V5X 4W1
(604) 360-2114

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Announcing TET Conference ‘19 on February 12th, 2019

TechEstate Today is hosting its third installment of real estate tech and innovation events – TET Conference ‘19.

TET ‘19 will feature leaders and innovators in real estate and tech to discuss and debate what the role of tech will be in moving real estate forward in 2019. There’ll be panel discussions, talks, and a keynote delivered by Dave Garland (Second Century Ventures / NAR), Mark Choey (Climb) Andrew Flachner (RealScout), Alex Tieu (Movoto), Alex Pelin (TET), Kenny Truong (Climb) to name a few!

Breakfast and lunch will be provided to all attendees. Following the event, attendees can expect a high-value opportunity to connect and network with other real estate professionals and tech leaders over complimentary beer and wine.

The event will be hosted at Broadway Studios in San Francisco on Tuesday, February 12. First 50 tickets are available at $99, then $149.

Register Here

For Press or Sponsorship Inquiries: Alex Pelin, founder of TET, alex@techestatetoday.com

[Note from Editor: Nate Smoyer from Real Team Panda, a Geek Estate Mastermind member, is helping organize the event.]

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Cedar Walk by Polygon

Cedar Walk by Polygon Homes is a new high rise condominium and townhouse development on the UBC Campus on the West Side of Vancouver near Point Grey. This project is the first high-rise on a new 21-acre masterplanned community, “Lelem”. Cedar Walk will feature 1, 2 and 3 bedroom apartments and townhomes, bringing contemporary living to the lush nature that surrounds UBC. Nearby amenities includes walking trails, a retail plaza, highly-ranked elementary and high schools, along with being located on the world-class University of British Columbia Campus.

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399 East 1st Ave by Onni Group

399 East 1st Avenue is a new two tower condominium development by Onni Group of Companies, located in the Olympic Village neighbourhood of Vancouver. The 7 and 15-storey high towers will feature 220 units ranging from one to three bedrooms.

The post 399 East 1st Ave by Onni Group appeared first on Vancouver New Condos.

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2018 Winter Meetings

10 sec reading: The weight of a cross

In a certain village in Umbria (Italy), there lived a man who was always bewailing his lot. He was a Christian, and found the weight of his cross too heavy to bear. One night, before going to sleep, he begged God to let him change his burden. That night he had a dream; the Lord […]

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Precidia in Burquitlam

Precidia by Ledingham McAllister is a new luxurious 29-storey residential tower coming to the transit-oriented neighbourhood of Burquitlam in the Tricities region. This project will feature 175 market condominiums and 75 rental apartments, ranging from one to three bedroom units. Precidia will have 13,000 sqft of amenity space, with market condo features including yoga and fitness studios, multi-purpose rooms, lounge and games rooms. This project is steps to parks, Burquitlam station, Lougheed Town Centre Mall, and a short drive to Simon Fraser University.

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Increasing Access to Safe and Affordable Roofing for Low-Income Households

Eco-Shelter is a social enterprise increasing access to safe and affordable roofing for low-income households in India.

Globally, 1.6 billion people lack access to adequate shelter; in India alone, there are more than 350 million people. A roof over your head is one of the most basic human necessities, but current roofing materials available to ultra-poor populations are expensive, hot, fragile, and can contain toxic elements such as asbestos.

Eco-Shelter set out on a mission to identify underutilized technologies, processes, and materials that could be leveraged to meet the enormous roofing challenge. The Eco-Shelter pilot project will examine social acceptance, environmental impact, and market feasibility of introducing a new, safe, and affordable roofing material to low-income households in India. We are piloting a new bamboo composite material that is strong, light-weight, and durable (25+ year lifespan), and can keep homes several degrees cooler.

I first came across them at the 2017 SVP Fast Pitch where they won the audience choice award, and it turned out the founder, Alexa Bednarz, is a friend/colleague of my good friend who works at the Gates Foundation. You can see that pitch here:

I ran across Alexa again while attending this year’s 2018 SVP Fast Pitch a few weeks ago and learned about the new crowdfunding campaign she had been working on. They are raising $55,000 to pilot their technology in India.

I encourage you to watch the video below, and support the campaign.

Support Crowdfunding Campaign

Eco-Shelter had a launch party for the campaign at Obec Brewing in Ballard last week (that I wasn’t able to attend), and I thought some readers here may be interested to learn more. As a follow up, I had the chance to ask Alexa a few questions via email.

Without further ado…

1. What led you to embark on the entrepreneurial path to create Eco-Shelter?

I was inspired to start Eco-Shelter after working several years at the Bill & Melinda Gates foundation in global health and development. I began to see themes around successful projects that achieved broad scale, and one of the underlying success factors was an underlying demand for the product or service being introduced. A challenge in international development is that most of us working in the profession don’t have the first-hand life experiences of those we wish to serve. So, I took a step back and decided that whatever venture I started would start where there was a market demand from those I wish to serve. I began reading several studies which suggested housing improvements– roofing in particular– were financial priorities for many families living in extreme poverty globally. This piqued my curiosity and the more I began to learn about roofing materials available to the ultra-poor, I realized an improved alternative could have significant health, financial, and environmental impact. Improvements in housing can lead to better health outcomes and increased productivity. Lastly, there is something very human about housing. I truly believe that as human beings we all share the desire and right to live somewhere dry, safe, and secure that we can feel proud of.

2. What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced during the journey?

What we’re trying to do hasn’t been done before, so there isn’t a step-by-step playbook on how to do it. I’ve been fortunate to get great feedback and advice from subject matter experts, investors, and other entrepreneurs, but sometimes the advice is conflicting and doesn’t take into account all of the factors. Learning to take pieces of information and put them together into a road map is a skill but ultimately it comes down to trusting your own judgment. As a foreigner doing work in India, I’ve known that I need a team of people who understand the local context to tackle this challenge and we’ve begun building a team of field coordinators and partner with grassroots organizations in India, but recruiting for the right skill sets and expertise can be very challenging.

3. What impact will Eco Shelter’s new crowd funding campaign enable/make possible?

I believe strongly in taking a Human-Centered Design approach in business to ensure your solution is meeting your customer’s needs and price-point. This is vital to achieving broad scale and uptake. Our crowdfunding campaign will allow us to expand our pilot to 25 more homes in several cities across India. We are piloting a corrugated bamboo roofing panel to assess community acceptance and willingness-to-pay while testing several models of distribution. The insights from this pilot will directly influence research and development so we know how to best optimize the product to meet customer’s needs and price point. As a social enterprise, it’s also critical that we measure our impact. The pilot will allow us to look at several impact measures such as the reduction in indoor temperature, cost-savings, and increases in productivity.

Thanks Alexa for sharing your story. Eco-Shelter has raised $23,000 of their $55,000 goal. If you’d like to support the cause, please do so below….

Support Crowdfunding Campaign

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Duet in Burquitlam

Duet by Adera is a new boutique development in the Tricities region of Burquitlam, featuring three stacked townhouse buildings. The 60 townhouses, ranging from studios to mostly 2-bedrooms brings West Coast style to West Coquitlam. With 3,383 sqft of indoor and outdoor amenity space, including a fitness centre and yoga studio. Duet features landscaped courtyards and paths, children’s play areas, large ground-oriented patios and generous rooftop decks, and supports communal activities to encourage socializing among residents. Duet is just steps from Lougheed Town Centre shopping, SFU, transit, parks, dining and more. 

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HTML/CSS Code Snippets of Illustrated 404 Pages

How many times have you stumbled upon 404 Page? Hundred, thousand, a million times? All in all, we are humans who might be smarter than a decade ago and...

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