While real estate agents chase leads and close deals on houses, there’s another level of deal-making that takes place within the real estate industry: mergers, acquisitions, integrations and partnerships.
We’ll be recapping every week’s noteworthy deals that didn’t make it into print (and some that did) for your perusal.
We missed you earlier!
October 27
Middle Tennessee Regional MLS (MTRMLS) (which does business as RealTracs Solutions) announced today that it has executed a data content license agreement with Realtors Property Resource, a wholly owned subsidiary of the National Association of Realtors, to license Realtracs Solutions data to RPR’s national property database. “RealTracs Solutions is extremely pleased that RPR is integrating MLS listing content in the RPR system, said Stuart White, RealTracs Solutions CEO and President, in a statement. “This allows Realtors to fully utilize the wealth of information found in RPR to better serve their customers and clients.”
October 28
Brokerage firm Saunders & Associates launched a new website, HamptonsRealEstate.com. “Over 90 percent of buyers start their search online. We re-imagined, re-engineered and re-designed our site to reach and further engage users with our brand promise which is to provide a higher form of realty for sellers, buyers and agents,” said Andrew Saunders, founder and president, in a statement.
This week’s deals
October 31
HomeSmart expanded its existing partnership with Zillow Group, which will offer increased listing agent exposure on HomeSmart listing pages, prominent display of the HomeSmart logo, enhanced branding and more. “HomeSmart has always been an incredibly forward-thinking organization,” said Errol Samuelson, Zillow Group chief industry relations officer, in a statement. “We are excited to support their continued success with a dedicated listings feed, enhanced branding on their listings, and reviews which will capitalize on their exceptional customer experience.”
Century 21 Canada has teamed up with RealSatisfied to provide the RealSatisfied Customer Satisfaction Platform to more than 400 franchise offices. “As an organization that is committed to delivering exceptional service, we know how important third party endorsements are to our consumers; we want them to feel as informed and comfortable as possible when choosing a Realtor and RealSatisfied makes that easier than ever,” said Jack Miller, chief technology officer, Century 21 Canada. “The level of detail that their surveys collect, gives our potential clients the insights that they want and need, while allowing our franchisees and sales representatives to continuously improve and enhance the customer experience.”
November 1
GeographicFarm launched GeoFarm Digital Enterprise, which offers GeographicFarm’s ad-optimization services to large-scale real estate operations. “We know that localized messaging and multivariate testing are the key to crafting Facebook ads that get results, but it’s always been a logistical nightmare for large-scale real estate operations to create and test limitless numbers of customized, hyper-local ads for hundreds or even thousands of agents in multiple locations in both the U.S. and Canada,” says Jeff Campbell, GeographicFarm CEO, in a statement. “We have the expertise and the technology to optimize geo-targeted Facebook campaigns for even the largest enterprise operations.”
United Real Estate Group has inked a deal with international real estate website Juwai.com to market listings from its network. “First and foremost this will be good for the homeowners who rely on us to help sell their real estate,” said Dan Duffy, CEO of United Real Estate, in a statement. “Chinese buyers are so much more important in most of our markets today than they were just a few years ago. We expect their role to be even greater again by 2020.”
Homespotter and SentriLock announced a new partnership that offers Homespotter listing details via a home’s lockbox. “Agents will no longer need to fumble between multiple applications when first entering a home,” Aaron Kardell, CEO of HomeSpotter, said in a statement. “HomeSpotter is there right when they need it, ready with quick access to the agent only listing details.”
November 2
Imprev announced a re-architecture of its Listing Automation product’s services, which the company says will allow brokerages working with listing syndicators to add advanced automation. “Until now, marketing automation services for marketing property listings have been largely limited to only the biggest brands in real estate,” said Bill Yaman, president and chief revenue officer of Imprev, in a statement. “By integrating with listing syndicators, more brokerages than ever can get immediate access to Listing Automation services to drive their expansion, deliver brand image consistency, and attract successful agents.”
The countries of Norway and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines have joined the Re/Max network with an acquisition of Re/Max Norway franchise rights and establishing rights in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
HomeSmart International announced that it has added 23 franchises year-to-date, including expanding into two new states. The newest HomeSmart franchises include locations in Arizona (Casa Grande, Chandler, Chino Valley, Show Low), California (Glendale, Rancho Bernardo, Salinas, San Bernadino, San Francisco), Florida (Orlando), Illinois (Chicago, Naperville), Indiana (Carmel, Speedway) and Nevada (Las Vegas). “Our growth is indicative of trends in the industry,” said Matt Widdows, founder and chief executive officer, in a statement. “Brokers are tired of the same old model where they’re either overpaying for lackluster services or are left out on their own to come up with solutions and technologies. That’s where HomeSmart is different and people are taking notice.”
November 3
Stirling Peak Properties in Aspen, Colorado, has joined Douglas Elliman Real Estate. “With the addition of Stirling Peak Properties, Douglas Elliman will be gaining a great book of business along with deep connections to the community, through which we can better represent the entire Aspen market. Not only that, but we will be joined by a team well-respected for their high level of integrity, professionalism and experience,” said Ed Foran, managing broker of Douglas Elliman’s Aspen market, in a statement.
JLL announced that it’s a founding industry partner of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Center for Real Estate’s new Real Estate Innovation Lab. “This synergistic partnership brings together two leading real estate organizations that share a passion for innovation,” said Ben Breslau, JLL’s managing director of research, in a statement. “We look forward to engaging with the brilliant minds at MIT to support future research and collaborate to create a better future.”
Compass opened a Cobble Hill office in Brooklyn. “With our new presence in Cobble Hill, Compass will further support the needs of our growing Brooklyn agent family and expand services for our clients,” said Patrick Brennan, sales manager of Compass’ Cobble Hill, Williamsburg, and Park Slope locations.
Re/Max LLC agreed to purchase the master franchise for the state of New Jersey from Re/Max of New Jersey, Inc. “I’m grateful for Joe [Ventresca] and Jeff [Snyder]’s contributions in building the brand and making RE/MAX the preeminent real estate franchise in New Jersey,” said Dave Liniger, CEO, chairman of the board and co-founder of Re/Max, LLC, in a statement. “We’re excited to continue growing these offices with our broker/owners by recruiting the most experienced agents in the business, making Re/Max the no. 1 choice for buyers and sellers in the state.”
Realtor.com announced the addition of U.S. listings to realtor.com/international. “The expansion of realtor.com/international reflects the increasing demand for global property information and experiences across geographic boundaries, while helping make the process simpler, easier and more personalized for consumers and professionals alike,” said Eleonore Rojas, vice president, NAR partnerships and international at realtor.com. “We are constantly working to enhance our solutions to help connect people wherever they are with properties and with the professionals to help them through their home journey.”
PlanetRE, an enterprise cloud vendor for online real estate, announced it is releasing Socialite, a platform offering branded agent and broker websites with features targeted for millennials. “We work with tech savvy buyers in the San Francisco Bay Area Market,” said John Karnay, designated broker for The Grubb Company, a Bay Area Brokerage serving luxury properties, in a statement. “The new millennial search is an instant success with our agents and will be instrumental to hire top agents.”
November 4
Realtor.com announced the launch of the Real Ambassador program, which will bring together real estate professionals who will offer insight to enhancing realtor.com for both consumers and agents/brokers. “The Real Ambassador program connects our most active users and passionate advocates more deeply with the product development and programs teams here at realtor.com,” said Suzanne Mueller, senior vice president of industry relations for Move, in a statement. “They will infuse their expertise in helping to deliver the best possible experience and facilitate the smoothest real estate processes for consumers and professionals alike.”
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