Alpaca partner Ryan Freedman is on hunt for real estate disruptors

"Reducing friction was yesterday’s play," Alpaca VC general partner Ryan Freedman told Inman in a wide-ranging interview. He stressed the need for a full suite of industry services.

Compass went public 2 years ago. Can it recover from its stock slump?

Compass went public in April 2021, and ever since then the New York-based brokerage has weathered a market downturn and seen investors' appetite for shares fall significantly.

Laura Harrier From ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ Relists L.A. Home for $3.3M

Getty Images / Realtor.com

Take two!

The “Spider-Man: Homecoming” star Laura Harrier is giving it another go with her home in Los Angeles, putting it back on the market for $3,349,000. The silver-screen and TV beauty had listed the four-bedroom, three-bath pad last fall for $3.5 million.

The pretty property, with 3,233 square feet of interior space and an airy, Spanish style, is located in the Whitley Heights Historic District. It was recently rehabbed by architectural restorer Mark Haddawy. Here’s a look at the details.

The home was built in 1922.

Realtor.com









Continue reading

CoStar considering purchase of Realtor.com parent: Report

Acquiring Realtor.com would significantly advance CoStar's push into residential real estate — and bring it into greater conflict with the industry's existing power players.

Do These 7 Gardening Tasks Now To Ensure Your Spring Garden Will Thrive

Photo courtesy of Haver & Skolnick LLC Architects via Houzz

Gardening in the winter might seem like a futile task, especially if you live in an area that experiences frigid temperatures and consistently wet weather. But smart gardeners know that minding their garden is a year-round job, even if they’re not actively digging in the dirt.

Spring is right around the corner, and there’s no time like the present to start implementing your seasonal gardening strategy.

“The main reason to work on the garden in winter is to get ahead of the game. Anything you can do in winter is one less thing to worry about in spring,” says Erin Schanen, Troy-Bilt’s gardening partner, a master gardener volunteer, and creator of The Impatient Gardener blog and YouTube channel.

Here are a few items to add to your to-do list that’ll help you get a jump on your gardening once the weather warms up.







Continue reading

Exclusive: ‘Rico to the Rescue’ Reveals the Biggest Mistakes Homeowners Make With Contractors

HGTV

Nearly every homeowner has run into problems with a contractor at some point—and a new HGTV show delves into what goes wrong, and how to keep a renovation on track.

On “Rico to the Rescue,” Denver-based builder Rico León helps homeowners and the general contractors they’ve hired mend fences. If a conflict can’t be settled, León and his crew take over.

Interested to hear how to resolve a clash with a contractor (and protect money involved), we got León to share his best advice for calling out and holding the contractor accountable. Plus, he shares the biggest red flag to look out for during the hiring process to avoid a problem in the first place—as well as his favorite renovation in his own house.

Rico León stands outside a partly renovated home on “Rico to the Rescue”

HGTV

'Rico León stands outside a partially renovated home on Rico to the Rescue.' width=1200
Rico León surveys the scene while mediating a conflict between homeowners and the general contractor they hired.
Rico León leans on a ladder while working on a kitchen renovation for clients.
Continue reading

Tell us about your best day ever (in real estate): Pulse

From your first day on the job to your biggest listing, we want to hear about your best day ever in real estate.

French CEO celebrates similarities, differences in US market

Iad Group CEO Clément Delpirou explained the shared challenges in agent recruitment, retention, technology and adjusting to a shifting market at Inman Connect New York on Tuesday.

Rates may ease, but affordability tools will still be in demand

Zillow and UWM executives are optimistic mortgage rates will come back down but advised real estate agents at Inman Connect New York on Tuesday to get familiar with affordability tools like interest-rate buydowns.

Fine-tune your strategies to attract new business in a new market

James Becker, Nancy Almodovar and Richard Grossman spoke at Inman Connect New York on Tuesday about strategies they've employed recently to generate new business.

It’s in the Vault: Former Rhode Island Bank Building Ready To Cash Out for $749K

Realtor.com

historic bank building in Pawtucket, RI , is ready to lock up a sale.

Built in 1901 as Providence County Savings Bank, the four-floor, 10,452-square-foot neoclassical building is listed for $749,000. While no longer a bank, the structure could find new life as any number of different spaces.

One fixture that’s not going anywhere is the eye-popping basement vault.

“It’s in amazing shape and pristine on the interior and very well-preserved,” says listing agent Kira Greene, with Compass. “The vault has really captured people’s imaginations.”










Continue reading

Pacaso CEO: Proptech firms forced to shift from offense to defense

Executives at four prominent real estate tech startups have diversified their product offerings in an effort to survive the market turmoil, which they discussed on Tuesday at Inman Connect New York.

This is what real estate tech actually needs to do

At Inman Connect New York on Tuesday, Joe Skousen and Grier Allen discussed how technology leaders should look for ways to simplify agents' lives, enhancing their productivity and eliminating mundane tasks.

Risk has re-entered the financing conversation

Bob Groody of Maxwell and Shant Banosian of Guaranteed Rate discussed the current state of creative financing tools for consumers at Inman Connect New York on Tuesday.

Optical Illusion for Sale: ‘Invisible’ Joshua Tree Home Catches Eyes for $18M

Realtor.com

Mirror, mirror, on the wall—who’s the fairest of them all? A breathtaking visual illusion in the desert, of course!

Just outside of Palm Springs in Joshua Tree, CA, lies one of the most spectacular desert homes ever built. But you have to look closely, or you just might miss it.

That’s because this massive beauty creates the optical illusion of blending seamlessly into the landscape, thanks to its mirrored facade.

Known as the Invisible House, the 5,470-square-foot stunner sits on a massive 67.5-acre lot, surrounded by a natural landscape. The only thing you can see for miles through the reflective glass is the breathtaking scenery.







Continue reading

Investors highlight the untapped potential in financing home equity

A slate of new companies backed by institutional investors is offering ways for owners to tap home equity. They made their pitch on Tuesday at Inman Connect New York.

In love and recruitment, ‘marriage’ is key, Keller Williams broker says

As the market continues to slow down on its way to normalization, it's more important now than ever that brokers effectively recruit top talent.

These are the mistakes that thwart brokers’ success

Panelists at Inman Connect New York on Tuesday said that brokers err by not having written plans, not being flexible and other shortcomings.

When it comes to real estate and data, keep it local

At ICNY on Tuesday, OJO Labs Chief Real Estate Officer Chris Heller and Nest Seekers International Chief Economist Erin Sykes explained why real estate agents need to pay less attention to national data and dig into local insights.

Gizmos Aplenty: Clever Berkshires Mansion Could Fetch $15.5M

Realtor.com

The owners of an architectural marvel in New Marlborough, MA, are hoping to reel in $15.5 million for their extraordinary 300-acre estate.

Known as Vergelegen, the 4,273-square-foot main house offers spectacular views of the Berkshire Hills and Taconic Mountains.

But the star attraction? That would be the home’s array of manual mechanisms that control some of its finest features.

The design of the 10-bedroom house is the brainchild of its art historian homeowners, along with U.S. architect Tom Kundig, British landscape architect Tom Stuart-Smith, and a Berkshires-based master builder.







Continue reading
LikeRE Logo