When I started working in journalism, there was no such thing as Instagram, Airbnb, Uber, or many of the other useful apps and services we take for granted today. At that time, many media outlets were still trying to figure out how to use the internet.
As a tech and sci-fi enthusiast, I like to think I had some idea of the kinds of profound impacts new technologies would have on our lives. But I never imagined how drastically things would change in such a short time — not only in journalism, but across all industries.
Loyal readers of Inman know that real estate has been among the sectors most affected by these changes: you can now offload your homes to well-funded tech startups and close in days, tour properties in virtual reality and pay for them with cryptocurrency, among many other tech-driven innovations in the space.
Some of these trends are fads that will no doubt quickly fade from memory. But others are here to stay, and I would argue that the most profound technological changes — such as the widespread availability of artificial intelligence and augmented reality — are only starting to be realized.
At the same time, the fundamentals of real estate remain unchanged: people buying and selling property, using the best tools and technologies at their disposal. Where these three areas intersect — people, property, and tech — is where things get interesting. It’s where deals happen or fall apart, where the role of the real estate agent is constantly shifting, where fortunes are made and lost, where people achieve their dreams or get trapped in living nightmares. It’s exactly where Inman wants to be.
Inman has been covering the bleeding edge of the real estate industry since its launch over 20 years ago as Inman News, one of the first web-native publications in the world. In fact, a big part of what’s made Inman so consistently great for all this time is that Brad Inman has been ahead of the curve in realizing and acting on the transformative power of new technologies.
That’s a rare quality, and I say that as someone who’s worked primarily in tech journalism — most recently as managing editor of Vice’s Motherboard, and previously as an editor and writer at Popular Science and The Verge.
So it made a lot of sense to me when Brad told me he was looking for someone with a background covering technology and its impact on people to join Inman as Editor in Chief, complementing the existing staff of talented editors and reporters. I jumped at the chance, and I’m pleased to be starting in my new role this week.
A little bit more about me: I live in Brooklyn with my wife, who’s also a journalist, and we’re about to welcome a new daughter. I grew up in the Chicago suburb of Downers Grove, Illinois, and went to journalism school at the University of Missouri (one of many Mizzou alumni on Inman’s staff). After many misadventures in renting, my wife and I bought our first apartment two years ago with the help of an awesome broker here in New York City.
As for what my new role means for you: count on Inman to continue providing the most up-to-date, trusted, high quality coverage of the real estate industry for professionals. But also expect us to expand our coverage of information that helps you navigate the industry’s rapid changes.
We’ll be tracking more innovators and innovations; producing more in-depth, investigative reporting on the human drama in real estate, including controversial issues like gentrification and affordability; delivering unsparing coverage of industry giants and upstarts; publishing incisive analysis of trends and viral stories; and offering forward-looking pieces on where it’s all headed.
As always, we want to hear from you. If you have suggestions for stories or areas of coverage you’d like to see on Inman, or just want to say hi, you can reach me at carl@sandbox.inman.com. Onward!