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.
Here we recap noteworthy deals that didn’t make it into print (and some that did) for your perusal.
Oct. 9: LeadingRE partners with marketing technology Studeo
Leading Real Estate Companies of the World (LeadingRE) added marketing platform Studeo to its Solutions Group program, which identifies business resources for its international network of 565 independent residential brokerages.
Studeo creates storybook-like online presentations for real estate listings.
“Studeo is all about showcasing the stories behind listings, neighborhoods and the expertise of the agent,” said Studeo co-founder Rebecca Rose in a statement.
Oct. 10: Engel & Völkers sets up shop in Charleston, South Carolina
Engel & Völkers announced its fourth real estate brokerage location in South Carolina, led by license partners Peter and Kimberly Wiebe, serving Charleston, Mount Pleasant and the Sea Islands.
“Charleston consistently ranks among the top places to live in the U.S. and internationally and has been an important market within our growth strategy,” said Anthony Hitt, President & CEO, Engel & Völkers Americas.
Oct. 10: Sotheby’s International Realty Brand partners with news publication in Japan
Luxury residential real estate brand Sotheby’s International Realty announced an alliance with Japanese news publication Nikkei through the end of 2017.
The alliance enables the franchise to generate Japanese buyer interest through the Nikkei’s digital platform, which reaches over 29 million monthly readers.
Oct. 10: Quicken Loans Mortgage Services (QLMS) and CalyxSoftware release new loan origination software Q-L.O.S.
Mortgage software provider CalyxSoftware partnered with Quicken Loans Mortgage Services (QLMS), a division of Quicken Loans, to power its Quicken Loans Origination System (Q-L.O.S.).
Q-L.O.S. users can get full access to QLMS’s mortgage products to customize the refinance or homebuying experience for their clients.
“Many third-party originators are expanding their businesses and looking for new partners and better technology to serve their borrowers and improve the customer experience,” said Bob Dougherty, vice president of business development at CalyxSoftware, in a statement. “We are proud to partner with an industry leader like Quicken Loans.”
Oct. 12: International MLS teams up with FIABCI
The International MLS (IMLS) and FIABCI (the French acronym for Federation Internationale des Administrateurs de Bien-Conselis Immobiliers”, which means “The International Real Estate Federation”) signed an agreement enabling IMLS to expand its global membership network through marketing tools provided by FIABCI.
As a result the IMLS will be featured on the FIABCI website and FIABCI members will have access to special offers.
Oct. 18: Property management company signs deal with video marketing firm
California-based property management company Sequoia Equities entered into a contract with Show My PropertyTV — a video marketing producer that creates collateral for hotels, luxury homes and multi-family apartments — to produce and distribute 45 videos.
“The 45-video contract will enable SMP to develop exclusive, portfolio-wide, marketing footage for Sequoia,” according to a press release.
Oct. 19 National Association of Realtors invests in Notarize
NAR’s investment arm Second Century Ventures invested an undisclosed sum in online documentation technology Notarize. The investment comes after the participation of Notarize in NAR’s REach Accelerator program.
“Notarize enables real estate professionals to focus on their clients with greater attention and efficiency, providing a superior technology that automates a variety of complex processes,” said NAR CEO Bob Goldberg. “A faster, more secure closing reduces stress and improves the overall experience.”
Oct. 23: Realtor associations offer members forms library access, MLS data through zipForm Plus
Four real estate organizations — the MLS of Southern Arizona, Jackson Area Association of Realtors in Michigan, Lubbock Association of Realtors in Texas and Centre County Association of Realtors in Pennsylvania — are now offering their members forms library and/or MLS data access through ZipLogix’s zipForm Plus and zipFormMLS-Connect, the automated data entry solution housed within zipForm Plus.
“When it comes to the real estate transaction process, data entry plays a very crucial, yet time-consuming role,” said zipLogix Chairman of the Board Mark Peterson in a statement. “With zipFormMLS-Connect … members using zipForm Plus will now have the advantage of auto-populating listing data right into their transactions, simplifying and expediting the transaction process.”
Oct. 24: CoreLogic provides multiple listing clients with social media marketing tool
Real estate technology and data powerhouse CoreLogic announced an agreement to offer Florida-based SavvyCard, a social media marketing platform that harnesses an agent’s personal and professional relationships to generate leads, to its multiple listing clients, of which there are more than a million.
“With central provisioning of SavvyCard, a multiple listing organization can provide every subscriber with a beautiful, ready-to-go mobile solution that easily pushes all new listings directly to their social media accounts,” said David Etheredge, co-founder and CEO of SavvyCard, in a statement.
Oct. 25: Remine launches in Greater El Paso Association of Realtors (GEPAR) and Alaska MLS (AKMLS)
Remine, a data company that partners with MLSs to augment information with predictive analytics and data visualizations, is integrating with GEPAR and AKMLS, and plans to partner with 20 MLSs across the country.
“Nearly 40 percent of our membership participated in the launch with Remine. I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Michael Smith, CEO, AKMLS, in a statement.
Oct. 25: Engel & Völkers establishes new office in Montana
Engel & Völkers is expanding its presence in Montana with the opening of Engel & Völkers Western Frontier, to be led by license partner and managing broker Dawn Maddux, one of Montana’s top real estate producers. It will serve the Missoula, Bitterroot and surrounding area markets.
“Western Montana is a hidden gem that more and more people are discovering as an ideal primary or secondary home destination known for its natural beauty and expansive plots of land,” said Anthony Hitt, president & CEO, Engel & Völkers Americas, in a statement.
This month Inman also covered: