Tech Talk

Avison Young Leasing Digital Property in the Metaverse

Add another company to the list exploring the metaverse. Avison Young’s New York office has been retained by Everyrealm as the exclusive leasing agent for its MetaMall in the metaverse platform Decentraland. It is a turnkey, digital retail property located at coordinates 100, 18, in Decentraland’s Fashion District.

Peter Johnson, director of the growth technology practice group and Leah Zafra, associate, represent ownership, as the exclusive leasing agents for Everyrealm’s digital retail space. They also represent Everyrealm, the metaverse investment and developer company, in the leasing of its New York City headquarters at 335 Madison Ave.

MetaMall sits directly across from Everyrealm and JP Morgan’s other experiential retail development, Metajuku. Its six floors total 364,000 square feet of experiential retail space, including a lobby, two conference floors, a game floor and three floors available for lease. The leasable space consists of 121,000 square feet.

HomeLight Agrees to Acquire Accept.inc

Residential real estate tech firm HomeLight has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Accept.inc, a Denver-based fintech lender that gives homebuyers a way to submit all-cash offers on a home upon qualifying for a mortgage, in an all-stock transaction. With this acquisition, HomeLight will become the largest agentfocused cash offer program in the country, with $3 billion in referred transaction volume in Q1 2022 alone, the company said. “In a time period with so much volatility in the capital markets, our business is stronger than ever. This financing round is a testament to our growth and the future potential of our business, and it’s enabled us to go on the offensive during uncertain times,” said Drew Uher, founder and CEO of HomeLight. “That includes this acquisition. We’re thrilled to welcome the Accept team to the HomeLight family. We share the vision that all offers in real estate will eventually become cash offers and are committed to delivering the power of contingency-free transactions to top agents and their clients across the country.”

Simon Launches Platform for Consumers to Shop Mall Merchandise Online

It’s been a much-discussed wish: for consumers to be able to shop a mall’s merchandise, and not just research stores, online. Now, it’s coming true: Simon has launched Simon Search, a search platform designed to enable shoppers to research in-stock products available at participating retailers located within a Simon property. Simon Search is available through the Simon app, property websites and interactive directories located at Simon properties nationwide.

“Simon Search brings new search capabilities to our retail centers, offering shoppers multiple ways to search for specific in-store merchandise,” said Mikael Thygesen, chief marketing officer, Simon. “Simon is committed to providing shoppers with the most enjoyable shopping experience possible. This game changing search tool raises the bar, delivering enhanced inventory visibility to our shoppers. Consumer research has shown that almost 90% of shoppers are interested in the enhanced search capabilities provided by Simon Search.”

Photo courtesy of Avison Young

Drew Uher

Photo courtesy of HomeLight

167 Green Launches Apple Wallet Employee Badge for Tenants

Get out those iPhones! Every company at 167 Green St. in Chicago now offers its staff building access through employee badges in Apple Wallet. Located in Chicago’s Fulton Market District neighborhood, 167 Green St. is the first multi-tenant office building in the United States to offer the benefit.

The technological deployment for 167 Green’s Apple Wallet integration was done in collaboration with Sharry, a European proptech company, and HID Global, a global provider of secure identity solutions. 167’s employee badge was designed by Don C., a streetwear designer and Chicago native.

Tenants can tap their iPhone or Apple Watch to unlock office doors, turnstiles, elevators and key card-protected amenity spaces, even when the phone needs charging.

UpEquity, Zavvie Join Forces

To help prospective homebuyers compete against their all-cash competitors, tech-enabled lender UpEquity has announced a collaboration with Zavvie, the real estate brokerage marketplace connecting broker-agents to buyers and sellers. This partnership will expand UpEquity’s solutions to real estate brokerages with thousands of agents nationwide.

UpEquity is available in 15 states — Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas — with plans to add eight more by the end of 2022.

By becoming part of Zavvie’s real estate brokerage marketplace, UpEquity significantly expands its ability to partner with top brokerages throughout the U.S. that use Zavvie’s modern marketplace, the company said.

UpEquity provides zero-cost cash offers for well-qualified buyers, boosting purchasing power even for first-time homebuyers. Moreover, sellers can make a cash offer on their new home, then sell their old one.

LiftMaster Introduces Smart Video Intercom for Small Multifamily Buildings

LiftMaster, a maker of professionally installed access solutions, has expanded its line of smart video intercom access systems for small multifamily buildings and single-family homes. Powered by myQ technology, LiftMaster Smart Video Intercoms empower property owners and residents to open doors and manage guest access remotely and enhance the security of the building with video features. Through the myQ Community app, residents have access to one-way video calling and two-way video voice communication to identify guests before granting access, recurring or one-time virtual guest passes and a “press to unlock” feature that allows residents to unlock authorized entrances with their smartphones. Property managers have access to 24/7 monitoring capabilities and real-time activity alerts.

Photo courtesy of PRNewswire

myQ Community app

Photo courtesy of PRNewswire