Tech Nest: The Proptech Podcast Nate Smoyer

This episode is focused on tech providing the means to execute the basics, at a high level, for real estate agents, teams, and brokerages. Vijay Gopalswamy, founder and CEO of Traxy, a deal-tracking tool for real estate professionals, shares his story of why he started Trackxi due to a void in the market for a great transaction coordinating platform. Vijay got into real estate as an agent, so he's very familiar with the pain of transaction coordination and that led him to create a solution.
Vijay discusses the challenges agents face and how Trackxi aims to simplify transaction management. We also go into some of the trends impacting brokers, as well as touch on AI usage in real estate. Tune in to learn how Trackxi is working to change how agents handle deals and enhance their services.
More about Vijay and TrackxiTrackxi is Real Estate's # 1 Deal Tracker, designed for Agents, Teams & Transaction coordinators. Transparency for everyone else. Demonstrate your value to your buyers & sellers, automatically.
Essential tool for agents. Designed by a practicing agent team. Simple and elegant user interface packed with powerful features that can truly help your business.
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More about BrainBox AI and Jean-SimonFounded in 2017, BrainBox AI was created to address two critical issues currently facing the built environment: carbon emissions and energy consumption. As innovators in the decarbonization movement, BrainBox AI’s game-changing HVAC technology leverages AI to make buildings smarter, greener, and more efficient. Through strategic global relationships, BrainBox AI elevates real estate clients across various sectors from office buildings and hotels to commercial retail, grocery stores, airports, and more.
BrainBox AI’s tech results in up to 25% reduction in total energy costs, up to 40% decrease in carbon footprint, and up to 60% improvement in occupant comfort, and extends HVAC equipment life by up to 50%. The tech provides intuitive data visualization of automated emissions data collection, tracking, and reporting via dashboard or downloadable documentation.  
In 2020, BrainBox AI was recognized by TIME as one of the Top 100 best inventions and by CB Insights as one of the Top 100 AI start-ups redefining industries in 2021. The company is also a member of the MaRS Discovery District, the largest urban innovation hub in North America. BrainBox AI was selected as the winner for the Tech For Our Planet Challenge from a cohort of ten finalist start-ups at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in 2022. 
Jean-Simon Venne is a co-founder and CTO of BrainBox AI. BrainBox AI’s technology leverages artificial intelligence to improve building operational efficiency while reducing energy consumption and costs. Combining machine learning, cloud-based computing, and self-directed decision-making, BrainBox AI enables the Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system in a commercial building to operate autonomously and in real-time, generating up to a 25% reduction in total energy costs, 20-40% reduction in carbon footprint and 60% increase in occupant comfort. 
As a technology expert specializing in the fast and efficient migration of technological innovations to commercial applications, Jean-Simon has over 25 years of experience developing and implementing new technology to solve long-standing commercial issues in the fields of telecommunications, biotechnology, and energy efficiency. 
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Mike Simonsen, President of Altos Research, joins Tech Nest today to discuss real estate data and some of the myths around mortgage rate lock-ins.
Altos Research offers local and national real estate data to financial institutions, real estate pros, and investors. Simonsen reveals that the lock-in effect started in 2014, not 2022, due to falling mortgage rates making homeowners hesitant to sell. He highlights the importance of viewing data from various angles and explains how Altos Research tracks the active market, focusing on pricing, inventory, and trends.
Altos Research just recently announced a new product feature, adding pending data to show properties under contract, giving a quick, accurate market snapshot.
Mike also shares insights as to how the future of real estate data will see more sources and better analysis, though affordability issues will likely remain (sadly). Despite affordability challenges, purchasing a home is expected to get simpler as advances in tech could lead to faster underwriting and quicker closings, streamlining the home buying process.
More about Mike and Altos ResearchAltos Research tracks the US real estate market in real-time. For over 15 years the company has provided national and local real estate data to financial institutions, investors, and tens of thousands of real estate professionals across the country.
Altos Research was acquired by HW Media in December 2022.Mike Simonsen is the founder and president of real estate analytics firm Altos Research, which has provided national and local real estate data to financial institutions, real estate professionals, and investors across the country for more than 15 years. An expert trendspotter, Mike uses Altos data to identify market shifts months before they hit the headlines and his work has been featured in the New York Times, The Atlantic, Fortune, Bloomberg, and other publications. 
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Chet Kittleson, Co-founder and CEO of Far Homes, shares how the company is simplifying international home buying. Born from the pandemic's remote work trend, Far Homes helps people buy and sell homes abroad, starting with Mexico. They offer a thorough real estate search platform, connect buyers with local agents, and focus on high-demand markets like Cancun and the Riviera Maya. 
Far Homes aims to be the go-to for global cross-border purchase financing, with tools like the Financing Finder making the process easier. One thing Chet points out is that despite all the possibilities with technology, agents remain a vital part of the equation when it comes to buying real estate both abroad and domestically.
More about Chet and Far HomesFar Homes is a real estate company that is making it easier to find and buy homes in international destinations in a world where more and more people can live and work anywhere. Founded by real estate industry veterans in 2022, the company is working to simplify the international home-buying and selling experience through a technology-powered marketplace. Far Homes has built a database of pre and new-construction, and existing homes for sale making it easy to find the home you want. The company has a bilingual customer service team who respond quickly, and a network of local, multi-lingual partner agents with experience helping buyers from outside the country navigate the home buying and selling process.
Far Homes has raised more than $2 million from PSL Ventures, Redfin CEO Glenn Kelman, and DoorDash co-founder Evan Moore, among others.
Chet is the CEO of Far Homes, a US-based real estate start-up focused on simplifying the international home-buying experience. Chet started Far Homes in 2022 when the rise of remote work gave more people than ever the opportunity to live and work anywhere in the world, dramatically increasing the need for support in finding and buying a home in another country. 
Prior to starting Far Homes, Chet spent 6 years at Redfin where he first led New Ventures, building off his strong background in partnerships to create millions of dollars in high-margin revenue before becoming the GM of Marketplaces. 
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This week's engaging interview is with Stephen "Capz" Capezza, President of Side. Stephen shares his journey in real estate and provides a deep dive into Side's unique brokerage-as-a-service model. Side is a true pioneer in the real estate brokerage space as the only brokerage-as-a-service platform. The success of this platform can be seen based on the industry recognition many of their agents have achieved, including lists from Real Trends.
Stephen shares his experience and what he's witnessed throughout his decade-plus tenure, leading real estate technology teams, the trends that have come and gone, and what's needed now for brokers to be successful. Tune in for an enlightening conversation about the future of real estate for agents and brokerages.
More about Stephen and SideSide is the pioneer and the industry’s only real estate brokerage-as-a-service platform that empowers the very best agents, teams and indie brokers to create and grow their own companies — without the time, cost or risk of operating a brokerage. Unlike consumer-facing brokerage brands, Side works behind the scenes to provide our partners with time-saving technology and premier support services. This way, they’re free to focus on what matters most: serving their clients and communities.
Agents partner with Side to help them create a company and act as that company’s brokerage of record and back-office support. The companies that make up Side’s network are locally owned and operated boutiques that are empowered with the full resources of a national brokerage.
Stephen 'Capz' Capezza is President of Side. He has significant industry experience, and a deep understanding of the specific needs of the top-producing agents and teams Side partners with. 
Capz has decades of experience managing high-impact sales and customer success teams. Before Side, Capz was at Zillow Group, where he served as senior vice president of business operations. In this role, he oversaw Zillow Premier Agent, which connects consumers searching for homes on Zillow with real estate professionals. Zillow Premier Agent serves over 150,000 agents nationally and generates over $1.2B in revenue. Capezza joined Zillow in 2015 following the company’s acquisition of Trulia, where he spent two years leading Trulia’s San Francisco sales and operations teams.
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In this conversation, I talk with Ned Murphy, the General Manager at Level M, about the state of the multifamily industry and the role of smart buildings. 
We discuss the impact of new construction on the market, the competitive dynamics and concessions in the industry, and the challenges of hardware and software integration. Ned shares more about Level M as a next-generation platform, aimed at helping existing properties adopt smart technology. 
One blocker to adopting smart building technology has been around measuring the ROI of both software and hardware. Ned digs into some of the misconceptions here and highlights the importance of tailoring value propositions differently, to different stakeholders, in order to achieve adoption. 
Smart building technology is evolving fast, and its becoming more clear the benefits extend beyond resident experience or management convenience. Listen in to hear more about the evolution of multifamily smart buildings.
More about Ned and Level MLevel M is the next-generation smart apartment and property automation platform for multifamily. With revolutionary hardware and premium user experiences, Level M uniquely delivers smart access control, property automation, and building intelligence solutions that are cost-effective, dependable, and future-proof.
Ned was the Co-founder of Dwelo helping guide the company for six yers before being acquired by Level Home Inc. He leads the companies multifamily business. 
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