Humans Crave Connectivity
Issue 31 - May 7th, 2021
Humans crave connectivity. It seems like just yesterday in the depths of the pandemic that we would all be working from home forever and toasting each other over Zoom calls for our social connections. Companies all over America were shedding office space and announcing work from wherever policies, people packed up and moved to the woods with wi-fi hotspots, and new home builders started building “Zoom Rooms” into homes.
Fast forward to today, and America is on the verge of being completely reopen and companies all over the country are setting dates for workers to return to offices. Tech companies like Facebook, Google, Tesla, and Amazon have all expanded their office footprints in the last year. Cities that “would never bounce back” like NYC and SF are seeing rent prices stabilize back to pre-pandemic figures, rental car companies have run out of cars, flights are returning to normal prices, and vacation hot spots are seeing close to 100% occupancy for holidays this summer.
People easily forget when things are bad that bad things have happened since the beginning of time, and humans believe it or not are very resilient creatures. We crave in-person interaction, and we also like flexibility in today’s world. I am excited because I think the pandemic pushed forward innovation by at least a decade in the past year alone, and some great things that emerged during the last year will be permanent moving forward. Companies will offer workers more flexibility, and more jobs will go remote. Telemedicine advanced by leaps and bounds, and our country will prioritize and embrace medical innovation around mRNA technology and other ideas that have been hard to find funding for pre-pandemic. People will stop flying across the country for a 1 hour meeting, and in-person interactions will become more meaningful and hopefully efficient as people organize their lives better.
We will keep seeing good things happen from the bad, and as the world heals humans will slowly get used to the “new normal”, and we will all move forward stronger together.
“Things are not always as bad as they seem. Sometimes, the darkness only makes it easier to see the light.”―Jim Butcher
Newsworthy Links To Share
San Francisco-based Avenue 8 announces a $14 million dollar Series A led by Craft Ventures. Avenue 8 is a mobile-first, subscription-based residential real estate brokerage. They will use the funds raised in this round to launch new markets in NYC and Miami and continue to scale their innovative broker model. Currently, there are around 100 agents at the firm and growing quickly. (Business Wire)
Dallas,TX based JP & Associates has been acquired by Cairn Holdings out of Utah. “JPAR, which was founded in 2011, is ranked in the Top 25 Largest Real Estate Brokerage Firms in the U.S., according to Real Trends. The company totaled $4.4 billion in sales last year, an increase of 23 percent year over year. With the acquisition, the combined forces of Cairn and JPAR will yield a workforce of over 3,300 agents in 61 offices across 23 states.” (Inman)
LoanSnap, which provides mortgage loans using AI to analyze a person’s finances, has received a $30 million capital injection led by True Ventures with participation from the Chainsmokers’ venture capital firm, MANTIS and Joe Montana. (Finledger)
eXp World Holdings experienced one of its best quarters in company history as Q1 2021 revenue increased 115% to $584 million year-over-year, and more impressive is that they have added over 21,000 new agents since this time last year. They now have over 50,000 agents at their firm. (eXp)
PROPERTY HIGHLIGHT: Ultra Modern MIAMI tri-level waterfront mansion with views of Biscayne Bay for just under $20 million.
Click link below for photos: “This sleek ultra-modern tri-level waterfront masterpiece sits on the coveted tip of guard gated Hibiscus Island. Impeccably designed with no expenses spared the residence features exquisite porcelain & oak wood floors, masterfully designed open living, dining & family areas all feature breathtaking unobstructed views to Biscayne Bay & the downtown Miami skyline. The home sports a gourmet kitchen with top-of-line appliances, spacious state-of-the-art movie theater, fully equipped bayside gym, & second story principal suite that overlooks Biscayne Bay. Outdoor features include an infinity edge lap pool, Jacuzzi with fire pit feature, expansive rooftop lounge with 360 degree views to bay & city, boat lift. +/-85 ft of water frontage.” (Zillow)