by Kelli Jones | Oct 10, 2019 | Company News
Collabra Technology, a leader in real estate marketing technology, strengthened its executive team by hiring James Rouse as Chief Financial Officer (CFO).
Rouse is an experienced media CFO with a strong track record of accomplishments in accelerating sales, streamlining operations, and implementing efficiencies that optimize productivity, margins, and profit. Rouse’s recent experience includes serving for six years as division CFO at Cumulus Media.
Collabra’s near-term growth strategy includes implementation of a new enterprise management system, and Rouse is playing a pivotal role, having led ERP conversions at both Deloitte and Kaiser Permanente. He also helmed a series of mergers and acquisitions for Cumulus Media, experience that Collabra CEO Janet Case believes will prove valuable as the company continues its expansion.
“James’ experiences and insights will be key to helping us capitalize on our company’s strengths and move forward with the right practices and mindsets to fuel our continued growth, including M&A,” said Case.
“James joined the company as interim CFO in Q2, and it quickly became clear that he offers a strong ability to drive revenue generation and focused growth. We’re thrilled to have him in this role full-time.”
Collabra’s digital marketing platform currently serves such top-tier real estate companies as Douglas Elliman, Knight Frank, and Coldwell Banker Luxury, as well as hundreds of brokerage offices across the U.S.
by Danielle Roberson | Sep 24, 2019 | Company News
Collabra Technology Inc., a leader in professional real estate photography and digital marketing, announces its 2019 Visual Media Awards (VMAs) for outstanding real estate imagery to three Collabra Media Group specialists from across the country.
The Collabra VMAs are presented annually to honor real estate photography and videography providers for their artistic composition and technical skill. Award winners are determined by peer voting from Collabra’s nationwide network of professional photographers, videographers, and media experts.
Larry Nitz of Oklahoma Property Tours in Tulsa won the Visual Media Award for the Best Video of the Year. Becky Beacham of 360Idaho in Boise earned the award for Best Aerial Photo, while Mark Lee of Mark Lee Photo in Los Angeles took top honors for Best Photo (DSLR).
Finalists included photographers Mike Dew and Michael Shelhart from The Photo Dewd in Riverside, Calif., and videographers Jeff Stein (TourFactory San Diego) and Eugene Michel (TourFactory Spokane). Photographer Bob Gojkovich, now with TourFactory Colorado, earned distinction for an image he captured for GloPro Media in Scottsdale, Ariz.
“With most buyers starting their home search online, today’s agents must make an immediate impression, before viewers scroll to the next listing,” said Collabra Technology CEO Janet Case. “Our photographers understand agents’ needs and expertly craft images that capture buyers’ attention.”
The Collabra Media Group comprises independent media professionals supporting real estate agents with a complete suite of marketing technology solutions and professional imagery to optimize presentations of their listings. Group members are authorized providers of TourFactory and Proxio products for digital and social media marketing.
“Our goal is to help agents market every listing efficiently and effectively,” Case said. “The highquality images from Collabra providers consistently contribute to stronger, faster sales. These photographers are truly the best of the best.”
The winning images can be seen at https://collabramedia.com/2019-visual-media-awards/.
by Danielle Roberson | Sep 16, 2019 | Company News
Collabra Technology Inc., a leader in real estate marketing technology, recently donated $1,200 to Shriners Children’s Hospital.
Collabra Technology’s CEO, Janet Case, presented the donation on behalf of the company’s employees and authorized providers. The Spokane-based company offers virtual tours, marketing automation, and professional imagery locally and nationally via its Collabra Media Group partners, a network of professionals providing photography, video, and media services to the real estate industry.
The multimedia providers traveled from all over the country to Spokane for the annual Collabra Media Group conference. In addition to speakers and roundtable discussions on advancing marketing for the real estate industry, this year’s conference also included a “dunk tank” fundraiser.
Collabra Technology executives volunteered to be “dunked” in exchange for donations benefiting the hospital, which provides orthopedic surgery and therapy to children regardless of families’ ability to pay for treatment.
Case said, “Our partners welcomed the chance to support Shriners’ mission and service to children. The hospital’s leading work is just another reason to be proud of what Spokane has to offer.”
“It was worth getting wet for,” Case said.
by Danielle Roberson | Jul 19, 2019 | Product Launches & Technology Development
Collabra Technology, the leading digital marketing platform for the real estate industry, announces the introduction of FlashCards™ instant property videos for compelling social media marketing, launched under the company’s TourFactory brand.
FlashCards automatically turn listing photos into eye-catching, looping videos optimized for the unique formats preferred by Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp and WeChat. The TourFactory system personalizes each video with property details, list price, agent photo and contact information.
“FlashCards are designed to help real estate agents stand out and increase engagement on social media, which is crucial to garnering buyer interest,” said Collabra CEO Janet Case. “FlashCards streamline that portion of the marketing plan. They are also ideal for attaching to emails and texts.”
Over 13,000 FlashCards have already been delivered to individual agents across the U.S., and now more than 800 brokerage offices across the country will receive FlashCards as an upgrade to their TourFactory office technology package, with the videos available immediately after a listing is activated.
The company also offers FlashCards customized to brokerages and brands, plus a social media campaign package with different styles that highlight when a property is in the just-listed, open house, or just-sold stage. “No one else offers an automated, branded tool like this,” Case said. “It’s a great opportunity to set a brokerage apart and delight both agents and home sellers.”
“Video is favored by Facebook’s algorithms, so Facebook posts with FlashCards get an added boost,” said Collabra’s Multimedia Manager, Kevin Kelly. “Also, video is naturally captivating: Facebook users are 12 times more likely to click on a video than a still image. That attraction factor makes FlashCards videos the perfect base for a paid social ad or email campaign.”
Learn more at CollabraTechnology.com/FlashCards
by Danielle Roberson | Jan 3, 2019 | Company News
Real estate technology leader Collabra Technology announced the hiring of David Sisson, a senior-level product executive with more than 18 years’ experience in innovative digital technology development with top companies including Zillow Group.
As Vice President of Products for Collabra Technology, Sisson will drive efforts to enhance and expand the company’s groundbreaking, multilingual digital sales platform, which is already the chosen technology provider for top-tier real estate companies including Douglas Elliman, Knight Frank, Lennar International and Coldwell Banker.
Collabra Technology CEO Janet Case said Sisson’s “deep understanding of enterprise-level client needs and extensive product development experience will spearhead aggressive new development in all areas of the digital marketing space. Collabra Technology is already the best marketing and sales platform in the marketplace; with David’s strategic approach, our future includes new and innovative solutions for the world’s leading companies.”
Sisson is the former Director of Product Management for Zillow Group and has extensive consulting and product experience with a long list of client partners including Boeing’s Digital Aviation division, Microsoft’s Finance Group and Expedia’s Call Center Technology Group.
Collabra Technology is headquartered in Spokane, Wash., and has grown rapidly since its inception in early 2018 following a merger between TourFactory and Proxio.
by Danielle Roberson | Dec 20, 2018 | Product Launches & Technology Development
The Asian Real Estate Association of America (AREAA) has announced that AREAA Global launched the AREAA Global EXCHANGE, a platform powered by Collabra Technology that gives developers the ability to display and promote their projects.
“The AREAA Global EXCHANGE creates additional advantages for our members and their development partners,” says Carmen Chong, CEO of AREAA Global. “In addition, profits from the EXCHANGE will move us closer to building our very first AREAA National Headquarters and Community Center in San Diego.”
AREAA Global is the for-profit arm of AREAA, and all profits earned through the AREAA Global EXCHANGE will be reinvested toward AREAA’s mission.
“The EXCHANGE will expand the growth and success of AREAA, and the more we can encourage members to use it, the more effective it will become,” Chong says.
Through the EXCHANGE, 17,500 AREAA members gain access to multilingual digital marketing materials and analytics that equip them with tools to market EXCHANGE projects worldwide. The EXCHANGE currently represents 13 projects in five countries, and includes projects from development partners Lennar and Encore.
“We are talking with developers from Dubai, the Bahamas, Panama, the Cayman Islands, Laos, Cambodia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, as well as top U.S. and Canadian developers who are seeking to create added exposure for their projects,” says Michelle van Ruyven, managing director of AREAA Global.
“It’s an honor for Collabra to provide a technology platform that supports AREAA members and AAPI communities throughout the world,” says Janet Case, CEO of Collabra. “We’re proud to be part of this diversity initiative.”
For more information, please visit www.AREAAGlobal.com.
by Danielle Roberson | Dec 19, 2018 | Product Launches & Technology Development
Douglas Elliman Real Estate on Wednesday announced the addition of top producer and former Compass associate broker Lindsay Barton Barrett to its New York City team. Barton Barrett closed more than $200 million in sales in 2017 and was the broker behind the $15.5 million sale of 140 Columbia Heights in 2018 — one of the highest priced townhouses ever sold in Brooklyn.
“Lindsay is highly regarded throughout the industry for her fine-tuned negotiating skills, honed from her background in law, as well as for providing an unparalleled level of service to her clients,” said Douglas Elliman Realty, LLC chairman Howard M. Lorber in a press release. “She easily transitions between our very important Brooklyn and Manhattan markets, which adds to her prowess as an agent.”
Before launching her career in real estate sales, the Cornell University and Columbia Law School grad was a real estate attorney for two New York City firms.
Then, in 2003, she joined The Corcoran Group, a Realogy brand, where she specialized in new residential developments and townhouses. After 12 years with Corcoran, Barton Barrett took her talents to Compass in 2015 — two years after the brokerage’s launch.
“I am exceedingly grateful for the many talented agents and mentors I have been fortunate to work alongside throughout my career,” she said in a prepared statement. “My move to Douglas Elliman – with its deep well of new development expertise and entrepreneurial culture – is the best place for me to service my clients, customers and grow my business with my team.”
In an interview with The Real Deal, Barton Barrett elaborated on her move from Compass to Douglas Elliman and said that the brokerage’s work with new developments, which includes the early-November launch of FOLIO — a sales and digital marketing platform created in conjunction with Knight Frank Residential that aggregates, organizes, and shares new development information with buyers’ agents around the world, was the driving force behind her decision.
“It made sense for me to be somewhere where I could really take advantage of a long track record of new development sales,” she said.
Barton Barrett is currently representing six newly constructed passive house single-family townhouses on 29-35 Carroll Street and will be working with her three-agent team out of Douglas Elliman’s 111 Fifth Avenue location.
“I have long admired Lindsay’s skill and tenacity and I am so pleased to welcome her to Douglas Elliman where I am confident we will prove to be great assets to one another,” said Douglas Elliman president and CEO Steven James.
Article image credited to Douglas Elliman/Lindsay Barton Barrett
by Danielle Roberson | Dec 18, 2018 | Product Launches & Technology Development
Lindsay Barton Barrett — one of Compass’ early hires — is headed to Douglas Elliman.
The move comes as Barrett is seeking to further boost her focus on new development, she told The Real Deal. Barrett and her team of three will be based out of Elliman’s new 111 Fifth Avenue location.
“It made sense for me to be somewhere where I could really take advantage of a long track record of new development sales,” Barrett said.
The hire follows the November launch of Elliman and Knight Frank’s platform dubbed FOLIO. The initiative seeks to centralize information and marketing tools for new dev projects. Information ranges from floor plans and unit availability to customized sales and rental comparable data.
Barrett said she’s eager to grow her new dev experience, particularly in Brooklyn. She’s worked on 495 9th Street and 503 6th Avenue in Park Slope, among others. In TRD’s latest ranking of top agent teams in Brooklyn, Barrett’s team came in second — with about $174 million in sales in 2017.
“She has a lot of expertise in new development, which is a big part of our business,” said Elliman chairman Howard Lorber. “This puts us in a better position to service our developers.”
Among Elliman’s Brooklyn projects is Quay Tower in Brooklyn Heights. Earlier this year, a penthouse reportedly went into contract at the project for around $20 million, which would be a record-setting sales price for the borough.
Barrett joined Compass in 2015 after spending 12 years at the Corcoran Group. After spending nearly four years at Compass, Barrett said she was at a point where she wanted a change and an environment that would support her independent style of working. After consulting with friends at the firm, she felt set on her shift to Elliman.
“We have tremendous respect for Lindsay as an agent and an entrepreneur and support her decision to focus more of her business on new development going forward,” said Rory Golod, Compass’ general manager for the New York region.
Barrett’s prominent deals include the $25 million penthouse at 10 Sullivan Street last year and the townhouse at 140 Columbia Heights in Brooklyn for $10.75 million in 2007. She is currently representing 29-35 Carroll Street, six newly constructed townhouses.
Elliman’s recent hires also include Richard Phan, formerly Carrie Chiang’s “right hand” at Corcoran, and Melissa True, the former Town executive tapped to lead agent development and recruitment.
by Danielle Roberson | Nov 13, 2018 | Product Launches & Technology Development
Douglas Elliman Development Marketing and Knight Frank Residential announce the launch of FOLIO, the first sales and digital marketing platform dedicated to new real estate developments.
Douglas Elliman and Knight Frank Residential joined forces with a leading enterprise software company, Collabra Technology Inc., to develop a powerful technological tool to aggregate, organize and share new development information with buyers’ agents around the world. The result is FOLIO, a digital asset marketplace connecting more than 21,500 global sales agents and their clients to real-time information about each new development in Douglas Elliman | Knight Frank Residential’s global portfolio, valued at approximately $87 billion.
“Global connectivity is no longer a supplement to domestic new development property marketing efforts. It is a mandate,” said Susan de França, President and CEO, Douglas Elliman Development Marketing. “With FOLIO we have created a game-changing platform for our developer clients, international buyers and their real estate advisors. By providing immediate access to the information most critical to buyers when considering a property purchase outside of their local market, FOLIO empowers all stakeholders with the data needed to facilitate global transactions.”
Translating sales and marketing content into seven languages, FOLIO provides users across desktop and mobile platforms with up to date and comprehensive information on over 150 new development projects inclusive of unit availability, pricing, custom marketing print collateral, photography, floors plans, video content, market reports, neighborhood guides, sales and rental comparable data and sales team contact information. Additional projects within the portfolio will be added as they come on the market.
“The need for global access into our new developments is greater now than ever before. FOLIO’s centralized database of property information places the power of the transaction in the palms of agents’ hands,” said Richard L. Jordan, Senior Vice President of Global Markets, Douglas Elliman Development Marketing. “The days of waiting for email or text responses to client’s questions about availability, pricing, floor plans, and market research are over. With FOLIO, buyers’ agents can instantly access the exact information their clients need thereby increasing their chances of closing the sale.”
Paddy Dring, Partner, Head of Global Prime Sales at Knight Frank said, “FOLIO represents a vital joint investment for both Knight Frank and Douglas Elliman. This unique platform will ensure a more efficient and effective distribution of our clients’ developments across our global network. This launch represents a very proud moment for our strategic alliance partnership.”
About Douglas Elliman Development Marketing (DEDM)
Douglas Elliman Development Marketing, a division of Douglas Elliman Real Estate, offers unmatched expertise in sales, leasing, and marketing for new developments throughout New York City, Long Island, Westchester, the Hamptons, South Florida and California as well as throughout the United States and internationally. The firm ranks amongst New York City’s most prominent sales and marketing firms. Drawing upon decades of experience and market-specific knowledge, Douglas Elliman Development Marketing offers a multidisciplinary approach that includes comprehensive in-house research, design and product development, marketing, and sales. Through a strategic global alliance with Knight Frank Residential, the world’s largest privately-owned property consultancy, the company markets properties to audiences in 60 countries. http://www.elliman.com/new-developments
About Knight Frank
Knight Frank LLP is the leading independent global property consultancy. Headquartered in London, Knight Frank has more than 15,000 people operating from 418 offices across 60 markets. The Group advises clients ranging from individual owners and buyers to major developers, investors and corporate tenants. For further information about the Company, please visit www.knightfrank.com.
SOURCE Douglas Elliman
by Danielle Roberson | Nov 13, 2018 | Product Launches & Technology Development
A new sales and digital marketing platform for new homes developments has been launched by two major real estate firms.
Douglas Elliman Development Marketing and Knight Frank’s FOLIO platform utilized the tech know-how of enterprise software company Collabra to develop a powerful technological tool to aggregate, organize and share new development information with buyers’ agents around the world.
The platform connects more than 21,500 real estate agents and their clients around the world to real-time information about each new development in Douglas Elliman | Knight Frank Residential’s global portfolio, valued at approximately $87 billion.
“Global connectivity is no longer a supplement to domestic new development property marketing efforts. It is a mandate,” said Susan de França, President and CEO, Douglas Elliman Development Marketing. “With FOLIO we have created a game-changing platform for our developer clients, international buyers and their real estate advisors. By providing immediate access to the information most critical to buyers when considering a property purchase outside of their local market, FOLIO empowers all stakeholders with the data needed to facilitate global transactions.”
The platform translates information into 7 languages and information about the developments includes unit availability, pricing, custom marketing print collateral, photography, floors plans, video content, market reports, neighborhood guides, sales and rental comparable data and sales team contact information.
Recent Comments