Month: March 2021

Knock CEO Sean Black (Getty, iStock) Knock has expanded its home lending program into Southern California. The startup launched Home Swap in Los Angeles last week and will add seven markets stretching from Bakersfield to San Diego, according to the Los Angeles Daily News. The push into L.A. and surrounding areas comes at a time…

Mack-Cali Realty CEO Mahbod Nia and MaryAnne Gilmartin (Photos via Mack-Cali Realty) More than six months after a shake-up of its C-suite, Mack-Cali has named a new CEO. Mahbod Nia, a former head of NorthStar Realty Europe, will take the reins at the New Jersey-based based REIT as of March 8. He has been serving…

Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi with their Beverly Hills home (Getty, Redfin) Luxury real estate investors Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi have listed their latest flip: a sprawling Beverly Hills mansion they bought from Adam Levine two years ago. The couple paid the Maroon 5 frontman $42.5 million for the home and are…

6725 West Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood with Vanbarton Group’s Richard Coles and Global Atlantic chairman and CEO Allan Levine (Google Maps) Vanbarton Group has secured new financing for a creative office building in Hollywood, months after a special servicer highlighted challenges at the property caused by the pandemic. Global Atlantic Financial Group provided $28.1 million…

States Title CEO Max Simkoff and investor Mark Ein. (Keystone Strategy, Getty) Title insurance startup States Title is going public in a $3 billion deal with a blank-check firm, the latest sign of investor interest in companies that digitize the residential real estate industry. The company — which has been renamed Doma — said Tuesday…

States Title’s Max Simkoff and The Real Deal’s Hiten Samtani. The firm just raised $123M to overhaul residential closings If real estate is seen as a dinosaur when it comes to adopting technology, title insurance may be the industry’s Argentinosaurus. The residential closing is full of manual processes and fees that complicate and drive up…

Compass CEO Robert Reffkin (iStock, Getty/Illustration by Kevin Rebong for The Real Deal) Since 2018, Compass has spent more than $300 million to scale its business, buying other brokerages and tech companies to support its “end-to-end platform,” according to the company’s IPO filing. Backed by $1.5 billion in venture capital from investors including Fidelity, Wellington…

Compass CEO Robert Reffkin (Instagram, Compass, iStock/Photo illustration by Kevin Rebong for The Real Deal) Compass’ pitch to investors is all about its agents. The company’s S-1 — a prospectus that details its financial performance and business strategy filed ahead of an IPO — kicks off with a founder’s letter from CEO Robert Reffkin, who…

Lebron James and his Brentwood home (Getty, Redfin) LeBron James isn’t used to losing, but it looks like he may be willing to accept an “L” on the Brentwood mansion he just listed. The future Hall of Famer and Los Angeles Lakers superstar is asking $20.5 million for the 9,440-square-foot home, according to the New…

Target CEO Brian Cornell. (Getty) Target has hit the bullseye. The big box retailer is adding and renovating stores as well as warehouses as it thrives in the competition with Amazon and other internet retailers. The moves stem in part from Target’s stellar year: Its 2020 sales growth of more than $15 billion was greater…