technology | Real Estate Investing Today https://realestateinvestingtoday.com promote | protect | educate Thu, 25 Apr 2024 14:38:42 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.6.1 https://i0.wp.com/realestateinvestingtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/cropped-NREIA-Transparent-Globe-copy.png?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 technology | Real Estate Investing Today https://realestateinvestingtoday.com 32 32 97045160 FBI Releases 2023 Internet Crime Report https://realestateinvestingtoday.com/fbi-releases-2023-internet-crime-report/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=fbi-releases-2023-internet-crime-report Thu, 02 May 2024 13:22:52 +0000 https://realestateinvestingtoday.com/?p=18758 The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) recently released their 2023 Internet Crime report which offers critical insights into the cyber threat landscape based on aggregated data from reported complaints.  The FBI says that in 2023, the most frequently reported crime was phishing schemes, which use unsolicited e-mail, text messages, and telephone [...]

The post FBI Releases 2023 Internet Crime Report appeared first on Real Estate Investing Today.]]> The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) recently released their 2023 Internet Crime report which offers critical insights into the cyber threat landscape based on aggregated data from reported complaints.  The FBI says that in 2023, the most frequently reported crime was phishing schemes, which use unsolicited e-mail, text messages, and telephone calls purportedly from a legitimate company to request personal, financial, and/or login credentials.  The crimes with the highest reported losses were attributable to investment scams – which is a deceptive practice that induces investors to make purchases based on false information.

“IC3 is an important tool for the FBI to combat the rising tide of cyber threats…When the public reports incidents to the IC3, they provide valuable information that helps fill gaps crucial to advancing our investigations. It allows us to connect complaints, investigate reported crimes, identify trends, and share information with other FBI offices and law enforcement partners nationwide.”  Said FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert Tripp.

Click here to read the full report.

 

The post FBI Releases 2023 Internet Crime Report appeared first on Real Estate Investing Today.]]> 18758 Airbnb Bans Indoor Security Cameras https://realestateinvestingtoday.com/airbnb-bans-indoor-security-cameras/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=airbnb-bans-indoor-security-cameras Tue, 19 Mar 2024 13:22:21 +0000 https://realestateinvestingtoday.com/?p=18635 A new policy from Airbnb has banned indoor surveillance cameras in their listings.  According to a media release, Airbnb is banning the use of indoor security cameras as part of their efforts to simplify policies on security cameras and other devices and to continue to prioritize the privacy of their community.  However, devices such as [...]

The post Airbnb Bans Indoor Security Cameras appeared first on Real Estate Investing Today.]]> A new policy from Airbnb has banned indoor surveillance cameras in their listings.  According to a media release, Airbnb is banning the use of indoor security cameras as part of their efforts to simplify policies on security cameras and other devices and to continue to prioritize the privacy of their community.  However, devices such as doorbell cameras and noise decibel monitors will still be permitted.  Airbnb says these can be an effective, privacy-protective way for hosts to monitor security issues like unauthorized parties.  The new policy will take effect on April 30, 2024.

“Our goal was to create new, clear rules that provide our community with greater clarity about what to expect on Airbnb. These changes were made in consultation with our guests, Hosts and privacy experts, and we’ll continue to seek feedback to help ensure our policies work for our global community.”  Said Airbnb’s Head of Community Policy and Partnerships, Juniper Downs

Click here to read the full release at Airbnb.com.

 

The post Airbnb Bans Indoor Security Cameras appeared first on Real Estate Investing Today.]]> 18635 Gen Z Prefer Texting Over Talking Due to Phobia of Phone Calls https://realestateinvestingtoday.com/gen-z-prefer-texting-over-talking-due-to-phobia-of-phone-calls/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gen-z-prefer-texting-over-talking-due-to-phobia-of-phone-calls Wed, 23 Aug 2023 11:29:17 +0000 https://realestateinvestingtoday.com/?p=17868 This might have been already apparent to many readers, but new research has shown that 9 out of ten members of Generation Z (born between 1997 and 2012) would rather text than talk on the phone, with some even describing phone calls as a “phobia.”  FOX News says data indicates it may be a choice [...]

The post Gen Z Prefer Texting Over Talking Due to Phobia of Phone Calls appeared first on Real Estate Investing Today.]]>
OMG!

This might have been already apparent to many readers, but new research has shown that 9 out of ten members of Generation Z (born between 1997 and 2012) would rather text than talk on the phone, with some even describing phone calls as a “phobia.”  FOX News says data indicates it may be a choice borne out of anxiety, with some teenagers telling experts that having an awkward phone call is one of “the top three things they would want to avoid in life.”  Now you know…..

Click here to read the full story at FOX News.

 

The post Gen Z Prefer Texting Over Talking Due to Phobia of Phone Calls appeared first on Real Estate Investing Today.]]> 17868 VRBO Fights Party House Bookings Ahead of Super Bowl https://realestateinvestingtoday.com/vrbo-fights-party-house-bookings-ahead-of-super-bowl/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=vrbo-fights-party-house-bookings-ahead-of-super-bowl Mon, 13 Feb 2023 12:22:31 +0000 https://realestateinvestingtoday.com/?p=17084 With all the recent issues & problems involving parties in short-term rentals, VRBO is taking steps to mitigate this by deploying what it calls a “new unauthorized event prevention technology.”  FOX News is reporting that this new program was responsible for blocking over 500 event-related bookings in the first 12 months of being piloted in [...]

The post VRBO Fights Party House Bookings Ahead of Super Bowl appeared first on Real Estate Investing Today.]]> With all the recent issues & problems involving parties in short-term rentals, VRBO is taking steps to mitigate this by deploying what it calls a “new unauthorized event prevention technology.”  FOX News is reporting that this new program was responsible for blocking over 500 event-related bookings in the first 12 months of being piloted in the U.S.   According to the report, an algorithm examines length of stay, the timing ahead of a stay, the number of guests, number of beds, property amenities and the weekday of the first night’s stay.  FOX says VRBO offered little details on how it determines the cost of nuisance partygoers, however they did claim that its first 500 blocked bookings saved an estimated $2.5 million in party-related damages.   Indeed…Just in time for last weekend’s Super Bowl, too.

A recently introduced feature called CrowdControl measures the volume of wireless signals in and near the vacation rental. When it detects a growing crowd with cellphones in pockets, it sends the owner or manager an “elevated occupancy” alert. That’s a pretty clever and sneaky way to discover the presence of lots of people. There’s no information telling if putting guest phones in airplane mode would let partygoers trick the system.

Click here to read the full story at FOX News.

 

The post VRBO Fights Party House Bookings Ahead of Super Bowl appeared first on Real Estate Investing Today.]]> 17084 Airbnb Rolls Out New Software to Screen & Prevent Parties https://realestateinvestingtoday.com/airbnb-rolls-out-new-software-to-screen-prevent-parties/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=airbnb-rolls-out-new-software-to-screen-prevent-parties Tue, 22 Nov 2022 14:22:56 +0000 https://realestateinvestingtoday.com/?p=16762 Back in August we posted about Airbnb’s plans to roll out new “anti-party tools” in the US and Canada to help identify potentially high-risk reservations and prevent those users from taking advantage of their platform.  Now, fast-forward to mid-November and they have launched a new platform called Airbnb Setup, which they say is an “all-new [...]

The post Airbnb Rolls Out New Software to Screen & Prevent Parties appeared first on Real Estate Investing Today.]]> Back in August we posted about Airbnb’s plans to roll out new “anti-party tools” in the US and Canada to help identify potentially high-risk reservations and prevent those users from taking advantage of their platform.  Now, fast-forward to mid-November and they have launched a new platform called Airbnb Setup, which they say is an “all-new easy way to Airbnb your home.”

Basically, they’re expanding their current Airbnb Cover program for hosts by adding the following upgraded features & enhancements:

  • Guest identity verification
  • Reservation screening technology
  • $3M damage protection
  • Auto & boat protection 
  • Art & valuables protection
  • Easier to file a claim 

“…That’s why we’re introducing an easy way for millions of people to Airbnb their homes. With Airbnb Setup, every new Host can get free, one-to-one guidance from a Superhost from their first question through their first reservation. And with even more AirCover for Hosts, now is the perfect time to put your place on Airbnb.”

Click here to read the full release at Airbnb.com.

 

The post Airbnb Rolls Out New Software to Screen & Prevent Parties appeared first on Real Estate Investing Today.]]> 16762 The Uneven Geography of Remote Work https://realestateinvestingtoday.com/the-uneven-geography-of-remote-work/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-uneven-geography-of-remote-work Tue, 11 Oct 2022 13:22:59 +0000 https://realestateinvestingtoday.com/?p=16522 A recent report from the Economic Innovation Group says it goes without saying that remote work has increased dramatically since before the pandemic.  They say the rise in what they call “telework” offers new opportunities for the economic development of communities across the country by loosening the grip that superstar cities have on skilled knowledge [...]

The post The Uneven Geography of Remote Work appeared first on Real Estate Investing Today.]]> A recent report from the Economic Innovation Group says it goes without saying that remote work has increased dramatically since before the pandemic.  They say the rise in what they call “telework” offers new opportunities for the economic development of communities across the country by loosening the grip that superstar cities have on skilled knowledge workers.  Interestingly, as they point out, the geography of this remote work surge has remained largely unmeasured by the data. However, analyzing data from the 2021 American Community Survey (ACS) suggests that remote work is not just a superstar city or coastal phenomenon.   Indeed…

“What we can say is that within the United States there has been significant variation in the extent to which populations have benefited from remote work. Importantly, while remote work is concentrated along the coasts, we do see that there are places in every region and places outside of superstar cities with high levels of remote work. It should not be considered entirely a coast or superstar city phenomenon.”

Some Key Findings:

  • Recent Data shows that remote work has increased unevenly across the United States.
  • The highest rate of remote work is in Washington, DC, where 33.6% of the population worked remotely in 2021. The next highest is San Francisco, CA, and third is Austin, TX.
  • 13.7% of the country lives in a commuting zone where remote work share is greater than 25%.

 

Click on the above map to make it interactive

 

Click here to read the full report at the Economic Innovation Group.

 

The post The Uneven Geography of Remote Work appeared first on Real Estate Investing Today.]]> 16522 Understanding Metaverse Real Estate https://realestateinvestingtoday.com/understanding-metaverse-real-estate/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=understanding-metaverse-real-estate Wed, 31 Aug 2022 13:22:08 +0000 https://realestateinvestingtoday.com/?p=16434 A recent article on Redfin reminds us that everything is becoming virtual nowadays – from artwork, to concerts, to marketing, to meetups, virtual tools have entered most people’s daily routine.  However, it goes without saying that real estate, too, has entered this digital world in the form of something called the “metaverse.”  Redfin attempts to [...]

The post Understanding Metaverse Real Estate appeared first on Real Estate Investing Today.]]> Redfin logoA recent article on Redfin reminds us that everything is becoming virtual nowadays – from artwork, to concerts, to marketing, to meetups, virtual tools have entered most people’s daily routine.  However, it goes without saying that real estate, too, has entered this digital world in the form of something called the “metaverse.”  Redfin attempts to unravel what this thing is all about and explain what’s behind all of the hype & mystique.  Some of the concepts are, quite frankly, hard to grasp and it is clear that the metaverse isn’t for everyone.  However, say what you will, it is certainly interesting.  At the conclusion, Redfin says “So what will metaverse real estate eventually become? Nobody really knows.”   Yes, indeed…

“Metaverse real estate isn’t about buying and selling physical real estate with online tools – people already do that every day. It’s also different from a typical family buying a house in Phoenix, AZ, or renting an apartment in Seattle, WA.  Metaverse real estate is a collection of online platforms where strangers can connect with each other, businesses can release digital products, and people can buy, sell, and lease virtual property.”

“Metaverse real estate is made up of parcels of land in a virtual, interactive world – simply put, pixels on a computer. People buy and sell this land with cryptocurrency, generally as an investment. The most popular metaverse websites, like Decentraland and The Sandbox, host space for buying, selling, and leasing real estate.”

Key concepts:

  • Metaverse:  a collection of virtual, interactive worlds where people can live their lives with others.
  • Decentralization: Decentralization means that there is no one person in charge…decisions are made by a group as a whole.
  • Blockchain: Blockchain is a way of storing and distributing data. Instead of using tables, it structures data into chronologically strung-together blocks.
  • Cryptocurrency: A cryptocurrency (or crypto) is a decentralized digital form of currency that is blockchain-encrypted.
  • NFT: An NFT (non-fungible token) is a unique digital asset generally traded through the Ethereum (a crypto company) blockchain.

Click here to read the full story at Redfin.

 

The post Understanding Metaverse Real Estate appeared first on Real Estate Investing Today.]]> 16434 Airbnb Launches New Anti-Party Technology https://realestateinvestingtoday.com/airbnb-launches-new-anti-party-technology/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=airbnb-launches-new-anti-party-technology Thu, 25 Aug 2022 11:29:03 +0000 https://realestateinvestingtoday.com/?p=16410 In mid-August Airbnb announced that they introducing new “anti-party tools” in the US and Canada to help identify potentially high-risk reservations and prevent those users from taking advantage of their platform. The new Airbnb system system looks at several factors such as the history of positive reviews (or lack of them), length of time the [...]

The post Airbnb Launches New Anti-Party Technology appeared first on Real Estate Investing Today.]]> In mid-August Airbnb announced that they introducing new “anti-party tools” in the US and Canada to help identify potentially high-risk reservations and prevent those users from taking advantage of their platform. The new Airbnb system system looks at several factors such as the history of positive reviews (or lack of them), length of time the guest has been on Airbnb, length of the trip, distance to the listing, weekend vs. weekday, among many others. Their primary objective is to reduce the ability of bad actors to throw unauthorized parties which negatively impact their Hosts, neighbors, and the communities they serve.

“While we are optimistic that this technology will have a positive impact for the safety of our community and our goal to reduce unauthorized parties — we want to be clear that no system is perfect. We work hard to deter bad actors from using our platform, but ultimately Airbnb is an online platform that facilitates real world connections…”

Click here to read more at Airbnb.com.

 

The post Airbnb Launches New Anti-Party Technology appeared first on Real Estate Investing Today.]]> 16410 FHFA Launches a Office of Financial Technology for Fintech https://realestateinvestingtoday.com/fhfa-launches-a-office-of-financial-technology-for-fintech/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=fhfa-launches-a-office-of-financial-technology-for-fintech Wed, 27 Jul 2022 11:29:12 +0000 https://realestateinvestingtoday.com/?p=16295 The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) recently announced the establishment of an Office of Financial Technology. According to an agency release, the new department will serve as a centralized source of information to support FHFA in addressing emerging risks and advancing agency priorities related to the adoption and deployment of financial technology (fintech).  One of [...]

The post FHFA Launches a Office of Financial Technology for Fintech appeared first on Real Estate Investing Today.]]> FHFA logoThe Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) recently announced the establishment of an Office of Financial Technology. According to an agency release, the new department will serve as a centralized source of information to support FHFA in addressing emerging risks and advancing agency priorities related to the adoption and deployment of financial technology (fintech).  One of the focus areas of this new department will be engaging market participants, industry, nonprofits, consumer groups, and academia to facilitate the sharing of best practices of housing finance fintech and innovation.

“When used responsibly, fintech has the potential to improve borrowers’ experiences with the mortgage process by reducing barriers, increasing efficiencies, and lowering costs,” said Director Sandra L. Thompson. “The new office will help advance effective risk management as FHFA evaluates applications of fintech in housing finance, as well as in compliance, and regulatory activities.”

Click here to read the full media release at the FHFA.

 

 

The post FHFA Launches a Office of Financial Technology for Fintech appeared first on Real Estate Investing Today.]]> 16295 Investors Buy Up Metaverse Real Estate in Virtual Land Boom https://realestateinvestingtoday.com/investors-buy-up-metaverse-real-estate-in-virtual-land-boom/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=investors-buy-up-metaverse-real-estate-in-virtual-land-boom Tue, 11 Jan 2022 14:22:37 +0000 https://realestateinvestingtoday.com/?p=15498 The Wall Street Journal says investors are buying up metaverse real estate in a “virtual land boom.”  It might be kind of hard to get your arms around what they’re talking about, however when you hear that millions of real dollars are being poured into virtual real estate it makes you wonder…..and it might make [...]

The post Investors Buy Up Metaverse Real Estate in Virtual Land Boom appeared first on Real Estate Investing Today.]]> The Wall Street Journal says investors are buying up metaverse real estate in a “virtual land boom.”  It might be kind of hard to get your arms around what they’re talking about, however when you hear that millions of real dollars are being poured into virtual real estate it makes you wonder…..and it might make you want to learn more.  Indeed…

“Real-estate transactions in the metaverse are reaching record highs. We spoke with companies investing in digital real estate to understand the economic model, and why investors are spending millions on virtual property.”

Click here to watch on WSJ.com.

 

 

The post Investors Buy Up Metaverse Real Estate in Virtual Land Boom appeared first on Real Estate Investing Today.]]> 15498