It’s the newest, hottest social media site out there. And everyone is talking about it this month.
The New York Times
NYT
wrote about it on February 15. So did the U.K.’s Guardian
UG
. Bloomberg covered it on February 16. And Rolling Stone tackled the topic on February 17.
But since PCMag beat them to it by two weeks, running a full-length story about it on February 2… let’s run with its description.
“This invite-only, audio-based iPhone app is like listening in on someone else’s phone call legally,” long-time tech writer Eric Griffith begins. “Here’s what you need to know about Clubhouse, including how Elon Musk figures into its recent surge.”
He continues with this:
“Here’s the gist: Imagine you have an app on your phone that lets you listen in on other people’s live conversations. But not in a creepy way. These people want to be heard. They may even be famous, or at least interesting or knowledgeable (no guarantee, however). And you may be given the opportunity join the chat.
“Think of it as an audio-chat social network. Or as PCMag’s Jordan Minor says in our review, ‘What if Twitter was a podcast you lived inside of?’”
Intrigued? If you’re not, you should reconsider, especially if you’re into business networking or amping up your profitability potential.
I joined only a few weeks ago, and boy, but am I impressed so far! It’s paid off in droves already, connecting me with some exceptional entrepreneurs. Like Beth Azor.
Let me tell you a bit about her. Who knows, you might even find yourself looking her up on LinkedIn before you finish this article…
Welcome to Clubhouse. Step This Way for Space Tank…
What can I say about Beth Azor? A lot, but let’s start out with how she owns six shopping centers in South Florida.
And before you feel bad for her being in that line of work in this day and age, don’t. This woman not only means business; she knows how to do business with the best of them regardless.
In fact, her other line of work – teaching shopping centers how to fill vacancies – is doing better than ever.
While she’ll work with big-name brands and big-name retail real estate owners, she’s the first to admit that she’s “a big mom-and-pop promotor.” Understanding the value of and for the little guy, it makes sense how she got into the only-so-well-known Clubhouse app late last year.
Beth just isn’t afraid to take a chance when the odds look in her favor.
Once she was on, she found herself in “room” after “room,” having conversations and making connections… until the day in 2021 she found herself in a Shark Tank group. By that, we’re talking about something actually affiliated with the show considering how two sharks were hosting it:
· Barbara Corcoran
· Daymond John.
They were allowing people to pitch to them, asking hard-hitting questions just as they would on the show. It was a fascinating platform for them to be on, it worked really well, and it gave Beth an idea.
What if she created her own room for retailers to pitch themselves to commercial real estate landlords?
That’s how Space Tank began, and it’s already had two successful runs, giving businesses the chance to convince big-name – like Simon Property Group
SKT
(SKT), to name just two – and little-name landlords alike to give them a 90-day store space.
For free.
What a concept, right?
Who Needs Penthouse Access With These Clubhouse Deals?
“What’s the catch?”
That’s the question Beth has heard multiple times now as she promotes this Space Tank idea of hers.
But there really isn’t one. If chosen, businesses have to pay their own insurance and utilities, and take the space as-is. That’s it.
Truly. If those makeshift tenants don’t think the opportunity worth their while at the end of the 90 days, they can simply say, “See ya!”
Of course, the retail landlords’ goal is for them to stay and sign a traditional contract. That’s why they’re offering the opportunity in the first place.
Yet there’s no pressure, legal or otherwise, involved. Which is why so many small and medium-sized businesses are hungry to try it out.
As for the commercial real estate side, this concept has the potential to make an enormous impact on struggling shopping centers and even malls.
Beth has already hosted two successful Clubhouse events now with smashing success. At the first, one person got offers from six different landlords to use their space. Meanwhile, the second – which just happened on February 18 – featured up to 74 landlords.
And you’d better believe she’s already thinking about Round No. 3.
Only Profit Potential in Sight
Before you ask, nope. The landlords who took Beth up on this offer weren’t all Florida-based or looking to fill Florida-specific space.
Everyone knows Florida is open for business and has been for a while now. That might make some health officials concerned, but it makes companies and their employees very, very happy overall.
So you might expect a concept like Space Tank to do at least decently well down there.
To be sure, it is. But Beth assured me that this is a nationwide event, with people participating across the map.
Moreover, while I can’t guarantee this was true about the second call… there wasn’t a single mention of Covid-19 or the pandemic during the first event. It was business as usual – only in an absolutely innovative way.
Want to get in on the next round of innovation? It’s scheduled for March 4 at 7:30 EST, and you can connect with Beth on LinkedIn to get the details.
But you might want to get preparing now, and not just for your perfect pitch. There’s a few other things you need to know about Clubhouse…
Like how, in addition to it being an iPhone-only app for now, you also need an invite. It is a club after all.
Plus, if you do know someone who can send you an invite, you should also have an Instagram or Twitter account. Because you don’t get to automatically speak in someone else’s room. And there’s no instant messaging included.
Instead, you get profile space, where you can list your Instagram and/or Twitter links. And people can reach out to you that way.
In my opinion and experience so far, that little bit of hassle is well worth it though. I’m a big believer already.
There are plenty of real estate opportunities to be opened up on Clubhouse, as I’m finding out every other day. And, like Beth Azor, I most definitely intend to walk through the right ones wherever I can.
TORONTO – The Toronto Regional Real Estate Board says home sales in October surged as buyers continued moving off the sidelines amid lower interest rates.
The board said 6,658 homes changed hands last month in the Greater Toronto Area, up 44.4 per cent compared with 4,611 in the same month last year. Sales were up 14 per cent from September on a seasonally adjusted basis.
The average selling price was up 1.1 per cent compared with a year earlier at $1,135,215. The composite benchmark price, meant to represent the typical home, was down 3.3 per cent year-over-year.
“While we are still early in the Bank of Canada’s rate cutting cycle, it definitely does appear that an increasing number of buyers moved off the sidelines and back into the marketplace in October,” said TRREB president Jennifer Pearce in a news release.
“The positive affordability picture brought about by lower borrowing costs and relatively flat home prices prompted this improvement in market activity.”
The Bank of Canada has slashed its key interest rate four times since June, including a half-percentage point cut on Oct. 23. The rate now stands at 3.75 per cent, down from the high of five per cent that deterred many would-be buyers from the housing market.
New listings last month totalled 15,328, up 4.3 per cent from a year earlier.
In the City of Toronto, there were 2,509 sales last month, a 37.6 per cent jump from October 2023. Throughout the rest of the GTA, home sales rose 48.9 per cent to 4,149.
The sales uptick is encouraging, said Cameron Forbes, general manager and broker for Re/Max Realtron Realty Inc., who added the figures for October were stronger than he anticipated.
“I thought they’d be up for sure, but not necessarily that much,” said Forbes.
“Obviously, the 50 basis points was certainly a great move in the right direction. I just thought it would take more to get things going.”
He said it shows confidence in the market is returning faster than expected, especially among existing homeowners looking for a new property.
“The average consumer who’s employed and may have been able to get some increases in their wages over the last little bit to make up some ground with inflation, I think they’re confident, so they’re looking in the market.
“The conditions are nice because you’ve got a little more time, you’ve got more choice, you’ve got fewer other buyers to compete against.”
All property types saw more sales in October compared with a year ago throughout the GTA.
Townhouses led the surge with 56.8 per cent more sales, followed by detached homes at 46.6 per cent and semi-detached homes at 44 per cent. There were 33.4 per cent more condos that changed hands year-over-year.
“Market conditions did tighten in October, but there is still a lot of inventory and therefore choice for homebuyers,” said TRREB chief market analyst Jason Mercer.
“This choice will keep home price growth moderate over the next few months. However, as inventory is absorbed and home construction continues to lag population growth, selling price growth will accelerate, likely as we move through the spring of 2025.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2024.
HALIFAX – A village of tiny homes is set to open next month in a Halifax suburb, the latest project by the provincial government to address homelessness.
Located in Lower Sackville, N.S., the tiny home community will house up to 34 people when the first 26 units open Nov. 4.
Another 35 people are scheduled to move in when construction on another 29 units should be complete in December, under a partnership between the province, the Halifax Regional Municipality, United Way Halifax, The Shaw Group and Dexter Construction.
The province invested $9.4 million to build the village and will contribute $935,000 annually for operating costs.
Residents have been chosen from a list of people experiencing homelessness maintained by the Affordable Housing Association of Nova Scotia.
They will pay rent that is tied to their income for a unit that is fully furnished with a private bathroom, shower and a kitchen equipped with a cooktop, small fridge and microwave.
The Atlantic Community Shelters Society will also provide support to residents, ranging from counselling and mental health supports to employment and educational services.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 24, 2024.
Housing affordability is a key issue in the provincial election campaign in British Columbia, particularly in major centres.
Here are some statistics about housing in B.C. from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s 2024 Rental Market Report, issued in January, and the B.C. Real Estate Association’s August 2024 report.
Average residential home price in B.C.: $938,500
Average price in greater Vancouver (2024 year to date): $1,304,438
Average price in greater Victoria (2024 year to date): $979,103
Average price in the Okanagan (2024 year to date): $748,015
Average two-bedroom purpose-built rental in Vancouver: $2,181
Average two-bedroom purpose-built rental in Victoria: $1,839
Average two-bedroom purpose-built rental in Canada: $1,359
Rental vacancy rate in Vancouver: 0.9 per cent
How much more do new renters in Vancouver pay compared with renters who have occupied their home for at least a year: 27 per cent
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 17, 2024.
