SmallChange.co

02/09/2023

02/08/2023

Venture on 12th Place, a 30-unit value add residential complex. Their projects were available only to Arizona until last year, when they launched their first successful offering on SmallChange.co! https://bit.ly/3T7CwbZ

02/01/2023

The Aux is using an innovative financial model to level-up past inequities. Learn how to . On SmallChange.co. https://bit.ly/3AUJl8A

01/31/2023

Did you know that white real estate agents make almost three times as much as their Black peers do?

According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), only 6% of realtors are Black. Racism continues to undermine their ability to get ahead. Big time.

In their everyday work lives, Black agents deploy tactics that I have never had to consider, such as changing my name, making sure that no one sees my photo, and keeping my credentials handy. And no one has called the police on me when I’m entering a unit to show a listing. That is downright scary.

Residential sales for white agents averaged $356,000 while those of their Black peers averaged $246,000. And median sales volume was $1,998,000 versus $474,500, according to an NAR survey. These statistics are driven by the smaller pool of clients and smaller commissions for Black agents, since homes owned by Black people are undervalued by around 23%.

There are plenty of bad actors in the industry as well, sharing bigger splits with their white colleagues and not returning calls from Black agents. This practice is bad enough that in 2020 the NAR apologized.

There’s more of course. Writing a Facebook post about this awful state of affairs seems trite. But you have to start somewhere.

What do you think?

01/25/2023

20 tiny . 15 acres. 1 lake. Unplugged from the busyness of life, but still close to 4 Texas metro areas. Learn how to and bring this project to life. At SmallChange.co https://bit.ly/3BZFZli

01/24/2023

Real cyclists used to scoff at E-bikes. Toys for tech geeks or senior riders, they said.

But check it out. Look around. There’s an E-bike revolution underway, helping to push alternative mobility infrastructure to the forefront. Sleek e-bike racks have replaced old-fashioned bike-shares. Walmart has an e-bike shop. Roads and bike lanes have given way to new technology. And e-bikes have begun to bridge the divide between “them” and “us”. Now recreational, senior and not so fit riders can climb hills and explore a city as easily as someone who has trained for the Tour de France. Well, almost.

In 2019, over 423,000 E-bikes sold in the Netherlands. In 2020, Germany sold over 2 million. During the pandemic, e-bike sales increased by 240 percent! Now you plonk down just $500 at Walmart or $5,000 for a spiffy Dutch version and be part of the wave. Whatever you do, E-bikes are here to stay.

We love bikes. We own six. Real ones, without batteries attached. One for trail riding, a couple for city-riding, one that folds into a suitcase and a few more for display. We used to think e-bikes were cheating. Now, we’re just itching to buy one.

What about you?

01/19/2023

"Paul Rabinovitch joins Smallchange.co Crowdfunding Platform as strategic advisor, writes Asset Digest. https://bit.ly/3Xzcz6v

01/18/2023

What is the Creative Homies Enterprise Building? A historic building. A plan for a BIPOC creative hub. A design with studio, jazz bar, gallery, equipment rental and more. A project led by a Black team. On SmallChange.co. https://bit.ly/3vt5hFK

01/17/2023

47 million appraisal reports reveal that homes owned by white people will increase in value at twice the rate of homes owned by Black people.

Are you surprised?

It gets worse. A home in a white neighborhood has 3x the value of a comparable home in a Black neighborhood. Note: The comparison neighborhoods have similar socio-economic status and similar amenities.

There has to be a way to solve this problem. Some are hoping that technology and machine learning will strip the bias away. But let's face it. It's a myth to believe that we are living in a post-racial (and gender-equal) society today. We aren’t.

We wonder how this impacts new real estate projects developed in majority Black neighborhoods? Appraisers hold the key to whether or not a project will find sufficient funds. Banks base loans for new projects on appraised value.

Our hearts ache for the Black developers listing on SmallChange(dot)co. Will they ever get the chance to catch up?

What do you think?