Propmodo Technology

By Franco Faraudo · April 1, 2025

Greetings,

This week the iBuyer Opendoor acquired Doma’s closing and escrow business is an attempt to diversify beyond the volatile iBuying model by capturing more fee-based, recurring revenue tied to transactions rather than home inventory risk. In the near term, the impact may be limited given muted refinancing demand, but longer term it could help stabilize margins and improve unit economics if housing activity rebounds—though it doesn’t fully solve the company’s exposure to broader housing market cycles.

By integrating Doma’s AI-driven title and closing technology, Opendoor is aiming to reduce one of the most stubborn frictions in housing: the cost and complexity of refinancing, which can run high enough that many borrowers won’t refinance unless rates drop significantly. The combined platform could eliminate parts of the title insurance process for low-risk loans and automate key steps like escrow and underwriting, potentially saving borrowers around $1,000 per refinance while speeding up timelines.

This week we're looking at the widening gap between AI ambition and AI execution in commercial real estate. Nearly 90% of CRE firms have launched AI pilots, but only 5% say they're hitting their goals — and the firms that are finding real ROI aren't chasing flashy demos, they're starting with grunt work like lease abstraction and building intelligence layers on top of structured data. Meanwhile, venture capital is pouring billions into AI-native proptech, the major brokerages are tying AI directly to C-suite strategy, and a new wave of "agentic AI" platforms promises digital coworkers that don't just surface answers but execute entire workflows autonomously.

Let’s go!

Artificial Intelligence

The AI Adoption Paradox in Commercial Real Estate

Most CRE firms are piloting AI, but only 5 percent are seeing results. The gap between adoption and execution is reshaping competitive advantage across the industry.

https://propmodo.com/the-ai-adoption-paradox-in-commercial-real-estate/

Don’t Lose the Last 10%: Why Custom AI in Commercial Real Estate Is the Competitive Edge

Generic tools are useful but in order to harness the full potential of AI the real estate industry needs to embrace tech purpose built for its specific needs.

https://propmodo.com/dont-lose-the-last-10-why-custom-ai-in-commercial-real-estate-is-the-competitive-edge/

Bytes

♾️ Spliced
Enterprise internet infrastructure provider Meter has acquired WiredScore, the global benchmark for digital connectivity in real estate. The acquisition combines Meter’s networking hardware with WiredScore’s certifications to set the standard for high-performance connectivity in buildings worldwide.

🦒 Full picture
London-based Giraffe360 raised $10 million in Series B funding to scale its robotic camera platform that generates HDR photos, virtual tours, LiDAR floor plans, video, and staging from a single property visit, using 50+ machine learning models to replace what traditionally requires multiple contractors and production steps.

✨ Abstract thinking
VTS has launched Asset Intelligence, an AI-powered platform that transforms static lease documents into dynamic, queryable data. Built on 13 billion square feet of real estate and 600,000+ leases, it gives property teams instant abstractions with human verification, conversational search, and seamless workflow integration.

More Propmodo Technology

Central Texas’s Data Center Boom Is Repricing Land, Power, and Industrial Development

Austin’s data center boom is reshaping land values, industrial development, and power infrastructure across Central Texas as hyperscalers, utilities, and local communities collide.

https://propmodo.com/central-texass-data-center-boom-is-repricing-land-power-and-industrial-development/

Digital Property Rights Could Be Real Estate's Next Billion Dollar Asset Class

Creating a digital rights frameworks would let landlords license their property for AR campaigns, games, and apps the same way they lease physical space, creating a new revenue stream from an untapped asset.

https://propmodo.com/digital-property-rights-could-be-real-estates-next-billion-dollar-asset-class/

AI Helps Retailers Bring Digital Personalization to Physical Stores

Retailers like Ulta, Sephora, and Starbucks are using AI personalization to make brick-and-mortar stores more valuable, connecting digital customer data to in-store experiences.

https://propmodo.com/ai-helps-retailers-bring-digital-personalization-to-physical-stores/

Why Office-to-Residential Conversions Still Come Down to a Few Hard Truths

Office-to-residential conversions can work, but only when basis, building design, rents, timelines, and incentives align tightly enough to make the capital stack pencil.

https://propmodo.com/why-office-to-residential-conversions-still-come-down-to-a-few-hard-truths/

Beyond the AI Bubble: Building Enduring Intelligence for Real Estate

In order to prevent an AI bubble, real estate tech companies are having to prove practical uses of artificial intlligence that can actually work at scale to help opperators save time and money.

https://propmodo.com/beyond-the-ai-bubble-building-enduring-intelligence-for-real-estate/

Propmodo Technology is edited by Franco Faraudo with contributions from readers like you and the Propmodo team.

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