A recent blog introduced you to “HausAngeles” and described what we do, the geographies we serve, what’s unique about our approach and who’s on the team. If you missed that blog and related newsletter, please click here to check it out: Introducing HausAngeles. Now, I’d share with you our mission and vision for HausAngeles. You can listen to me describing this live or read the text below:
Foundation: HausAngeles – and it’s vision and mission – are grounded in who we (the co-founders of HausAngeles) are as people and what we’re trying to accomplish in life. Here are the key drivers:
1. Our Passions and Interests: AV and I have the following key passions and interests (which are reflected in both our educational and professional experiences to date): Public Policy/Economics, Problem Solving, Business/Marketing, Architecture/Design and Technology. We plan to create a business that “connects these dots” in a way that could sustain our family consistent with our values.
2. Our Values and Principles: We are building a business that reflects who we are as people in 2 key ways: (a) It’s not just about making money, but in a significant way about giving back and helping others; (b) We always do what we believe is right, no matter what
3. Our Family and Life Goals: We are highly family oriented and love Los Angeles (where we live). We want to create a business that is local and doesn’t require regular travel.
Mission: With a foundation in the above principles/goals, our mission at HausAngeles is to:
1. Solve real problems on the ground: As we all know, there are plenty of problems in the real estate market right now particularly in the area of foreclosures and foreclosure prevention
2. Improve the practice of real estate: In particular, we see a need and opportunity to:
a. Better educate and inform consumers on the market situation and also the real estate/mortgage process. This includes everyone given how complex the mortgage and real estate process is, but particularly those that are less educated and looking for homes in the lower priced ranges.
b. Improve the level of professionalism and ethics practiced in real estate
3. Help people and create opportunities: We are passionate about helping those less fortunate than us. As founders of a private company, we can make our company anything we want and so we decided to become social entrepreneurs by:
a. Donating 10% of our earnings – before either AV or I get paid – to help people in need or to create opportunities for those that lack them such as the kids that live in public housing developments
b. Donating more when we make more: For transactions over $1million, we will increase the above number to 15% and for transactions over $2million, we will increase it to 20%
Vision: Based on the above as well as the reality on the ground in Los Angeles real estate, here is vision and focus at HausAngeles:
1. Foreclosure Prevention and Loss Mitigation: Design and implement innovative programs to help consumers, prevent foreclosures, reduce lender losses, and help the housing market find its bottom. We have developed a short (3 pages total) vision on this topic, which is published on this blog. We will be working with key lenders/servicers to design, pilot, refine and widely share (with an open source philosophy) programs consistent with this vision. Stay tuned for an announcement on a key foreclosure prevention program pilot we are slated to launch in the next 30 or so days – in the area of lender assisted short sales.
2. Affordable housing/First Time Home Buyers: In real estate, those generally less educated, less informed consumers who are looking for lower priced “affordable” homes (say in the $200,000 to 400,000 range) and need education/information on the mortgage and real estate process the most….unfortunately receive the worst quality real estate support and education. We think this makes no sense, and will be focusing on supporting this key market with high quality, education driven first time home buyer/affordable housing programs.
3. Investments: We believe it is likely the current down housing market will represent some of the best real estate investment opportunities in our lifetimes. Certainly, we plan to personally “double down” in real estate during this cycle. We will be working with investors, as individuals and in groups, to help them identify and execute on real estate investment opportunities.
