Inspired by a friend who lost their dream home in a bidding war when their real estate agent went to a party for a few hours, Bay area real estate investors Amit Haller and Ami Avrahami hope to overhaul the entire process with their new app named Reali. They wanted to take the middleman out of the equation altogether with an app that lets you handle every step of the process yourself, with on-call help available along the way.
Buyers start by submitting their mortgage pre-approval paperwork through the app, at which point a Reali employee will verify all the documents. Once you’ve been approved, you’re free to browse available houses. If you find something you like, you’re able to schedule what the company calls an “on-demand open house” at whatever time works best for you.
Where the app really starts to separate itself from its competitors is once that open house starts. It can remotely unlock the door to the house, eliminating the need for an agent to let you in. Once inside, Reali homes will have Bluetooth beacons placed throughout the home, which beam the information about the home to the app, according to Business Insider. If you need more information, you can chat with a Reali expert real-time right through the app.
If you like what you see, you submit your offer through the app, where the seller can view all of the interested parties in one place. The app keeps you up-to-date as the process goes on, alerting you to any counter offers, giving you a chance to respond immediately.
The best part is at the end. Because it has removed a lot of the legwork needed to sell a house, Reali only charges a flat $2,950 administrative fee. The 2.5 percent of the selling price that is the typical buyer’s commission has the $2,950 taken out of it and the rest goes back to the buyer as cash back at close of escrow. On a $1.7-million home, Reali estimates that rebate to just shy of $40,000.
If that house cost just gave you pause, you must not be in Reali’s market. Reali is only available in Palo Alto, where homes regularly cost $2 million. Reali says it is working on expanding to other cities and states, over the course of the next year. Another area where Reali needs to expand is its OS support: Reali is only available on iOS, but has plans to make it to Android soon.
Outdoor security cameras are not always practical if you live in an apartment or rental. Drilling into an exterior wall may be off-limits, while pointing a regular indoor camera through a window can create another problem once reflections start showing up after dark.
Baseus is trying to solve both issues with the new PrimeSentinel W1, a $69.99 security camera designed specifically to monitor the outdoors through glass. It mounts directly to a window without drilling and uses a 4K Starlight sensor with an F1.0 aperture for full-color monitoring during the day and at night.
This post is brought to you in paid partnership with Best Buy.
Technology evolves every day, transforming how we live and work. Our devices are becoming more than tools we use. They are increasingly capable companions that help streamline day-to-day routines and spark creative ideas. If you have been waiting for the right moment to upgrade your tech setup, the Discover Samsung Shopping Event offers an opportunity to explore what connected, AI-powered living can look like.
With AI progressing so fast, it's only a matter of time before we start getting AI companions like the ones we used to see in movies like R2-D2, Wall-E, or Baymax. Now, Singapore-based OKA Technology has unveiled Mori, a cute little AI companion that looks less like a conventional home robot and more like someone turned the Pokémon Foongus into a table lamp.
Mori isn't meant to clean your house or control your smart home, but to serve as what OKA calls a "Nature Companion." It uses subtle movements, warm lighting, nature-inspired sounds, and small reactions to make its presence around the house feel calming rather than distracting. Mori can sit quietly while you read, sway along to music, welcome you when you enter a room, or encourage you to slow down for a moment without requiring a screen or a conversation.