(BRK.A), (BRK.B)
Intero Real Estate Services, Inc., a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate and wholly owned subsidiary of HomeServices of America Inc., today announces its partnership with Kukun, an online platform that helps homeowners navigate the home remodeling process.
Available now, Kukun provides all area listings with estimated home renovations costs and the return on investment (ROI) for potential buyers through their website widget on interorealestate.com.
Early results shared through data gathered from the Kukun widget show that the average monthly percentage of homebuyers that check the costs of a home upgrade is 250 percent of the overall listings on Intero’s site, with the most popular renovation estimates being for kitchen and baths, followed by windows and garages. About 12 percent of these users took the next step in searching for contractors for the renovations on Kukun.
“Kukun’s integration gives people more informed buying decisions by providing a transparent view of upgrade expenses and the ROI. With a click of a button, our integration gives the total cost of ownership with estimated renovation costs,” said Raf Howery, CEO and co-founder of Kukun. “Home buyers often want to purchase a turn-key home but can’t afford one in their desired area. Many older homes have the potential to become their dream home with a little TLC, but often fear of renovating causes potential buyers to look elsewhere or remain renters. This is especially true of millennial, first-time buyers who desire to live in big cities and high demand town centers. They often have to purchase an older home that needs work and being able to determine the ROI in real time, allows them to make more educated decisions. By integrating Kukun, homeowners can see exactly what renovation needs to be done, how much it will cost, and what their property will be worth once complete. By informing people, it allows them to make more educated choices.”
Available immediately, all of the real estate listings on Intero Real Estate Services’ website include Kukun’s solution. Future homeowners will also be able to access contractors’ permits in the neighborhood, so they can find vetted contractors who are referenced by neighbors. This eases the pain point for many homeowners of being concerned if the contractor they select is credible.
“As a forward thinking real estate company, we’re excited to continue to advance our services through technology to make the home buying and selling experience better and more transparent,” said Tom Tognoli, Intero President & CEO. “By integrating the Kukun solution into every listing on our website, we can bring extreme value to both consumers and our own agents.”
Kukun is building the bridge between the construction, real estate, loan and retail industries by creating an orchestration platform that accompanies the customer on their home renovation journey from knowing their estimated costs to completing their renovation.
© 2017 David Mazor
Disclosure: David Mazor is a freelance writer focusing on Berkshire Hathaway. The author is long in Berkshire Hathaway, and this article is not a recommendation on whether to buy or sell the stock. The information contained in this article should not be construed as personalized or individualized investment advice. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.