News Summary

Toronto-based real estate tech platform myAbode has acquired FirstList, a digital tool for exclusive real estate listings, to enhance its services and expand its executive team. This acquisition sees FirstList’s co-founders, Derek Hooper and Andrew Paliga, joining myAbode’s team, with Paliga taking the role of Vice-President of Product. FirstList’s platform allows real estate agents to manage ‘coming soon’ listings, providing more control and information to connect clients with homes effectively. This move is part of myAbode’s strategy to integrate advanced marketing tools and AI to transform real estate agents’ interactions with their back office. The acquisition reflects a growing trend of traditional brokerages adopting digital platforms to meet market demands. Proptech startups have faced challenges in raising venture capital recently, with a significant drop in funding. myAbode’s parent company, RealServus, is backed by Round13 Capital, and aims to leverage the new acquisition to offer unprecedented access to private listings. The move comes amidst a competitive environment where proptech firms like Keypr, RE/MAX, and Royal LePage are also enhancing their digital offerings.