Kairos Living
Q&A with Phillip Yates, VP of Operations & Head of Leasing & Marketing
How Technology Sets Us Apart from the Competition
Q: To begin, tell me a little about Kairos Living?
A: Kairos Living began operations in July 2019 based out of Chicago. We are a vertically integrated real estate company that handles all aspects of property ownership and operations from sourcing and acquisitions to renovations, leasing and property management.
We currently operate in 17 states and over 60 MSAs with a portfolio fast-approaching 2000 single-family homes with more on the horizon. Our biggest market is Oklahoma City, followed by Amarillo, Birmingham, then Dallas. We are also in Houston, Atlanta, and Fayetteville, to name a few. Our approach to utilizing progressive technology eliminates the need for local offices allowing for more freedom to expand our target markets. Our remote structure also significantly reduces the overall cost of the operation. We run a lean but efficient staffing model with just over 40 employees.
Q: How long have you been involved and focused on the New Construction niche of the industry?
A: Our original sourcing strategy was based on the renovate-to-rent model. As the pandemic hit early last year, we anticipated and quickly shifted our approach to focus on new construction homes acquired through several strategic relationships with national and regional builders.
Q: What attracted Kairos Living to New Construction homes?
A: The appeal for new construction homes is four-fold. The ability to capture higher rent due to a more desirable product for renters, lower R&M and capital expenses with builder and manufacturer warranties in place, lower turnover costs with superior building products and workmanship, and lower property taxes initially captured.
Q: How and when were you introduced to PlanOmatic?
A: Our Leasing Manager, Elizabeth Erikson, had used PlanOmatic at a prior company with great success and knew they would be an essential partner for us to successfully grow our portfolio. Consequently, we have been using PlanOmatic since the start in 2019. We consider PlanOmatic a Premier partner.
The team at PlanOmatic has been extremely engaged and very responsive with the continued expansion of our processes as we grow. They are eager to find new ways to personalize services, reduce turnaround time and provide a superior product for us to hit the market. We greatly value the impact they bring to our business and really see this as a long-term partnership for years to come.
Q: Can you describe how you use the PlanOmatic technology, specifically the 3D Tours?
A: We currently utilize the full stack of services from PlanOmatic to help run our business, from new construction inspections using Property Insights to dynamically marketing our homes with Interior/Exterior Photos, Digital Floorplans and of course 3D Tours.
Marketing a home is a lot like selling a great novel; the goal when a reader picks up the book is to be drawn into the story and visualize themselves engaged with the content. The more dynamic and accessible the book is, the higher probability you will capture a sale. The same goes with property marketing. For most renters, the point of origin starts online when looking for a place to call home. As you compete against other products, it is crucial to utilize every advantage in your arsenal. 3D Tours with PlanOmatic has done exactly that for us; making a defining statement online and hooking the prospect to tour in person. We see a visible ROI from increased lead generation and overall app volume.
Q: Is your focus on technology a key distinction between Kairos and your competitors?
A: Yes. Kairos Living sees technology as a key path to achieve a competitive advantage and differentiate ourselves from other industry players by leveraging that tech in every aspect of our business, empowering us to abandon the traditional “boots on the ground” ideology and embrace more of a centralized operating model.
Proptech is still young in the SFR sector, but we see that changing everyday with new and seasoned platforms that have been servicing multi-family for years gaining large appetites for SFR growth. Our centralized model allows us to be agile, presenting as the ideal group to partner with as these platforms present themselves.
Kairos Living’s success will continue to go hand-in-hand with a culture of innovation and embracing new technologies all while still providing a great experience for our Residents.
For more information, you can email Phillip at pyates@kairosliving.com or visit kairosliving.com.
