My guest in this episode is Rafael Niesten from Bricks + Agent - a platform that specialises in making it easy for property managers to organise maintenance. It is special in a couple of ways. First of all, it's integrated already into most of the big property management platforms out there. So it's a feature that's sitting inside the software that you're already familiar with and that you're already using, it's designed to save you thousands of hours that we know property managers lose each year inside that email tsunami, it stops the need for you to run everything through your email or through phone calls because it has pushed notifications telling you what needs attention and what has been actioned. But the most astonishing thing of all, is that Bricks + Agent is absolutely free for property managers to use because their business model is based on being a marketplace for trades and services.

1. The Bricks + Agent elevator pitch, it’s customers and the primary pain points it solves.

2. Raf gives us a terrifying overview of the amount of work that goes into a single maintenance request and how poorly managed maintenance impacts on the reviews of the agency overall.

3. Some even bigger numbers about the size of the maintenance market in Australia.

4. Raf explains how Bricks + Agent works, the PM systems that they are embedded with and how an integrated system is more efficient than sending emails.

5. The technology that is providing security and comfort around job standards – even if you can’t physically inspect it.

6. How Bricks + Agent is becoming a market place for tradies.

7. The business model of Bricks + Agent and the benefits to property managers of having a free service.

8. Raf explains how the business went global, his participation in an Austrade landing pad and how he got stuck in Singapore.

9. The competitive landscape of property maintenance

10. How Covid19 has ramped up the importance of remote inspections, managing properties from.

11. The history of Bricks + Agent and how it came into being and how quickly it has grown.

12. Raf’s history in the medical software industry and how his personal experiences as a landlord shaped Bricks + Agent

13. The power of mobility, visibility and transparency in property management and maintenance.

14. Bricks + Agent have had a lot of high profile exposure and support. Raf explains the programs they have been part of, including their launch on Shark Tank.

15. Raf discusses the importance of remaining lean as a startup and the benefits of being self-funded

16. Raf provides his predictions for proptech, including why he thinks we’re entering a period of consolidation, and how Covid19 is making real estate agents look at ways to improve their businesses.

17. How disruption and technology is affecting the trades and building industry – which has arguably been even slower to adopt to technology than real estate.

18. Bricks + Agent’s plans for growth