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Property inspection software provider Inspectify has acquired Joule, a firm that uses inspection data to generate energy usage insights, executives announced.

Inspectify announced the deal on its website Wednesday, saying the move will allow it to “streamline what is currently a fragmented and inefficient process.”

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Joule was founded by CEO Heeral Prakash, and this is Inspectify’s second acquisition of 2025. In February it integrated appraisal company Aloft. Now with the Joule deal in place, Inspectify is aiming to become a digital source of truth for the financial and operational data that define residential property value.

“We’ve been working with Heeral already for about three years, and her vision was always that there is a lot of data in an inspection that can replace a stand-alone energy audit,” Inspectify’s Josh Jensen said in a phone call with Inman. “Her product makes a ton of sense for us, it fit what we want to do, and it’s a good home for the tech she built. Joule was looking at the best path to keep growing and with this, we can automate a bunch of workflow round the purchase.”

Using the Home Energy Score created by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Joule’s software derives solutions for energy conservation from common home inspection data. It identifies home systems subject to inefficiency and provides detailed reports accompanied by upgrade recommendations, purchase rebate programs, green financing options and even local contractors able to implement improvements.

Inspectify was approved earlier this year by the DOE to offer formal Home Energy Scores, and the Joule acquisition will bolster its ability to deliver on that offer to customers. Joule is one of only 13 software companies nationwide with such approval.

With the integration already built, inspectors can push their data to Joule to leverage its reporting tools. The union will also help Inspectify expand its reach into traditional consumer sales, as most of its work — close to 15,000 inspections per month, according to Jensen — are on the enterprise side of the industry.

Inspectify offers a way for home inspectors, buyers and other home sale stakeholders to make the property inspection a powerful digital asset to the deal, removing its traditional role as a hurdle to closing or impetus to renegotiate the sale. It offers standardized item input formats with fast, AI-backed item descriptions, cooperation with common industry software products, mobile convenience and easy scheduling and calendar management.

A June 2024 Inman review highlighted the award winning company’s vision for what an inspection can actually become.

“With this acquisition, we’re able to move faster toward a shared vision,” Prakash wrote Wednesday on LinkedIn. “Where homebuyers receive an inspection, appraisal, and energy audit in a single visit — and where energy scores and upgrade pathways are delivered when they matter most.”

Email Craig Rowe

Bigger. Better. Bolder. Inman Connect is heading to San Diego. Join thousands of real estate pros, connect with the Inman Community, and gain insights from hundreds of leading minds shaping the industry. If you’re ready to grow your business and invest in yourself, this is where you need to be. Go BIG in San Diego!

June should be a time of celebration for the LGBTQ+ community — a month of Pride, solidarity and progress. Yet, as we mark this occasion, our community faces unprecedented challenges: a surge in anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, federal policies rolling back protections and a disturbing rise in housing discrimination perpetuated by those who should know better — real estate professionals. 

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Discrimination is not just an LGBTQ problem. By 2030, the U.S. minority population will account for 44.2 percent of the total population and most homebuyers. At a moment when the public is questioning the value and service of real estate professionals, we must not relax our standards. 

The data doesn’t lie: Discrimination is a real problem in real estate 

The LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance’s 2025 LGBTQ+ Real Estate Report, which we will publicly share next week, reveals a troubling trend: Real estate professionals are now the leading source of anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination in housing, according to Alliance members.

When asked where discrimination most frequently occurs: 

• 22.2 percent reported discrimination by real estate agents against prospective homebuyers
• 17.8 percent cited legal forms failing to represent LGBTQ+ life experiences
• 15.7 percent identified discrimination by real estate professionals against prospective tenants

This marks the first time since 2022 that agents have topped the list — a disgraceful distinction that tarnishes our entire profession. Even worse, 33 percent of respondents say anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination has increased over the past three years, the highest level ever recorded by the Alliance. 

Unconscious bias is no excuse – professional standards exist for a reason 

Some might dismiss these findings as “unconscious bias,” but ignorance is not absolution. The National Association of Realtors (NAR) Code of Ethics is unequivocal: 

Realtors shall not deny equal professional services to any person for reasons of race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status, national origin, sexual orientation, or gender identity.” (Article 10, amended 2023) 

Yet, despite this clear mandate: 

• 19.2 percent of respondents report increased unconscious bias at the company level
• 22.2 percent see it rising at the industry level
• 15.5 percent report blatant discrimination at the industry level

These numbers are not just statistics — they represent real people denied homes, dignity and equal treatment because some agents refuse to uphold the ethical standards they swore to follow. 

Discrimination hurts business – and the industry’s reputation 

Real estate is built on trust. When agents discriminate, they don’t just harm individuals — they erode public confidence in the entire profession.

Consider these facts: 

• Only 25.8 percent of LGBTQ+ respondents believe real estate is less discriminatory than other industries — down from 38.8 percent in 2022 
• The mortgage industry fares even worse, with just 19.2 percent viewing it as inclusive, compared to 27.5 percent in 2022

This decline in trust should alarm every Realtor. In an era where more than 1 in 5 Gen Z adults identify as LGBTQ+, and the U.S. is rapidly approaching a majority-minority population, exclusionary practices aren’t just unethical — they’re bad for business. 

The hypocrisy of public discrimination vs. professional conduct 

Realtors must be held to the highest ethical standards. We are stewards of the American people’s experience of buying and selling homes. 

Some agents may think they can publicly oppose LGBTQ+ rights while still serving LGBTQ+ clients. This is delusional. Real estate is a relationship-driven profession — your public persona is your business persona. 

• If you post anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric online but expect queer clients to trust you, you’re lying to yourself
• If you support politicians pushing anti-LGBTQ+ laws but claim to uphold Fair Housing, you are part of the problem 

As the saying goes, “money talks.” LGBTQ+ consumers vote with their dollars and only refer professionals who have treated them well.

In 2023, LGBTQ+ people bought 11 percent of the homes sold in the U.S. that year and pumped $182 billion into the housing economy. That’s green in your pocket, too, and missed transactions if you are perceived as unprofessional. Because referrals work both ways — if your service falls short or is biased, your name will be passed around fast. 

The time for change is now 

We cannot tolerate discrimination — intentional or not.

The solution is clear: 

1. Mandate Fair Housing training for all agents, with a focus on LGBTQ+ inclusion
2. Hold violators accountable — NAR and brokerages must enforce the Code of Ethics
3. Amplify LGBTQ+ voices in real estate to ensure policies reflect real experiences
   

Actions matter. The real estate industry prides itself on professionalism. It’s time to prove it. 

Happy Pride — now let’s do better. 

Justin “JZ” Ziegler is a real estate broker and serves as the 2025 national president of the LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance. Connect with him on Instagram and LinkedIn.

Bigger. Better. Bolder. Inman Connect is heading to San Diego. Join thousands of real estate pros, connect with the Inman Community, and gain insights from hundreds of leading minds shaping the industry. If you’re ready to grow your business and invest in yourself, this is where you need to be. Go BIG in San Diego!

New Motto Mortgage offices in Texas, Florida and Missouri could help RE/MAX’s mortgage franchising business get back into growth mode after five consecutive quarters of declining office counts.

Motto Mortgage DreamNest — already serving the metro Houston market and markets throughout Texas — will host a ribbon cutting ceremony Saturday, June 7, at its recently opened Cypress office.

Owner Frank Martin brings over 17 years of real estate construction and development experience to the new Motto Mortgage brokerage, where Christian Sanchez will serve as branch manager.

“We are thrilled to be open for business in Cypress, and we are looking forward to personally introducing ourselves to the community at our grand opening event,” Martin said in a statement Thursday. “Motto Mortgage DreamNest offers an advantageous alternative to the traditional mortgage bankers currently operating in the Greater Houston area.”

Motto Mortgage had previously announced the opening of new offices in Orlando, Florida (Motto Mortgage United), in March and Girardeau, Missouri (Motto Mortgage Home Advisors), in February.

Motto Mortgage doesn’t make loans itself but provides technology, training and marketing tools to franchisors. Each Motto Mortgage franchise is independently owned, operated and licensed by mortgage brokers who work with multiple wholesale lenders to find the best deal for their clients.

After rapid growth during the pandemic — the number of open offices nearly doubled from 118 in Q1 2020 to 235 in Q2 2023 — Motto Mortgage’s open office count peaked at 246 in Q4 2023 and has been shrinking ever since.

Motto Mortgage open office count

Source: RE/MAX Holdings earnings reports.

Rising mortgage rates slowed the pace at which Motto Mortgage signs new franchise agreements, and some existing franchises have gone out of business or not been renewed. Franchisees sign seven-year agreements directly with Motto Franchising, and 2024 was the first full year Motto has had offices come up for renewal.

In reporting a $2 million net loss for the first quarter, parent company RE/MAX Holdings said there were 224 Motto Mortgage offices open as of March 31, down 8 percent from a year ago.

RE/MAX disclosed in its earnings report that it was providing short-term financial relief to 58 of those offices, which were “temporarily either not being billed and/or having associated revenue recognized.”

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RE/MAX also provides third-party loan processing services to mortgage brokers through another subsidiary, wemlo, which it acquired in 2020.

Karri Callahan

“It’s obviously a tough environment for both the legacy Motto business as well as what we’re seeing in terms of the processing business from a wemlo perspective,” RE/MAX Holdings Chief Financial Officer Karri Callahan said on a May 2 call with investment analysts.

Callahan said the shrinking office count is the biggest driver in the decline in revenue generated by Motto Mortgage and wemlo, but “we really have seen some stabilization there on a sequential quarter basis, which is good to see.”

Company executives were also pleased with the engagement at last month’s Motto Mortgage Innovation and Loan Excellence (MILE) Summit in Orlando, which Callahan called “very, very positive.”

Nearly 300 awards were presented at the MILE Summit, including:

In February, Motto Mortgage was named to the 2025 Entrepreneur Franchise 500 List for the sixth consecutive year, ranking 494th.

RE/MAX announced on March 31 that Motto Mortgage President and CEO Ward Morrison — who led the company during its explosive growth phase — is getting married and has decided to retire on June 15, but will continue to work for the company as a consultant for the rest of the year.

Erik Carlson

On the company’s earnings call, RE/MAX CEO Erik Carlson called Morrison “irreplaceable,” but said an active search is underway — internally and externally — for his successor.

“We have a great team in place at Motto and wemlo, and so that team is doing great things right now,” Carlson said. “Obviously, with the mortgage market, there’s a lot of great candidates out there. So we’ll look both within the walls and outside the walls, and we’ll have an announcement on that, I hope, before our next earnings call.”

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Email Matt Carter

Bigger. Better. Bolder. Inman Connect is heading to San Diego. Join thousands of real estate pros, connect with the Inman Community, and gain insights from hundreds of leading minds shaping the industry. If you’re ready to grow your business and invest in yourself, this is where you need to be. Go BIG in San Diego!

After 25 years as a managing broker where she was known for her training and coaching initiatives, Annette DeCicco pivoted to her role as director of growth and development, creating content and curriculum across multiple brokerages.

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“Our company attracts agents at every level and is dedicated to the growth of all,” she said, “investing in both tech and touch, hard skills and soft skills, to develop the team. That’s one of the reasons I’m a part of this experience, and why others have joined me. If we can’t learn, we can’t grow. Curate culture where camaraderie and learning flourish, where you work for work-life balance and work-life happiness.”

With an organization of approximately 200 agents and employees, “the glue is definitely culture,” DeCicco said. That stems from the company’s deep roots as a family brokerage since 1952, led first by founder Jordan Baris and now by his son, Ken.

Find out how this broker put her background in education to work to create training that resonates and gets results.

Name: Annette DeCicco

Current title: Director of Growth and Development, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Jordan Baris Realty

Location: West Orange, New Jersey

Brokerage name: Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Jordan Baris Realty

Team size: 185

Awards:

• Manager of the Year, 2013, Livingston
• Top office companywide, Prudential New Jersey Properties
• Second place in Prudential Real Estate Affiliates, residential GCI, U.S. Northeast 2013 (rebranded to BHHS the following year)
• Realtor of the Year 2018, North Central Jersey Association of Realtors

How did you get your start in real estate?

That is a classic story I have told to countless new licensees during company orientations. “Before real estate,” as the holder of a graduate degree in education, I was an instructor at a community college. I loved the classroom, but not the bureaucracy.

“Year after year, several of us were RIFFed [reduction in force] at the end of the term and rehired for the start of the new school year to prevent us from getting tenure. After years of no advancement, no opportunity, no income steps, I resigned because someone who would become very important to my success in real estate told me that in sales, “You can earn in direct proportion to your skill level.”

I never looked back, never doubting my ability to reshape myself, to learn or to earn.

Tell us about an epic fail you’ve experienced since you’ve been a broker

It was a fail in recognizing that no matter one’s experience, tributes, stature, whatever one has “earned” and even “given back tenfold,” none of us is protected from unpredictable events that can quickly propel us down to earth. There is no fair in fail.

What I had failed to learn early is that no one is irreplaceable, and no one’s job description is sustainable and “needable” through various markets where other new factors surface. Yes, you can grow all over again if you have the will to do it. Skill without will equals retirement!

There is also no ego in fail. Fail is actually a badge you can wear as you reinvent yourself. When a new door presents itself, don’t wait for someone to invite you in. Proceed across the threshold. Someone, somewhere, may be glad you did.

What’s your top tip for freshly licensed brokers?

This is also a tip for freshly licensed agents. As a “new” managing broker whose job it is to foster office growth, don’t hire anyone who tells you in an interview that they are going to “try” real estate. A new agent’s business will be shuttered as fast as the percentage of restaurants that fail because of  “trying” for the wrong reason.

Money is not a driver. The prospect of money will never drive the “try” because money is not the driver. Money is the result. Managing brokers need to help agents find their “why.” “Why” is not a goal. “Why” is the driver of the goal.

Email Christy Murdock