Last week was Inman Connect in New York, which is always a fun trip for me. I simply love New York (and thought about moving there a few years ago).

Over the course of the week, I spoke with a wide range of startups, and discussed a variety of topics. Here’s a few that left an impression:

• mythic-vr.com: I’d previously experienced lighter weight VR devices powered by mobile phones, but never a full scale immersive experience. We’re still very very early, but VR is definitely looming on the horizon.
• RealScout: I’ve long thought there was a compelling opportunity facilitating the buyer-agent-properties experience, and it took a conversation with Pierre to make me realize that’s where RealScout’s focus lies. That also seems to be the focus of Homesnap/BPP based on Sam’s analysis. It’s crowded territory, and becoming more crowded by the month.
• APIs: At Hacker Connect, APIs was a topic which came up at virtually every session I attended (and every session summary at the end of the day). With so many vendors, tech systems, and data sources, piecing everything together proves quite the chore. Zillow Group is certainly investing heavily in this area with RETSLY, Tech Connect & Bridge Interactive.
• Opendoor: They are making a huge bet (in mortgages according to Rob), and raising/investing accordingly. Go big or go home; there will be no middle ground. Offerpad and Knock are chasing, with no doubt numerous more knock-offs in the works.
• Haus: Of all those trying to make the bidding/buying process more transparent (Opendoor being another), they are the only one doing it without involving themselves in the transaction as a brokerage.
• AI/Alexa: On stage, Rich Barton mentioned, “What happens when Alexa speaks first?” I’ll likely dig into that topic as a standalone post, given Alexa is the newest electronic in my condo.

That’s all for now. I might dig into a few other topics in the coming days/weeks.