In our latest real estate tech interview, I’m talking to Chris Chyung of Devonshire Lane. Without further adieu, here’s a bit more from his own mouth…

What do you do?

I am a product developer and founder of DevonshireLane.org. We empower consumers by helping them find capable real estate agents through comprehensive, filterable recommendations. One of the most talked-about problems in the real estate industry today is the difficulty in finding competent, satisfactory agents. Homebuyers and sellers often choose agents simply out of convenience or familiarity, instead of using data and trustworthy experiences of the crowd. Devonshire Lane aims to fill that gap by offering reviews that combine specific metrics like commission percentages and days on market with the personal narrative of the highs and lows of every reviewer’s experience. Our mission is to create a community of smarter homebuyers and sellers.

Why do You Do What you Do?

As a Zillow addict, I am passionate about real estate and the influence it has over how we live; I would be a totally different person if I had grown up in a big city or even outside of the US! Devonshire Lane is named after the street where I grew up in Indiana. I took a year off from studying engineering at Columbia University to pursue my entrepreneurial goals (much to the chagrin of my parents). Devonshire Lane began as an FSBO tool and morphed into an “Amazon for home buying” before turning into what it is today. I love the flexibility and dynamism of entrepreneurship: Every day presents a new and engaging problem to solve.

What are you most excited about right now?

I spend a lot of time reading about trends in technology in pretty disparate subjects, like virtual reality, the Internet of things, 3D printing, and unmanned aircraft. I consider high-tech a sort of foil to the real estate industry since it is so quick to adopt change and newcomers upset the major industry players so frequently. I like to think Devonshire Lane unites both camps: As people’s dependence on technology grows, they will want to know how their virtual presence can better their physical lifestyle. All kinds of data are out there, and it’s just a matter of packaging it into a user-friendly, trustworthy experience online!

What’s next for you?

Who knows! I work around the clock trying to make Devonshire Lane better and finding out what our users like and dislike. I’m hoping that the experience I gain from working on product development, customer service, basic accounting, outreach/social media management, and design will teach me a lot in the long run.

What’s a cause you’re passionate about and why?

I am interested in income inequality. It’s been a pretty pervasive issue in America for the last several years, and I am curious what the future holds for the ever-widening wealth divide. The implications span all spheres of influence, whether social, political, or economic. At the micro-level, this issue hits hard to home for me, as the area where I grew up is especially divided by wealth lines. It is an unfortunate circumstance and I’m hoping I can mitigate the situation in some way in the future, using the profits and the knowledge I gain from Devonshire Lane.

Thanks to Chris for sharing his motivations and current projects. If you’re interested in connecting with him further, you can find him on Oh Hey World and LinkedIn.

We’ll be featuring other real estate tech entrepreneurs in the coming weeks. If you are an entrepreneur in the real estate vertical (past or present), and want to be profiled, please follow the steps outlined here. Remember, you can always discover other people in the Geek Estate community here.