In our latest real estate tech interview, I’m talking to Eric Liu of Rocket Lease. Without further adieu, here’s a bit more from his own mouth…

What do you do?

My company, Rocket Lease, provide online rental applications for property managers (and landlords/real estate agents).  The majority of property managers still use paper or PDF applications. Rocket Lease makes it possible to place a link to an online application on the property managers website, which applicants can fill out from a computer, tablet, or any mobile device.  After applicants complete the application, tenant screening reports are automatically processed and the property manager is notified immediately.

Why do you do what you do?

I’m a landlord as well and have have residential rental property investments.  When I started managing the properties I realized how cumbersome the process can be and how much easier it could be made with technology that is already so prevalent in other industries.  I started building our service as a way to solve my own pain points and through discussions with other property managers, I realized it was a common problem.

What are you most excited about right now?

I’m excited about the increasing pace of real estate tech adoption. Real estate, as an industry, has historically been slow to adopt real technology solutions for a number of reasons. First and foremost, real estate is a people business. I think traditional real estate players have been reluctant to champion tech because there was a perception that tech was trying to *replace* interpersonal interaction.

With mobile phones, apps, and technology becoming more prevalent in other facets of life, it has become clear that tech can be used to *complement* traditional real estate practices and improve the experience for everyone involved. As a result, it seems like industry professionals are not only more amenable to the tools that are becoming available, but are actively becoming involved in creating them.

What’s next for you?

Great question! I haven’t thought much about what’s next, because I’m still writing this chapter. Rocket Lease has connected me with something I feel strongly about, where I feel like I have the ability to make a real impact in how thousands of people interact. If it DID all go belly up though… aquaponic farming. No seriously. Love the idea of sustainable agriculture and there’s a really great vendor at my local farmers market that I talk to about this frequently. 🙂

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

Sustainable food practice. We all eat. All the time. And almost every social gathering in our culture is premised around the sharing and exchange of food and/or beverage. Conventional commercial food production just doesn’t make sense to me.

Thanks to Eric 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.