Christoper Li is the captain of software at Ahoy!
Describe what you do in one sentence. The majority of my time is spent building features for our product, Quantum Elite, and providing technical support for our clients.
Time at current company: 26,280 hours
Age: 26
Degree, school: Bachelor’s in computer science and bachelor’s in mathematics
Location: Sunny Destin, Florida
Social media: LinkedIn
What do you do?
Quantum Elite partners with agents to provide virtual office websites that are tailored to their brokerage and market. We also provide a companion CRM that ensures customer nurturing and prioritization.
How’d you end up in real estate tech?
How does anybody ever end up in real estate? There was the opportunity and lots of potential, which is why I think many professionals chose their careers in the real estate industry, not just in the tech side of things.
What aspects of real estate are you trying to make better?
With companies like Google, Apple and Amazon, people have become used to instant gratification with products, services and data. But real estate is so local and always changing that agents and brokers will always be a necessity. We do our best to bridge this gap of user expectation and the need for professional guidance by providing a platform that users can feel free to roam and search for their new home, whilst being in the sandbox of an agent’s or broker’s advice and knowledge when needed. This is the power of a virtual office website.
What’s your favorite part of what you do?
There’s something very satisfying about knowing that a product that you built from scratch is helping hundreds of thousands of people. I take pride in that.
What products have you had a part in developing in the past? Describe the product — the idea and the execution.
In my previous life before Quantum, I dabbled in the mobile app arena. There is one app that I am particularly proud of; it’s a photo-sharing app with a more personal touch. To share a photo you would simply pinch the photo like you were picking it up right off your phone, and then pinch out on your friend’s phone and the photo would appear as if you were literally dropping it there. It was pretty cool!
Favorite food?
The No. 10 at In-N-Out Burger (I’m on a diet). Kudos if you get this!
Favorite band or singer?
Fo’ sho’ Katy Perry … but not for her songs :) … OK, her songs are pretty awesome, too.
Favorite city?
In which city does Katy Perry live? If San Francisco, then perfect!
What do you hate about technology?
Am I the only person who hates getting a billion Facebook invites to play Candy Crush?! Why can I not block those notifications? There should be an app for that.
In or out of real estate, is there one problem, large or small, that you would like to solve?
The ever-growing Facebook Candy Crush notification pandemic.
What is one thing you would like to fix about the real estate industry?
Fix? Nothing … Improve? A lot. The real estate industry was around long before products like ours were invented, and I’m pretty sure the industry wasn’t “broken” before that. We’re all here just trying to improve the tools and the facilitation of customers meeting with professionals and purchasing some real estate. If we can improve your ROI with tech, help nurture customers with tools, and provide efficiency with automation, then we “fixed” what we wanted.
Do you think technology can change the industry?
It clearly has already. I think the more interesting question is if it is a good change or a bad change? I think there is evidence for both, but nevertheless, the marriage of tech and real estate is here to stay … for better or for worse.
What motivates you?
Death. I know it sounds kind of morbid and dramatic, but something Steve Jobs once said in his commencement speech at Stanford struck a chord with me: “Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.”
Are you a real estate hacker who’d like to participate in our profile series? Email amber@inman.com.