PLACE adds veteran mortgage leader to spearhead deeper integration of Envoy Mortgage into homeownership ecosystem

Chad Smith brings more than two decades of mortgage leadership experience to PLACE, drove revenue gains at Better.com

BELLINGHAM, Wash., Sept. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- PLACE, a real estate and financial services technology unicorn, announced today it's appointed Chad Smith as CEO of Envoy Mortgage and President of PLACE's Mortgage and Financial Services division, signaling a deeper integration of Envoy into the PLACE homeownership ecosystem. The appointment will continue to bolster the homeownership ecosystem at PLACE with a full service mortgage lender, offering consumers a more connected experience, and connecting real estate professionals and institutions with highly productive loan officers and mortgage operations.

"Home financing has long been one of the most opaque aspects of the real estate transaction, but it doesn't have to be that way," said Ben Kinney, the Co-Founder and CEO of PLACE. "By integrating Envoy Mortgage and its highly productive loan officers and operations into the PLACE ecosystem, we'll be able to offer consumers a more transparent, seamless, and connected experience. Adding a leader like Smith will allow us to accelerate growth of our mortgage business while deepening our connected offerings for consumers, real estate professionals, and financial institutions."

Envoy has spent the last three years investing deeply in technology, people, and processes, and it's led to significant growth in both productivity and market share, giving the real estate professionals partnering with PLACE a mortgage company with both a large national footprint and highly productive loan officers and operations.

For Envoy, joining the PLACE ecosystem will allow them to partner more deeply with top real estate professionals across brokerage, title, transaction coordination, utility, and other real estate services. Integration into the PLACE ecosystem will only further increase those productivity gains.

PLACE is a real estate technology and financial services company powering a comprehensive homeownership ecosystem while partnering with and supporting the professionals and institutions that drive the real estate journey. PLACE offers an integrated and diversified portfolio of technology, business services, consumer solutions, and institutional services.

Smith brings more than two decades of mortgage leadership experience to PLACE, including a recent stint as COO and President of Better.com where he helped drive gains in revenue and funded loan volume, which have both grown 2.5x since the first quarter of 2024. He was previously the CEO of Mission Loans and President of Direct Lending at loanDepot.

"I am ecstatic to join the PLACE family," Smith, newly appointed CEO of Envoy Mortgage, said. "Partnering with PLACE allows Envoy to expand its footprint and work with more of the best talent in the real estate industry as we transform the consumer experience through proprietary tech and top mortgage professionals."

About PLACE
PLACE is a category-defining real estate and homeownership technology platform that partners with leading real estate professionals and businesses to deliver integrated technology, business services, and a connected consumer experience. PLACE brings together real estate, mortgage, title and escrow, property management, and home services to simplify the journey of buying, selling, and owning a home. For more information, visit www.PLACE.com.

About Envoy
Envoy Mortgage is a full-service national mortgage lender, founded in 1997 and headquartered in Houston, Texas. Envoy offers a full suite of mortgage services, including loan products, refinancing options, and home buying support. For more information, visit www.envoymortgage.com.

SOURCE PLACE Inc.