Is too much Agent- Centricity at the heart of the industry dysfunction?

A couple of months ago I wrote a post called the “Challenge for Positive Change” that highlighted many of the relationship dysfunctions we are experiencing in the industry today. We have the honor of working with large brokers as well as MLSs, Associations, technology companies and even title and home warranty providers. We see misperceptions and distrust running rampant between each of these groups. It’s clear that there are many that are feeling as though our industry could be working together much better than it is at the moment. Fast forward a few weeks and we get to CMLS and [...]

By |2018-05-03T21:24:24-07:00October 24th, 2013|Clients, Main category, MLS Insights|0 Comments

IDX Reboot

This is a rather obscene notion, but sometimes the best way to innovate is to ask a bunch of questions about the status quo. For brokers and MLSs to innovate, they need to question the effectiveness of IDX. I would not question its value. Rather, I believe that it has uncompromising value to MLS participants and subscribers. I question how we can make it more valuable. Perhaps it is time for a reboot. A reboot is a process where you turn something off and turn it back on to stop routines from running that undermine the operation of the machine. [...]

By |2018-05-03T21:24:25-07:00October 24th, 2013|Main category, MLS Insights, Technology Evaluation|2 Comments

Thinking About Regionalizing Your MLS?

We all know there are too many MLSs in the US. It’s just a fact. MLSs were originally set up according to Board boundaries established by NAR based on market areas that existed many years ago. Times and technology have changed everything. Real estate market areas have expanded far faster then our industry has responded so in many areas of the country we have multiple MLSs serving areas that should logically be served by one. It is hard to argue that cooperation and ultimately consolidation is good for everyone involved in buying and selling real estate. Brokers and agents who [...]

By |2018-05-03T21:24:25-07:00October 23rd, 2013|MLS Insights, Our Company, Our Services|2 Comments

One Path for MLSs and Large Brokers to Work Together More Effectively

As many of you know there is quite a bit of discontent with selected large brokers and their MLS relationships. While there are many components to this discontent, there is one tangible action step that MLSs can take to help improve the relationship. The Realty Alliance recently published their Fair Display For MLS Public Facing Websites Document. Fortunately, our experience suggests that most MLS websites comply with these rules. For any MLS that already offers a site or is considering launching one here are the gotta have rules you must follow to be in compliance with The Realty Alliance’s dictate: [...]

By |2018-05-03T21:24:25-07:00October 23rd, 2013|Main category, MLS Insights, Technology Evaluation|3 Comments

RE Technology Top 5 Articles of the Week

Webinar: Is Your Website Designed to Meet the Needs of Tomorrow's First-Time Homebuyers? With new mortgage regulations on the horizon and a larger pool of first-time homebuyers ready to take action, the needs of the next generation of buyers are changing. Join us for a webinar that will review the growing interest among consumers in homeownership programs and how you can use your website to leverage this market opportunity. Date: Thursday October 24th, 2013   Time: 2 pm Eastern / 1 pm Central / 11 am Pacific   5 Steps to Maximizing Your Marketing Budget The most important number you need to [...]

Brokers: Total Transparency of Agent Performance & Activity Is Here

Lead management services have been around in some format for years, of course, and many tech companies have been putting a lot of effort into delivering tools that tie the broker, office manager, and team leader.  Agents historically (and still today) are inconsistent at best with responding to online leads (and are usually worse at follow-up). Brokers need to fix this! CRM providers are responding to two trends we see emerging that are changing the landscape of lead management for brokers. The first one is confounding. Agents want syndication and online advertising but only respond to about 1 in 4 [...]

Austin Board of REALTORS Bids Syndication Farewell

Sunsetting services are never any fun, especially services that do not cost the membership any money. That is exactly what the Austin Board of REALTORS® is on a path to do this spring. The ABoR directors released a formal statement this week announcing the plan to sunset the Listhub agreement by April 30th, 2014.  The process for researching this difficult decision is nicely outlined http://www.abor.com/syndication. In June 2012, the ACTRIS committee, which is the MLS of the Austin area, created a Syndication Task Force with a diverse representation of members and brokers. They cited some interesting findings. The decision to syndicate [...]

By |2018-05-03T21:24:25-07:00October 10th, 2013|MLS Insights, Strategic Planning|6 Comments

Listhub Offers New Terms HAR Agreement

Listhub has finally enrolled the Houston Association of REALTORS® in its listings distribution platform by matching the terms of HAR’s unique needs for listing syndication. Historically HAR has entered into direct agreements with major portals. Houston CEO, Bob Hale spoke briefly about the organization’s strategic shift toward Listhub during our discussion at the Council of MLS meetings in Boise, Idaho. “We track everything so our brokers can maximize their success in online marketing,” said Hale. The Houston Association of REALTORS® pioneered the STAR reports that have long provided their members with detailed reports on listings and leads displayed on HAR.com. What was missing was [...]

Don’t Miss this Webinar on How to Make Your Business Explode with a Lead Generation Program!

Many consumers are looking to educate themselves on the housing market. They often end up on third party sites like Zillow and Trulia to see what listings in their area look like INSTEAD of your own site. WAV Group partner Marilyn Wilson is moderating this RE Technology webinar. This webinar is targeted to real estate brokers. Unfortunately, these sites can provide inaccurate data but time and again consumers head there because it’s the only location that provides them this information. Would you like to learn about an affordable program to attract potential new clients directly to your website, avoiding the [...]

ReTechnology.com Top 5 Articles of the Week

Webinar: Make Your Business Explode with a Powerful Lead Generation Program Many consumers are looking to educate themselves on the housing market. They often end up on third party sites like Zillow and Trulia to see what listings in their area look like INSTEAD of your own site. This webinar will help explain how to leverage your agent or broker site to become your local market's go-to listing information portal that provides accurate information for prospective buyers. Learn how to attain qualified leads that will help your business explode this fall! Date: Tuesday October 8th, 2013 Time: 1 pm Eastern / [...]

CRIS and NORMLS MLS Move to CoreLogic Matrix System

 After an extensive RFP process the Centralized Real Estate Information Service (CRIS) and the Northern Ohio Regional Multiple Listing Service (NORMLS) have chosen CoreLogic's Matrix system as their new MLS platform. CoreLogic's press release follows; IRVINE , Calif., October 1, 2013—CoreLogic® (NYSE: CLGX), a leading residential property information, analytics and services provider, today announced that the Centralized Real Estate Information Service (CRIS) and the Northern Ohio Regional Multiple Listing Service (NORMLS) have entered into a new five-year agreement to license the Matrix™ suite of multiple listing products and services. “The decision to contract with CoreLogic for its Matrix platform was [...]

By |2018-05-03T21:24:26-07:00October 1st, 2013|Main category|1 Comment