About Kevin Hawkins

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So far Kevin Hawkins has created 348 blog entries.

Looking At VR For Real Estate? AR Will Be Even Bigger

A lot of attention in real estate goes into looking at what the next big thing will be in technology that will impact our business. As a self-confessed closet Geek, I do my best to stay on top of future trends. All things related to data has garnered my greatest attention over the last few years – from Predictive Analytics, to Artificial Intelligence and the emergence of the “algorithm economy.” The future impact of these trends on real estate will be stunning, but there are two other trends closer to the vest for real estate brokerages that could have a [...]

By |2018-05-03T21:23:05-07:00September 14th, 2016|Marketing, Virtual Office Website Series|Comments Off on Looking At VR For Real Estate? AR Will Be Even Bigger

Good PR Sometimes Means Keeping Your Name Out Of The Media

It was a lesson I learned fairly early on in my career in Public Relations and one I will never forget: Good PR sometimes means keeping clear of media coverage. It’s an axiom that not many people understand, but I believe it is actually harder than any other kind of strategic public relations. Let me explain. A deeper understanding I wanted to be in Public Relations since I was a junior in high school. That is quite the anomaly, as even today, most high school juniors do not have a clue as to what PR really is. But I was [...]

By |2018-05-03T21:23:05-07:00September 14th, 2016|Marketing|Comments Off on Good PR Sometimes Means Keeping Your Name Out Of The Media

3 Takeaways From The Florida Realtors Convention

In Orlando, Florida, the energy was electric, the attendance was impressive (several thousand) and the headliner was Jay Leno. Florida Realtors marked their 100th anniversary with a bash that will be long remembered, a hallmark salute to the accomplishments of one of the largest and most enduring state trade associations in America. For me, it was a return trip to a convention I knew well, having been an architect of a major sponsorship by my one time employer, Great Western Bank, many decades ago. The quick trip I took from Seattle to Orlando was well worth the investment, and it brought a [...]

By |2018-05-03T21:23:05-07:00September 14th, 2016|Broker Technology Research, Main category|Comments Off on 3 Takeaways From The Florida Realtors Convention

MetroList® gives agents powerful new mortgage affordability tool

  Agents using RatePlug technology report faster sales cycle, provide better data to buyers Naperville, IL (Chicagoland) – August 24, 2016 – For the first time, MetroList® agents and homebuyers will be able to view on MetroList – their local Multiple Listing Service (MLS) – total monthly housing payments for every property listed for sale, including current mortgage rates, taxes, assessments, and home owners insurance information. MetroList Services Inc., the largest MLS in Northern California has released RatePlug’s new mortgage technology to its more than 17,000 real estate brokers and agents in Sacramento, Placer, El Dorado, Yolo, San Joaquin, Stanislaus [...]

By |2018-05-03T21:23:07-07:00August 24th, 2016|Broker-Agent Information, MLS Insights|Comments Off on MetroList® gives agents powerful new mortgage affordability tool

CoreLogic Earns Real Estate’s Top Award as “Most Innovative” Company

When you dominate an industry by market share as CoreLogic does in real estate, there are certain adjectives that become elusive. One of them is “innovative.” That’s because Conventional Wisdom in real estate says that when it comes to tech firms, it’s only the ones with the shiniest and newest objects – run by the new kids on the block – that are deemed innovative. Certainly, it’s not a word typically used to describe a company founded in the early 1990s. Yet about 10 days ago, something remarkable happened in the City of San Francisco, one of the bastions of [...]

By |2018-05-03T21:23:07-07:00August 17th, 2016|Broker Technology Research, Press Releases|Comments Off on CoreLogic Earns Real Estate’s Top Award as “Most Innovative” Company

5 Ways CEOs Fail When Being Interviewed

Years ago, I worked with Anne Ready, who founded Ready for Media, perhaps the best media training firm in Los Angeles. Working with Anne laid the foundation in my PR education early on when it came to media training. I have relied on her tools, tricks and tactics to help me through the years to teach CEOs how to prepare and be prepared when working with reporters. Having worked for some of the largest financial institutions in the world, I also have had the unique opportunity to interact with C-level (CEOs, COOs, Chairs, CMOs, CTOs, etc.) executives in preparing them [...]

By |2018-05-03T21:23:09-07:00August 16th, 2016|Main category|Comments Off on 5 Ways CEOs Fail When Being Interviewed

Understanding the 4 “L’s” of Strategic PR

We’re often asked at the WAV Group, “What makes your PR services different?” It’s a great question, as frankly most public relations firms don’t specialize solely in real estate and real estate technology PR. Moreover, many PR firms today provide an unbalanced focus on social media and largely ignore regularly engaging, directly, with traditional media. At WAV Group Communications, we think the better approach is Strategic PR, and it’s our great differentiator. To understand what makes Strategic PR plans and execution different, let’s take a look at the 4 “L’s” that explain the differences between what we do and what [...]

By |2018-05-03T21:23:10-07:00August 16th, 2016|Strategic Planning|Comments Off on Understanding the 4 “L’s” of Strategic PR

Imprev Study: Upstream garners remarkable support

Going into Real Estate Connect San Francisco, Upstream CEO Alex Lange should be all smiles when he reads the latest Thought Leader Survey – an Upstream-focused study – from real estate marketing automation leader Imprev. The latest Imprev study released today shows that 84% of the more than 300 top real estate execs participating say they “support” Upstream. Alex already had a strong wind of momentum at his back after releasing, to much praise, the new Upstream website. Upstream is also nominated for a 2016 Innovator Award by Connect conference organizer, Inman News. The nomination in itself is a considerable [...]

By |2018-05-03T21:23:10-07:00August 2nd, 2016|Broker Technology Research, Broker-Agent Information, Marketing, Press Releases, Suveys and Research|Comments Off on Imprev Study: Upstream garners remarkable support

RESO slashes Brokerage membership dues, makes Certification member benefit

The Real Estate Standards Organization – or RESO – just announced two big moves. First, RESO is eliminating separate Certification fees by making all Certifications a member benefit, covered by annual RESO dues effective immediately. Second, beginning in January, Real Estate Brokerages with fewer than 100 agents can become a RESO member for just $50 a year, slashed from $500 a year previously. Membership fees – shown below in the news release issued this morning – have been overhauled for 2017 and takes into account folding in Certification fees, which should be welcomed news for larger MLSs. RESO is pushing hard to get [...]

By |2018-05-03T21:23:10-07:00July 26th, 2016|Main category, Marketing, MLS Insights|Comments Off on RESO slashes Brokerage membership dues, makes Certification member benefit

20 Years and Counting: Still Waiting For Digital Real Estate Transactions

In the 1990s, it was called disintermediation. In the 2010s, we are calling it disruption. Back then, we talked about a “new paradigm” that would alter the real estate business forever. Now we talk about “new business models” doing the same. The names may have changed, but the bottom line is this: I am still waiting for digital real estate transactions to be a common practice, not the exception to the rule.   What has really changed? Next month in early August, like many of my colleagues, I am heading to Inman News Real Estate Connect in San Francisco. It’s [...]

By |2018-05-03T21:23:11-07:00July 20th, 2016|Broker Technology Research, Broker-Agent Information|Comments Off on 20 Years and Counting: Still Waiting For Digital Real Estate Transactions

The Confident House Hunter: A Better, Different Way to Buy

It was a sunny day on beautiful Bainbridge Island two years ago when I met with Dylan Chalk. It was at the New Rose Café, a nearly secret lunch spot hidden among the plants and outdoor sculptures at the historically significant Bainbridge Gardens. Dylan had an idea for a new book about home buying and he was seeking my professional counsel, as well as my writing, editing – and eventually – promotional skills. As a member of the National Association of Real Estate Editors (naree.org) for more than a couple of decades, I have received enough books about buying a [...]

By |2018-05-03T21:23:11-07:00July 20th, 2016|Broker Technology Research, Broker-Agent Information, Main category|Comments Off on The Confident House Hunter: A Better, Different Way to Buy

CoreLogic Nails “Inman Innovator Award” Nomination with Trestle

One of the most coveted honors in real estate is the Inman Innovator Awards from Inman News. Just being nominated is a huge honor and CoreLogic just scored a nomination for Trestle. Andrea Brambila, Deputy Editor of Inman News, who adroitly covers the MLS industry, recently wrote about Trestle:“CoreLogic unveils a marketplace for real estate data; New tech gets agents closer to ‘plug-and-play’ tools.” Her 3 takeaways nail why this product is getting such a heavy-duty buzz before it’s officially launched: The new Trestle dashboard from CoreLogic will offer brokers, MLSs and tech companies a marketplace to purchase MLS and CoreLogic data. Brokers and [...]

By |2018-05-03T21:23:12-07:00June 20th, 2016|Main category, Press Releases|Comments Off on CoreLogic Nails “Inman Innovator Award” Nomination with Trestle