Facing the Future of the MLS Buyer Broker Commission Litigation

Are you following any of the Buyer Commission lawsuits? MLSs that require a listing broker to provide a blanket, unilateral offer of compensation to buyer brokers in order to submit a listing to the MLS is likely to be rendered obsolete. Imagining a future of the MLS without the offer of compensation, should be the top issue discussed in MLS board rooms today.

iOi Summit is Next Week – You Should Attend

This is no ordinary real estate conference where speakers “pay to play” and you’re essentially watching commercials on stage for days. The iOi Summit is different.  It doesn’t matter if you’re an investor, a start-up, or a tech-savvy realtor. The event takes place next week on September 28th and 29th, in Los Angeles. Register now!

By |2022-09-21T12:30:49-07:00September 21st, 2022|Associations, Conferences, M&A, Mergers & Acquisitions, NAR|0 Comments

MLS Leaders: Pay Attention to These 3 Key Measurements

There is a saying that goes, “The squeaky wheel gets the oil.” From a repair perspective, that is a good rule to follow, but far too often organizations let the “squeaky wheel” drive important strategic decisions that affect the future direction of the MLS or association. I have seen this happen many times first-hand while creating hundreds of strategic plans for organizations over the years and as an advisor for the Louisiana's broker-owned MLS, Greater Southern MLS. While customer feedback and interviews play an important role in understanding your challenges, as leaders on the board of directors, or in the executive offices, it is crucial that you temper what you hear with real numbers. WAV Group’s Customer Experience Index (CXI) is the first industry wide standard collecting and comparing numbers for MLSs across markets.

By |2022-08-31T16:31:40-07:00August 31st, 2022|Associations, MLS, MLS Insights, Strategic Planning|0 Comments

Five Easy Steps to Turn a Disgruntled Subscriber into a Raving Fan

From WAV Group’s over 20 years of fielding MLS and association customer satisfaction surveys, and from the launch of our new program the WAV Group Customer Experience Index, we have learned a lot about how to use survey results to turn a disgruntled subscriber into a raving fan. Here is a time-tested process that sometimes takes your worst critic and turns them into your most loyal supporter.

MLS Consumer-Facing Lead Generating Websites

What is the role of the MLS to run consumer facing, lead generating real estate websites?  This has been a question that the industry has struggled with since the beginning of the internet search era. For many years, many brokers were not in support of MLS consumer websites because they felt they were competitive with their own online efforts. The classic mantra was “don’t level the playing field.”  

Realtor Associations and MLSs Need to Offer Agent Matching Service

MLSs and Associations have websites that display brokerage and agent rosters, but very few of them provide the kind of information that a potential consumer wants to see when selecting a professional. Brokers (and their technology vendors) would love to get a data feed of their agents. The utility of this data feed goes beyond display on the broker/agent website.

4 WAV Group Executives Named to RISMedia 2022 Real Estate Newsmaker List

Managing Partners Marilyn Wilson and Victor Lund  are joined by WAV Group Communications President, Kevin Hawkins and PR and Communication Strategist, Myra Jolivet in this year’s exclusive group of industry leaders who have made newsworthy contributions to the real estate industry.

Improve Virtual Training Engagement Levels for Your MLS Classes

Training is a key contact point for MLSs to encourage participation from their subscriber base.  We find that one of the largest hurdles to technology adoption is understanding how that technology works and connects to their day-to-day activities as an agent.

By |2022-01-31T13:54:07-08:00January 31st, 2022|Associations, MLS, MLS Insights|1 Comment

The hybrid workplace is likely here to stay: Common hurdles and best practices for MLSs and associations

As an essential job throughout the pandemic in most states, real estate agents continued to help people find the American dream of homeownership. The MLS organizations that supported them did what was necessary to support the local market as they always have, just in new ways. 

2022 is YOUR year to move 100% to the RESO Web API

RETS, the outdated data transport method that was launched in the last century is finally going to be replaced by the RESO Web API, today’s method for efficiently building and deploying data dependent real estate technologies. 

By |2021-12-13T05:04:28-08:00December 13th, 2021|Associations, MLS, Real Estate Technology, RESO, Technology|0 Comments

RESO Unveils 2022 Board of Directors, Executive Committee Leaders

Every December, the election results are revealed that announce the new Board of Directors for the Real Estate Standards organization or RESO. And every year, a stellar slate of industry leaders take the helm at RESO to help guide its vision for a streamlined real estate technology industry. The real estate industry is well represented by this group, which includes: Rebecca Jensen, MRED; Michael Wurzer, FBS; John Breault, State-Wide MLS; and Richard Renton, Triad MLS; Todd Carpenter, NAR; Jason Normandin, NAR; Matt Cohen, CoreLogic; Bob Evans, Move, Inc.; and Mark Lesswing, T3 Sixty; Turan Tekin, Zillow Group; Andy Woolley, Homes.com; [...]

By |2021-12-09T05:49:44-08:00December 9th, 2021|Associations, Uncategorized|0 Comments

CFPB Leadership Becoming More Balanced and User-Friendly

There is a bill gaining traction that will change the governance of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau away from one executive to a bi-partisan board of five leaders. The goal of the governance change is to make the CFBP more inclusive and more considerate of changes to consumer credit, based on input from the real estate and mortgage industry, as well as consumers.