Rethinking the MLS as a Monopoly

For decades, Multiple Listing Services (MLS) have been perceived as monopolizing specific geographic areas and agent networks. They've been seen as an exclusive resource for accessing comprehensive property listings and facilitating transactions. However, recent insights from the WAV Group Customer Experience Index have shed light on a surprising statistic: 29% of agents belong to more than one MLS. This revelation challenges the notion of MLS as monopolistic entities and emphasizes the importance of reevaluating their value proposition and fostering collaboration among organizations to better serve the real estate community.

By |2024-02-26T11:45:57-08:00February 26th, 2024|Industry Observations, MLS, MLS Insights|0 Comments

Why is a non-REALTOR MLS subscription something that needs to be examined?

In the ever-evolving landscape of real estate, recent legal battles and settlements have shed light on the significance of examining non-REALTOR MLS subscriptions. We discussed this topic recently in our webinar 350,000 agents don’t have to be REALTORS® anymore - Is your MLS ready? While much is still undetermined from the recent settlement, there is a  key takeaway – a notable shift in the landscape concerning NAR (National Association of Realtors) membership requirements. Specifically, recent settlements, including one with Keller Williams, have highlighted that brokerages representing a staggering 550,000 agents are either unable or unwilling to mandate NAR membership or the associated three-way agreement.

By |2024-02-22T12:57:26-08:00February 22nd, 2024|Associations, Industry Observations, MLS, MLS Insights|0 Comments

Real AI: Combating lazy AI, Bard Art, facts, headlines, and the Quote of the week

By Kevin Hawkins with Korey Hawkins | Vol. 2 Post 5 Real AI is a 100% human-created weekly roundup of all things AI in real estate and emerging AI innovations in other sectors likely to impact real estate, posting a new edition every Friday. Combating AI laziness How often have you had to "Regenerate" a response in ChatGPT because it did not complete your assigned task? You are not alone. Declining performance became widely reported by users in December. Users labeled ChatGPT’s degraded performance with a very human term, calling it lazy. One immediate workaround for ChatGPT laziness was to [...]

MLS Training: Empowering Hispanic Real Estate Agents in the United States

With an increasing number of Hispanics involved in the real estate market, it is imperative to provide them with the necessary tools for success in their native language.

By |2024-02-02T12:46:13-08:00January 31st, 2024|Industry Observations, MLS Insights|0 Comments

Real AI: The magic of the prompt, AI dominates Connect NY, facts, headlines and the Quote of the week

By Kevin Hawkins with Korey Hawkins | Vol. 2 Post 4 Real AI is a 100% human-created weekly roundup of all things AI in real estate and emerging AI innovations in other sectors likely to impact real estate, posting a new edition every Friday. The magic of the prompt There’s a secret to maximizing the effectiveness of generative AI that every real estate practitioner who uses AI must know above all else: the key to unlocking the best AI has to offer is in your prompts. This is a universal AI truth. It does not matter if you are using [...]

Real AI: Survey reveals real estate’s heavy use of AI, fast facts, five headlines, and a Quote of the Week

By Kevin Hawkins with Korey Hawkins | Vol. 2 Post 3 Real AI is a 100% human-created weekly roundup of all things AI in real estate and emerging AI innovations in other sectors likely to impact real estate, posting a new edition every Friday. AI survey reveals real estate’s heavy use, wide adoption A brand new study from real estate tech leader Delta Media shows the popularity and use of artificial intelligence (AI) in real estate has become nearly ubiquitous among America's leading real estate brokerages. Today, 75% of America's real estate brokerages already use AI technology, and almost 80% [...]

AI is a vital part of CoreLogic’s new Clareity Assure security platform for MLSs

Today, CoreLogic launched a vital and timely new security platform – Clareity Assure – now available to integrate as a front door to all MLS systems regardless of vendor. It is precisely the kind of protection MLSs need and must have in place. It uses artificial intelligence and machine learning for its adaptive authentication protection. It can identify suspicious activity and, most importantly, selectively deploy multi-factor authentication. By monitoring login activity in real time, it can automatically detect when login exceeds an acceptable risk threshold. Last year was a wakeup call for MLSs and security. The timing by CoreLogic could not [...]

The Shifting Dynamics of Buyer-Agent Relationships in Real Estate

In the ever-evolving realm of real estate, the age-old question of whether to hire a buyer's agent is gaining renewed prominence, fueled by recent lawsuits that seek to shift compensation structures. As aspiring homeowners embark on their journey to property ownership, the necessity of engaging an agent is coming under increased scrutiny. Our latest research report, titled "How buyers feel about working with agents" delves into the services homebuyers value most and the imperative for agents to articulate the value they bring to the table in today's dynamic market.

Scott Feldman Joins Collabra Technology Leadership Team as Chief Revenue Officer

Congrats to our friends Russ Cofano and Scott Feldman for coming together at Collabra Technology, Inc. Scott has just been hired as the company’s Chief Revenue Officer - a task he is well-equipped for!   If you aren’t caught up with what Russ is up to these days, you definitely need to check out his new product called Ad-Builder, the  Company’s MLS-integrated digital advertising solution. It's a completely integrated way for MLSs to enable agents to promote their listings with a click. 

COUNCIL OF MULTIPLE LISTING SERVICES ELECTS NEW DIRECTORS FOR 2024

Council of MLS elects two progressive, emerging MLS leaders to their Board of Directors Congrats to Justin Haag and Chris Haran, two of my absolute favorites to the Council of MLS Board of Directors! I am confident Justin Haag, soon to be the new CEO of Northwest MLS in Seattle and a leader in advocacy and promotion of Buyer’s Agency along with Chris Haran, one of the best and brightest technology strategists and visionary in the industry are going to be terrific additions to the leadership team of CMLS. 

By |2023-12-13T08:06:32-08:00December 13th, 2023|Announcements, Industry Observations, MLS, MLS Insights|0 Comments

Real AI: 2024 The Year of AI, AI fast facts and top headlines

By Kevin Hawkins with Korey Hawkins | Vol. 1 Post 10 Real AI is a 100% human-created weekly roundup of all things AI in real estate and emerging AI innovations in other sectors likely to impact real estate, posting a new edition every Friday. 2024: The Year of AI The accelerated growth we are seeing and experiencing in artificial intelligence continues to be unlike any other game-changing technology ever. When it comes to Generative AI and Large Language Models, it’s just a baby about to turn into a teenager. If you think AI in 2023 has been incredible, just wait [...]

Remembering LA Times reporter Dave Myers

The caller ID on my cell displayed the name of a friend of 30+ years who calls randomly, and I always answer. This time, the news was unfortunately sad. A friend and business colleague we had known for decades had passed away. Dave Myers, former real estate reporter for the Los Angeles Times, died at 62 years young. Another dear reporter friend, Ralph Bivins, editor of Realty News Report, noted that Dave shared in Pulitzer Prize wins for team coverage of the 1992 riots and the 1994 Northridge earthquake. Dave Myers with NAREE friends on a trip to Napa [...]

By |2023-10-13T11:39:24-07:00September 25th, 2023|Industry Observations, News|5 Comments