MLS Insights Archives

Cheap MLS Systems

The results are in from the annual WAV Group MLS Technology Survey. We will be working on the report in the coming weeks. Last year’s report showed that there were not any MLS software solutions with super high ratings. This year’s survey showed that the ratings have dropped down for every vendor. What can be done about that? As you may know, WAV Group provides RFP services to MLSs who are facing a contract termination date. It is smart to shop around to see if there are solutions that are better shaped to meet the evolving needs of agents and [...]

By Victor Lund|2018-05-03T21:24:24-07:00November 1st, 2013|Main category, MLS Insights, Product Management, Suveys and Research|5 Comments

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

Clients, Main category, MLS Insights

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

IDX Reboot
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IDX Reboot

Main category, MLS Insights, Technology Evaluation

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 Victor Lund|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 WAV Group|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 Marilyn Wilson|2018-05-03T21:24:25-07:00October 23rd, 2013|Main category, MLS Insights, Technology Evaluation|3 Comments

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 Victor Lund|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 [...]

By Marilyn Wilson|2018-05-03T21:24:25-07:00October 9th, 2013|Broker-Agent Information, Clients, Main category, MLS Insights|Comments Off

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 / [...]

By Victor Lund|2018-05-03T21:24:26-07:00October 1st, 2013|Broker Technology Research, Broker-Agent Information, MLS Insights|Comments Off

Does Your MLS System Speak In Tongues?

One of the great attributes about conferences is that they set the stage for product releases. Product Managers, Marketing Staff, Developers, and of course Sales People are always working toward releasing a new feature that stimulates Buzz in the industry. Today’s top press release comes from Discover MLS – the MLS system that speaks in tongues. Discover MLS announced today that their product now includes multi-lingual functionality. This will come as a welcome announcement to our friends in Canada, and around the world. WAV Group has worked on projects for aspiring companies wishing to launch MLS service abroad and the [...]

By Victor Lund|2018-05-03T21:24:26-07:00September 30th, 2013|MLS Insights|1 Comment

Leveraging The Browser
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Leveraging The Browser

Broker Technology Research, Main category, MLS Insights

Leveraging The Browser

Many software solutions used in real estate today are offered as Software as a Service (SaaS), meaning that they are accessed through a browser or, in some cases, a mobile app. For most companies today, being cross-browser compliant is about as far as they have gone. Advanced companies, mostly those who have the luxury of products released in the past couple of years, have made their browser-based application “responsive” so as to fit naturally into any screen resolution on any browser. Cloud CMA just came out with a browser Bookmarklet that reminded me how many powerful browser features are not [...]

By Victor Lund|2018-05-03T21:24:26-07:00September 25th, 2013|Broker Technology Research, Main category, MLS Insights|Comments Off

Pilgrims vs. Portals

History tells many stories of long ago that reflect on the conditions of today. I came across a story about the Pilgrims that made me think that in some way, it is similar to the real estate industry and portals. In 1630, a Pilgrim court dealt a nasty blow to one of its settlers. They ordered him to be incarcerated, burned his house, confiscated all of his goods, then ultimately exiled him from America. The Pilgrim’s name was Thomas Morton, and they said that he was a danger to society. Morton went to England and pleaded with the English court, [...]

By Victor Lund|2018-05-03T21:24:27-07:00September 20th, 2013|Broker-Agent Information, Main category, MLS Insights, Our Services, Technology Evaluation|7 Comments

RE Technology Top 5 Articles

Which Real Estate CRM Should I Use? Are you looking for a real estate CRM? There are so many systems on the market these days that weeding through them is often difficult and time-consuming. We feel your pain! That's why we want to make it as easy as possible for you to understand what to look for in a real estate CRM.Beyond Residential: Commercial Agents Can Use RPR, Too! Making the transition to the commercial real estate can be challenging for agents who come from a residential background. We recently spoke with Sydney Machaut, CCIM, CRE, a veteran [...]

By Victor Lund|2018-05-03T21:24:27-07:00September 16th, 2013|Broker Technology Research, Main category, MLS Insights|1 Comment