This is not the tragic story of another Realtor® being attacked. But rather the story of the REALTOR® brand value being attacked. Brad Inman asked a rather productive question on the popular Inman Coast to Coast Facebook group – “How Important is it for a licensed real estate agent to be a member of NAR?” The post invited healthy commentary. Way to go Brad!
Like Mark Twain, the early reports on the death of Facebook clearly have been an exaggeration especially when it comes to real estate. It remains the social media channel that is still the best place to stay top of mind among the greatest number of home buyers and sellers. And it's still the best media channel for real estate agents to keep in front of their peers.
Our industry needs to find meaningful ways to support new thinking and innovation. I recently put myself in the shoes of a start-up and found out just how difficult it REALLY is to leverage MLS information. We have made it REALLY hard for the smart 16 year old in her garage to build the next big thing for a brokerage. Frankly, even well-established tech companies have major challenges working with more than 600 organizations. Refer to my commonapp article for more on that topic. Let’s put ourselves in the shoes of a tech start-up. They have built something interesting. [...]
From the NAR Boston conference, one statistic keeps ringing in my head. As a confessed data junkie, I consume a lot of real estate research, so I'm pretty jaded. But when NAR's research guru Jessica Lautz showed a slide at a press conference entitled “Median Age of Home Buyers,” I almost fell off my chair.
Our industry loves shiny objects! We’re also looking for the next goose that is going to lay golden eggs at our feet. This year the promise of greatness has been tied to technology investments. From Open Door to Compass to Keller Williams and a whole bunch in-between, brokerages are lining up to claim their rightful place as a technology company.
CoreLogic® (NYSE: CLGX), a leading global property information, analytics and data-enabled solutions provider, today announced a new agreement to provide SavvyCard®, a CoreLogic Alliance Network solution, to the subscribers of California Regional Multiple Listing Service (CRMLS). The nation’s largest MLS, CRMLS is a consortium of 38 real estate organizations representing approximately 100,000 members.
What does the business of your dreams look like? What if we told you it was attainable? What if it was easy to attain - with a little help?
Real estate is a service business. REALTORS® are service professionals. Are MLSs doing what it takes to support their subscribers with the service needed to help every agent and broker deliver the best service they can to the homebuyers and sellers? With today’s new MLS of Choice environment, REALTORS® DO have a choice about what MLS to work with. It’s time to take a serious look at the norms of service quality for MLSs today.
For years, I have strenuously maintained that when I fly West, especially to Hawaii from the West Coast, I never have been jet lagged. But when I fly to Europe from Seattle, if I don’t follow all the jet lag management tactics I’ve learned over the years, I’ll pay the price. Many fellow business and active leisure travelers told me I was nuts.
I was inspired by a Facebook post the other day that asked the question – “Name One Thing That Government Has Made Cheaper and More Efficient.” Ok – it was not really a question. But it was a command that begged a question.
WAV Group founding partner and RE Technology Chief Executive Officer, Victor Lund traveled to Paris again this year to share insights on the evolution of technology in America. His talk highlighted how systems automation is relieving Realtors of many routine tasks. This process is called Artificial Intelligence, which is the process of having machines do the work that humans normally do.
My dad grew up, pre-Depression, on Beacon Hill in Boston. As a kid, we took a lot of road trips. Because my dad worked for Westin Hotels, we stayed at a lot of nice places in big towns for free. My favorite road trip when we lived in Chicago was visiting Boston and the New England area. I had been back a couple of times for business and always loved visiting this city. After this last week at NAR, I absolutely want to go back – but next time for a vacation.
