CalREDD has Fresno MLS members seeing RED.
The early reports are in and they are not good for CalREDD or their new MLS vendor Concentric.
Here’s some of the feedback I’ve been reading….
calREDD MLS <>
“It’s too bad you didn’t consult with a real Real Estate agent when you developed this program. I resent being this much of a guinea pig at the expense of losing sales due to your poor program.”
Fresno Real Estate Market Talk: Fresno MLS CalRedd system starts off badly
“They should have had a transition period where our old system, “Rappatoni” would work and we could migrate to the new “CalRedd” system. That is not the case, and basically our business is somewhat paralyzed until we can get the data correct.”
London Properties: Fresno Valley Real Estate and Homes:CalRedd
” one thing she has learned so far this that when you click on “think” don’t keep clicking it let the system have time to down load”
From our own comments on Vendor Alley, one reader comments:
“Not impressed with CalREDD at the moment. I’ve used Rapattoni, MLXchange, MLSListings, Paragon, and a couple of other MLS’s in the past. CalREDD is the worst one. It is slow and also missing simple functionality that can be found in all of the above mentioned MLS’s. Fresno made a big mistake by switching over from a far greater system in Rapattoni.”
A California Statewide MLS Provider
I’ve been in this business long enough to know that every MLS conversion has its fair share of nightmares. Fresno is a relatively small MLS (about 4,000 members) and C.A.R. is trying to convince everyone they have what it takes to be a statewide MLS provider. You would think that with such a bright spotlight upon them they would take extra special care on getting this right.
Thanks for the update Greg
Yeah, no matter how much warning an MLS gives there is always a little chaos and panic when a change is made (even if its a small one).
-Tyler
Update: 08/20 Fresno MLS Board of Directors met today and still continues to drink the CalRedd “cool aide”. Too bad Leadership has a “chip” on their shoulder and would rather let members be damaged than to go back to Rapattoni… so sad!
Fresno made a big mistake by going to this CalRedd MLS. The website is severely limited. Why was there no crossover time period where we were able to use both websites – CalRedd & Rapattoni? Every single Association I’ve every been involved with has had at least a month or two of dual system availability. It’s a great way of getting the “kinks” out and ensuring that change would be smooth.
How much money did FAR save by going to this site? I keep hearing that other Associations are running away from CalRedd. Desert Area just resigned a nice long term contract with Rapattoni. SOCAL said NO WAY to CalRedd. Was this a political move by FAR? Who knows?
I hope they work out all the issues on CalRedd and allow the Brokers easier access to the BROKERS own listings. Personally, I would vote to go back to Rapattoni ASAP.
What do Merced and Madera, the two smaller MLSs who went to CalREDD at the same time, think about their change? Madera was on Paragon…was Merced on Rapattoni along with Fresno?
Lets get real, here. Why was there a change in systems? What was broken?? What are the specific list of reasons that benefits both agents and brokers, for switching to calREDD?? — they’re aren’t any! How was the selection/bidding process to change system conducted? The lack of transparency should be a good indication.
It’s all about politics and egos. The Fresno association staff and directors get to pretend that they are a large and influential board by being on the bleeding edge of this system. The board leadership will get the political rewards of committee appointments at C.A.R. in return for their loyalty. And in the process the average agent in the street gets the short end of the deal.
Of course this transition wasn’t going to go well. What would anyone expect from an inexperienced vendor (Concentric)who had no customers after 3 years until calREDD came along, and has key senior executives who appear to have other jobs besides working at Concentric, and C.A.R. who has no idea how to properly run an MLS except for creating MLS rules.
To add insult to injury, C.A.R. issues a press release to say how great everything is going (http://www.car.org/newsstand/newsreleases/2009newsreleases/fresnomaderamercedcalredd/). Let the spin begin.
FRESNO>>>CalREDD is any realtors worse nightmare! Our Board, NOT the members, chose this company. It came on line, Monday, August 17th…and it was and still is a disaster! This company has a long ways to go before they are ready to begin to compete with Rapattoni.
We (a large number of unhappy Realtors) had a “Town Hall” meeting last night, and after listening to the President of Concentric, Richard Igou, it almost appears his drive for this new system and company is more about his negative attitude regarding Rapattoni than it is about making our MLS system more efficient? He knew the system was not ready to launch and yet he went ahead and brought it on line…with absolutely no regard as to how
It would “cripple” the Real Estate Agents, many who are struggling as it is and also in one of the busiest month of the year. Our President, Board of Directors and the MLS committee are as much to blame as Mr. Igou, as they obviously did not do a much if any “beta” testing and feel the more agents that use the system the faster the “glitches” and features will be solved, therefore they have refused to bring Rapattoni back on board.
I sincerely hope this information helps another “MLS Board” to do a complete “due diligence” on this company and it’s founders as well as beta test the system before making a firm commitment on using it! I wish I would have done some a “simple” Google search on this company….before today. The Phrase “guinea pig” seems to be appropriate for our Members at this time.
These posts are enlightening. I hope more agents will provide their thoughts of the roll out of CalRedd. RESage and Fresno Realtor really hit the nail on the head. What was wrong with the old system, lack of transparency, politics, beta testing. All good questions that any active REALTOR should ask when something is changed and it isn’t right. My only hope is that these same agents that can see through the smoke and mirrors will be in San Jose and speak up. We need more in the street agents to say what is happening to their business at their expense. Keep up the good work.
If the Fresno Real Estate Agents are “stuck” with this MLS, then hopefully they will add some simple functionality i.e. Custom Reports & the ability to Search for another Real Estate Agent or Office. Maybe I’m overlooking this function but I cannot find a way to locate another Real Estate Office’s Address/Phone #. That’s just great.
Why again did CalRedd choose a software company that has never hosted an MLS before? They could have chosen Rapattoni, Mlxchange, Marketlinx, etc. These are proven software packages that currently host many, many MLS’s across the country.
I keep hoping that F.A.R. will just call a “mulligan” and go back to Rapattoni. It would make my job as a realtor a lot easier.
This is pure speculation, but here is my only theory on why they did not run in parallel.
CalRedd is more than just an MLS system, it is a new MLS with its own specific rules and governance.
The Fresno MLS, owned by the Fresno Association of REALTORS was replaced by CalMLS rules and governance.
I am not sure how they could run in parallel since the rules and governance are different between the two companies. Any rule violation or governance issue needs to fall under one company, not both. Again, this is pure speculation.
Sadly, I do not think that they can simply switch back. It is more than just a system migration.
It would be great if someone from Fresno or CalREDD could weigh in on this.
Interesting comment by Victor Lund. I guess this is the perfect example of local loss of control by going with caLREDD — no control over your MLS rules and a disbanding of your own local MLS Board of Directors replaced by the caLREDD Board of Directors. That’s a huge leap off the deep end with no way back.
If this is the case, then this seems like an even bigger disservice to the FAR members. Good luck getting any local changes and updates made to the calREDD MLS system. calREDD may be responsive now, but just wait until more MLSs sign up (that’s seems like a big ‘if’, given this very poor initial rollout) and they all begin competing for local change and customization. How the heck is that going to work??
Lastly, I agree with Victor that it is sad if the can’t put their MLS board and rules back in place and switch back.
Tell me again how calREDD is creating efficiencies in the marketplace and is resolving overlapping market disorder (cute term) to ‘save’ money for the MLS subscriber. It sounds as if most of the Fresno folks would pay whatever it takes to put a stable proven MLS system back into place as quickly as possible.
“If all you have is a hammer, everything starts looking a nail” – calREDD is a solution looking for a problem.
Or is just me?
It seems to me that the Fresno BOD made a political move to join CalREDD. Please,FAR obviously didn’t fulfill their “Due Dilligence” obligations when switching to this vendor. Seriously, from what I read Concentric has never had an MLS account. Fresno switched to an untested mls software provider, while from the looks of things membership was completely satisfied with their current vendor’s product. I’m not using Rapattoni MLS, I’m a member of Socal MLS, and we have a better solution to CalREDD. You don’t have to lose your MLS to get all of the data from other cooperating MLSs. It’s pure and simple. Pure Politics! Join CalREDD and become a CAR leader. PS. your current MLS will be dispanded and it may not help any of your members, but do it anyway, it’s a resume builder.
Cal REDD does not stand for Real Estate Dynamic Data
It stands for Real Estate DEAD Data
The statement below is from C.A.R.
C.A.R. is your passport to growth, knowledge and professionalism within the real estate industry. We are committed to bringing you the very finest tools and information to help you succeed. Members who become involved find the camaraderie stimulating, the networking educational and the exposure profitable. Association provides for your professional growth.
REALLY? HAVE YOU TESTED CAL REDD?
To all those who received the email today asking the question if you support a move back to Rappatoni, please repsond. This is how we will be gathering a list of people to contact to continue our efforts to resolve our MLS issues. There is more than I think meets the eye folks and it is our intent to unravel the truth. Certain people have a direct conflict of interest with this product and stand to gain in varying ways. The quick response by the Board today to scare people from voting is a direct indication that they do not wish us to combine our efforts. This will inevitably lead to litigation and will take the strength of those who take their proffesion seriously to take a stance.
To: Broker Owner
Well stated! I am one of the members who sent the “FAR Members For Right To Vote”.
Sadly, we should not have to send a letter asking for a VOTE…that was FAR’S job and NOW…they still do not want hear the Members voice! They forget who voted them in office..and most certainly will vote them OUT! We have a strong committee..we are not finished!
If you are considering the removal of the association leadership, you would be well served to ask for and review the FAR Association bylaws to understand what the process is.
I do not feel anyone wants to remove/recall any of the “association leadership” ..however, next election…most members will take a better look as to who to vote for..
Since CalREDD doesn’t return support emails in a very timely matter (or at all sometimes) does anybody have a clue as to how to locate another Broker’s Office Address on this apparently “Beta” version of the CalREDD website?
Doesn’t it tell you something when they release at least 1, if not 2, major fixes a day?
Also, I noticed that if you do a Google Search for calredd fresno this Vendoralley page shows up 2nd and CAR’s press release is 1st. A couple of days ago it was the other way around. This disaster needs to stay at the top of the headlines so other Associations avoid this situation.
Sales in our office are down about 50%, the new mls takes 6 extra steps to do the simplest things and you never know if the info you are getting is right.
The reason sales are down is because the new system is so hard to use Realtors are just walking away. Brokers are now seeing sales go down, hopefully they will do something, most members are so fed up with it they are really pushing hard to go back to the old system.
Is there a potential conflict of interest with Local Fresno Board Members on the CalREDD Board? Take a look at this You-Tube video.
Fresno Realtor/Broker I believe you are incorrect regarding your assessment that no one wants to remove/recall any of the “association leadership”. I for one want them removed and hear this sentiment daily from a number of realtors daily. There needs to be a penalty for this arrogance and studidity.
My demand is to take us back to Rappatoni immediately. I work on this new program at least 3-5 hours a day which leaves my clients unattended. Words cannot describe my feelings toward our Board and question the intelligence of those who would sign a contract for a program that doesn’t work. We wonder how buyers signed loan documents for the ARM loans and now they are on the street. Our Board did the same thing to us which has damaged our business. Our clients are complaining about the reports, we are complaining about the complication of the system. As independent contractors, we have the right to voice our opinions. Every agent I speak with tells me their business is suffering as a direct result of this. As business owners and each of us are, we should have been shown this sytem prior to going into contract for it. We are still under contract with Rapattoni; basically we are paying for two systems. We are not just mad, some of us are physically sick because others have made business decisions for us which are not in our best interest. We would never have done this to ourselves. And just as the Federal Government implies those who attend the town hall meetings are misfits, that seems to be the same attitude from those Board members we elected to office when we look to them for help and make our voices heard. We demand you put us back to Rapattoni immediately. We will remember all those who took us down this primrose path when election time rolls around again. Count on it.
It almost seems unfair that so many of these comments are anonymous.
@Victor I agree. What I’m not clear about is whether this is typical MLS conversion blues or is the new calREDD MLS system really that much worse. Would be great to see an opinion from someone, with a level head, come up with a plus and minus list.
For fifteen years my company was in partnership with IBM to assist in the sale of IBM hardware and software which resulted in numerous conversions to customized software. Prior to that I participated in several large conversions at the corporate level. Never have I seen such a colossal screw up as this.
If you viewed Andy Nazaroff’s video he states that over an 18 month period studies were done to compare systems, test, etc. And this is the end result? I seriously doubt the validity of his statement.
The major problem is that a concept was purchased not software. We used to call it “vaporware”. How can you compare a system that exists to one that doesn’t exist?
It is totally irresponsible to convert to a system that has not been thoroughly tested, evaluated and deemed to provide an improved environment. What was the motivation to convert to a system that was not ready for implementation?
Each day is like being in a Dilbert cartoon.
Maybe I can shed some light on your comment Greg. Two full weeks into this program and Realtors are still having problems with it. Realtors are already working long, hard hours to keep up with the market and our clientele. Example; my work days already ran over 10 hours every day, 7 days a week and that was using a simple program. Now, our time is wasted on working through this system and we don’t have the time for our clients. Everyday CalRedd is making updates. Why would our Board have put this program into place without first looking at it and making sure it operated to our needs? When hundreds of agents, actually over a thousand or more, continue to have problems, you know there is a serious issue that needs to be addressed. The program, when perfected, may serve additional benefits but that is unknown until problems are solved. I was originally of the understanding this was going to be a statewide program used by all Boards but, alas, I was wrong. Very few Boards were willing to run the risk, but not Fresno MLS. We are angry their choice has damaged our business.
I have been reading lots of the blogs, and I want to add some positive thoughts. You may not want to hear it, but I like what the calREDD system has to offer. I didn’t think Rappatoni was great and in fact have had many agents tell me they called it Crappatoni. Being a tech savvy person may make me a little more tolerant to conversion than most. I am excited to have calREDD working at full potential because of the options it has to offer the Rapp didn’t. I have confidence in the FAR to stay on top of calREDD to get the programmers working on the items that need attention. I am sure it was not the intention of the FAR or CAR to put a program in place that would hinder us doing our jobs. Conversions, as all things in life, don’t always go as planned, hey look at Y2K, all the hype for nothing.
It looks to me that the FAR is making every effort to get the items of concern fixed as they are identified, now we need to do our job and keep the information updated so everyone can rely on the system.
Make it a great day!!!!
Mr. Techie Agent, I’m sure everybody can tell by your post who you probably work for and that’s fine.
Rapattoni is one of the premier MLS Hosting Services in the country. It is easy to use and loaded with functionality. It’s been around forever and is loved by nearly TRUE Realtor out there that uses it. Have you been to the Rapattoni website and looked at their Customer Roster? I guess all of the Associations listed there just don’t know better. They should switch to a piece of software that isn’t even ready for deployment.
Yes, conversions don’t always go as planned but do you know what? Every single MLS conversion I’ve ever heard of has had a crossover time period where you could work out the bugs before going live. This conversion was uncalled for and wasn’t even voted on by the Members of FAR. Unreal…
Make it an even greater day!!!
Mr. Techie Agent
I called an expired today… it was to funny, talking to the home owner I found out that the house expired 2 years ago… thats how good calredd is…
So wonder where all the expireds are…
I think that the real problem some agents are having with calREDD is that it’s a change, and most people don’t like change or to be challenged. However the reality is that you have to be able to change and adapt and rise to the challenge if you’re going to be in this industry. The market is a challenge, and the calREDD system is a challenge, but we will all work through it. Training is key to this system and agents need to have a positive attitude about it.
With Rapattoni, the capabilities of the system had peaked and new features couldn’t be added to meet our business needs. calREDD’s capabilities far exceed those offered by Rapattoni.
Hey Mr. Techie, I have been getting the current expireds, but that is funny.
Barbara, you hit the nail on the head. I agree people don’t like change, but change is good and I hope everyone starts to see the positive aspects of the calREDD system.
Make it a great day!!!!!!
Techie Agent, can you please list the positive aspects of the system as you see them?
Hi Barbara,
Could you expand on “THOSE” New Features that could not be added to meet our business needs?? If so, where are you getting this information and when will “those” features be added..so far Concentric’s can not get what we had on
Rapattoni right?
Also…What capabilities (of calREDD’s) far exceed those offered by Rapattoni???
I would really like to see that list..
and please do NOT mention the “save” search
Goodie…because they must have that option…you can not do anything with out switching screens…so they better save the searches…PLUS they go off line for “constant” fixes… Hello?
Come on…we aren’t asking them to “toss the baby out with the bath water”…As agents…it is not our job to beta test their “baby”, train their Baby or watch it grow up!
Good Grief…has this company ever heard the Phrase: User Friendly?
I will give you this…you are a brave woman
to sign your name…Of course…FAR won’t shut you down for a positive comment!
Oooops, I looked at the wrong place and mistook Expired Listings as being called Mr. Techie Agent. I am just blind. Can I set you all straight in a nice way? I am not a MR. and please tell me who you think I work for because you are probably wrong. And yes I will get you a list when I am done working this evening.
God Bless America, where we have freedom of speech.
Make it a great day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Response.
I love change as long as it is positive, saves time and money. Haven’t found that in CALRedd. Actually, I have spent the greater part of the past two weeks trying to work through this very complicated program. My clients have suffered, I have lost busines because my time has been spent trying to input everything into this system. How does that prove we don’t like change? Get real people. We went from a very simplistic program to one which requires numerous steps in order to do what we used to do in a couple of minutes. Time is money. With hundreds of frustrated realtors (or thousands) I am happy to see I am not the only one who is having a difficult time with this. But note, I am happy for you quick learners; sadly, the greater part of mindkind doesn’t catch on the first time around.
Dear Victor…
Our FAR BOD’S,Staff and especially the President, Jared Martin are unreasonable! They actually want to “kick” the members out of the Association, who sent the “Freedom of Speech and the Right to Vote ” letter asking the members to VOTE to GO Back to Rapattoni, until CalREDD is improved or STAY with CalREDD and limp a long with them?
(which by the way, in spite of a “Scare Tactic” DO NOT VOTE email sent by FAR 30 minutes later) the vote was still a overwhelming YES..go back to Rapattoni until CalREDD is fully functional.
(And yes…I know this to be true…as I am a “member” of the “Freedom of Speech and the Right to Vote Committee”)
The fact that “so many of these comments are anonymous” should tell you plenty!
to Greg…
NO this is NOT the “typical MLS conversion blues” the new calREDD MLS system is simply not ready…most members feel “bring it back when it works” in the mean time we need a “working” system. There was “nothing” wrong with Rapattoni…our FAR wanted to be the FIRST to make the change to CalREDD..and sadly the “software company, Concentric was NOT ready to be “rolled out” and our Members have suffered because of it.
I would love to leave my name…but I also want to remain an active member of FAR.
No…sorry I am not able to do so JUST yet!
It is very interesting that your Association of REALTORS is thinking to kicking you out for voicing your opposition. I do not handle these cases, but would suggest that you consult with council.
The Fresno Association of REALTORS is a completely separate corporation from calREDD, your MLS.
Prior to the switch, either FAR, or a subsidiary of FAR entered into a contract with Rapattoni to provide technology services to the corporation. This is not the case with calREDD. With calREDD, the California Association of REALTORS controls calREDD, not FAR.
In other words, to ‘switch back’ to Rapattoni, FAR would need to resign from calREDD completely. (The rules and regulations along with the governance are different, which is why you could not run parallel systems while the ‘bugs’ were worked out – you cannot have two rule sets and two governance structures at the same time).
Having said that, we live in a world of MLS of choice and Association of choice. You can move your listings to Bakersfield, Metrolist or MLSListings.com tomorrow and get out of the mess.
Holy Cow!
So we are no longer Fresno Multiple Listing Service, eh?
Thank you for this forum, it is nice to see what other agents are thinking. The “Freedom” group needs to hire that lawyer! He has explained more to us as to the “why” than anyone at FAR since August 17th. I think 99% of the agents agree with “Desperate” She has covered all the topics as to why the CalRedd system needs to go as well as most of the people on this blog. Techie is interesting, can’t wait to see what she comes up with list-wise when she gets off of work today (is she a realtor?) People do like change, just change to go forwards not backwards…………
I thought the whole purpose of the Statewide MLS effort was to bring all the MLSs in the state together to share data. I digress, who really sells the entire state of California. It’s ridiculous to think that spin worked.
I work and farm my local area. I am the expert in my local area. I don’t need to look at the listings in Fresno ever nor do I need to do that to refer a client. I’ve heard that message too. Looking at the organizations that have joined the effort, I think the statewide MLS represents approximately 2% of the total agents in the state.
Back to the current drama. I didn’t know that CalREDDs goal was to have associations switch vendors because of the need for a better software set. They didn’t need a 3 million loan to figure that out. I’m sure if they gave the 3 million dollars to existing MLS vendors that have marketshare in the state they would have be able to develop better software.
I don’t even use all the feature my mls provider has to offer. I use Tempo and I’m sure this is not the most feature rich product in the marketplace. I definitely don’t spend all day trying to figure out how to search, look at property history and run a couple different reports. I probably take for granted the ease of use of my MLS, except for those darn tokens.
good comments KoolAide -
CalREdd is not even close to being a statewide data share – it is a statewide MLS initiative. Big difference. The idea of Statewide MLS is to put all REALTORS under the same set of rules and regulations, governed by the same organization. The MLS system is only a pawn that can be replaced anytime. Although Concentric is the horse they have in the race today, there is no reason why CalRedd cannot (with board approval) switch to another system or even offer front end of choice tomorrow. CalRedd is not about purchasing an MLS system or data sharing, those are just additional components.
CARETS in Southern California, CA Alliance (which Greg probably knows a lot about), and Quattro in Northern California are the three predominant data sharing agreements in California. CA Alliance is probably going away or at least getting smaller as CARETS and Quattro grow. If CARETS and Quattro begin exchanging data, they would probably have 80%+ of the California listings. Data sharing keeps the integrity of the local market MLS in tact – same system, more data to play with –
Note to other Associations – if you do not like your MLS system, talk to your vendor and get them to fix it. The top consultants like CLAREITY, WAV Group, Focus Forward, and Larson/Sobdka indicate that there are few differences in MLS systems. Although price may be a consideration, service from your vendor is most important. If you want to data share – call CARETS or Quattro – they are always open to MLSs who want to join.
Does anyone know why Fresno decided to abandon their MLS? Surely they could have chosen a new technology vendor without throwing the whole company out with the system. It sounds to me like Rapattoni was doing just fine in Fresno. What was the major business reason for the big change?
I appreciate all of the comments submitted. Bottom line, how do we as professionals get back to work with a quality presentation, accurate information and at least the tools we had to work with previous to the conversion. The political arena has done enough damage to the Central Valley real estate economics this month. Too many egos, arrogance and total lack of regard and respect for the members
I agree with Frustrated. Short, sweet and to the point.
Note to Lawyer
Fresno was doing just fine with Rapattoni. If there were problems, they were behind the scenes and certainly did not have a bearing on the day to day ability to conduct business. The fact that the Board of Directors has members on the CalRedd BofD seems like a conflict of interest, as well as the board president being a brother of the Tech person at the Fresno Board….it just gets better and better. If a well known company in the private business sector did business like this….the havoc, the monetary damage, etc., somebody would be answering wouldn’t they?
Frustrated – what you see as a conflict of interest is actually intended by design.
the governance of CalMls requires that the board of directors be made up of a variety of member association boards. It is modeled after CAR – with delegates, etc.
Hopefully…we will hear great news with in the next few days! So stay connected to this “blog” for the lastest breaking news..and updates…
A Realtor is my office worded it best, I dread getting on Calredd, it used to take me 10 min to find a home for a buyer and now it takes an hour.
I mainly do listings so I didn’t see that side, I did hear my Broker say sales are really down since calredd came online…
I do hope we get some good news soon cause with everything that has happened in the last few years, we have all been through enough already and didn’t need this.
And last but not least, I find it funny that 99% of Realtors want to go back to the old MLS and the FAR leadership is giving them the finger.
We are returning to Rapattoni! Best news ever!