SoCalMLS the aftermath, a two part series.

April 27th, 2010

Peeling the skin off Orange County’s MLS situation. –

When I first heard that Russ Bergeron was leaving SoCalMLS and taking the job at MRED I didn’t believe it. When it was confirmed my first thought was about Bud Fogel and how shabbily he had been treated by the MRED board and to how Brad Tertell and the rest of the MRED staff would react to the news.

In this two part post I’ll go over my take on the players and the moves they might make on the vacuum that was created by Russ Begeron’s departure as head of SoCalMLS. So lets get it on!

Part I – The Players

Russ Bergeron
I can only guess his motivations but my best guess was he decision was two fold.

1. He was looking for a new challenge.
2. He was tired of the association politics in California.

I can certainly understand the need for taking on a new challenge, but I fear he is walking in to a situation where association politics is a blood sport. I can almost hear Sean Connery in “The Untouchables” say…. “He sends one of yours to the hospital, you send one of his to the morgue. That’s the Chicago way!”

Needless to say, I wish him well. And on a side note, Southern California will not be left without another Bergeron in the real estate technology game, his daughter Wallis is a product specialist/trainer with LPS in Irvine. The torch passes…. : )

Art Carter, Nancy Glimore and Phil Hawkins.

From all accounts Art Carter has risen to the challenge of operating and even thriving at MRMLS.

It’s hard to remember what a mess MRMLS was when Art took over. They had a history of messy conversions, questionable technology, lawsuits and poor management. Since Art has taken over he has not only righted the ship but taken on leadership with new initiatives like CARETS initiative which has been a huge success.

Where did Art come from? The answer is closer than you think. Art was on the executive team at the Pacific West Association of REALTORS. Or PWR as it is known locally. PWR is the largest association in the state of California and is run ably by Nancy Gilmore. I’ve always liked Nancy. She’s never one to mince words and has no problem telling me when she thinks, whether you like it or not. I like that quality in a person. She’s honest and fair and runs a great association. And she certainly has an eye for talent, her second in command is another stellar individual by the name of Phil Hawkins.

Phil is a super nice guy and well respected by everyone at PWR.

Bob Bemis

Bob Bemis

Bob Bemis is the CEO of ARMLS. He comes by way of MRIS. Some of you might not know but MRIS is behind the technology at CARETS. Bob is one that has been given some very high marks for taking over a rather large MLS in a very difficult market and has won the respect of his staff and peers. And from a Vendor’s stand point I can tell you that the vibe of ARMLS is completely different (for the better) than is was before. I mention Bob because I think that anyone with experience with CARETS, or in this case, the technology behind CARETS could be a potential player in Southern California.

calREDD
calREDD, C.A.R.’s initiative for a statewide MLS has a role in this game, but it’s probably not what you would think.

Bud Fogel

Bud Fogel
I’m not going to count Bud out. I believe there to be an option here where Bud may find his way rise again.

But I’ll leave that for Part II. Now that we know the players I’ll go over what I think the moves they may make (or should make) in the coming weeks/months.

The lion still roars at 40

April 27th, 2010

I just wanted to give a quick mention of Rapattoni this week. I remember being invited to Rapattoni’s headquarters back in my IRIS days. They were planning on entering the MLS business and wanted to court 3rd party software products, like Lightning CMA Plus, to work with their new MLS system. We had a few discussions and I remember Andy Rapattoni mentioning that they had been in business for over 25 years. I think my jaw just dropped to the floor. I was less than 30 years old at the time.

Congrats to Andy, Niki, Nick and the rest of the Rapattoni team. My hat is off to you, may you have many more successful year to come!

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Rapattoni Corporation Celebrates 40th Anniversary Serving the Real Estate Industry

Rapattoni - Celebrating 40 Years of Setting the Standard SIMI VALLEY, Calif., April 26, 2010 – 2010 marks a big year for Rapattoni Corporation (Rapattoni) as it celebrates its 40th anniversary serving the real estate industry. With over 300,000 professionals using the Rapattoni MLS and with its association management software (Rapattoni Magic and Rapattoni NetMagic) being used by real estate associations and MLSs representing 85% of the nation’s REALTORS®, Rapattoni has set the standard in software and customer service for the past four decades.

Founded by Andy and Niki Rapattoni in 1970, the company has evolved throughout the years, and its management team is led by a group of industry executives with tremendous experience in real estate software and management. Andy Rapattoni, who serves as chairman of the board and CEO, was named one of the Most Influential Real Estate Leaders by Inman News in 2009. Niki Rapattoni, who serves as secretary, treasurer, and CAO, was named one of the top 25 most influential women in Real Estate by the Active Rain Real Estate Network in 2008.

Nick Rapattoni, president of Rapattoni, said, “My parents founded this company 40 years ago, and I am so proud of what they accomplished. I have been a part of the company all my life and started working in the business 14 years ago. As the current president of the company, I am looking forward to leading Rapattoni for the next 40 years and ensuring that our technology, software, and customer service are always setting the standard. We have a bold past and a brilliant future ahead of us.”

Rapattoni will be celebrating its 40th Anniversary throughout 2010. For a glance at our past and a look at the future, visit the Rapattoni website at http://www.rapattoni.com/.

About Rapattoni MLS
Rapattoni MLS is setting the standard with advanced features such as integrated GIS parcel mapping, an integrated member management and billing system, the most advanced RETS data exchange system, integrated aerial photography, a robust statistics and trends analysis package, language translation, the Rapattoni Secure Logon system featuring Adaptive Authentication technology, and the ability to operate a convenient Single Sign-On (SSO) identity portal.

About Rapattoni NetMagic
Rapattoni NetMagic combines Rapattoni’s extensive real estate industry knowledge with the latest technologies to give associations the most powerful, flexible, and intuitive productivity suite available for managing association needs. Rapattoni NetMagic features real-time connectivity with the National Association of REALTORS® NRDS central database and enables association staff to effectively track, manage, and communicate with members.

About Rapattoni
Rapattoni Corporation has been serving the real estate industry under the same name and management for 40 years. The company provides an array of integrated products and services for real estate associations and MLS organizations, including an Internet-based MLS, association management software, and key-less Rapattoni Secure Logon with SSO identity portals for online security and convenience. Rapattoni’s MLS products are serving approximately 300,000 users nationally and its association management customers represent more than 85% of the nation’s REALTORS®. Rapattoni’s headquarters are in Simi Valley, California.

ARMLS shows us how its done.

April 27th, 2010

The first concept of this blog was more of a place where real estate vendors could go to rate trade shows, conferences and events. I was sick and tired of paying “sponsorship fees” and high exhibitor rates and being treated like shit once they had my money and I set up my booth. I’m sure you all know the drill, no marketing, no booth traffic, means no sales.

My thought was that if all the real estate vendors got together and rated each trade show then we would take back the power and assocaitions and other industry organizations that put on trade shows would want to have a high rating to get vendors to come back next year.

Instead Vendor Alley became the “TMZ of real estate”. Oh well.

n1707001575_8528_bigger — Brian Wharton, Business Development for ARMLS

Last week I exhibited in ARMLS‘ “Technopalooza“, despite the cheesy name the event was FANTASTIC. I’ll admit when I first spoke to ARMLS’ head of business development, Brian Wharton, I was skeptical. The conference was held in Glendale, miles away from Phoenix and Scottsdale, and I didn’t see any “big name” speakers. But we were launching Cloud CMA in the ARMLS market and I needed an event to get something started. So I came prepared for a sleepy trade show. Then something magical happen. The Realtors came in droves! We ended up having great booth traffic and as a result I almost ran out of Cloud CMA order forms. (a good problem to have!)

So until I create another site that rates trade shows let me give my thanks and 4 STARS to ARMLS’ “Technopalooza“!

Something tells me that they are going to have a lot more vendors next year.