The news of Bob Bemis joining Zillow had the industry buzzing yesterday. But a small tidbit at the end of the announcement, ARMLS CEO Bob Bemis, IMAPP, and Realist, from ARMLS’ blog caught my attention.
“Under Board direction, Bob Bemis will remain at ARMLS to negotiate with IMAPP, as an ad supported tax system, to run alongside the Realist system within MLS. Subscribers can be assured that the accuracy of the tax data they depend on remains ARMLS’s highest priority.
As the details become available, we will keep you informed.”
Did ARMLS just say they are bringing back their tax system vendor, IMAPP? Is that really happening? When have you ever heard of an MLS provider switching back (albeit offering both solutions) to their old vendor? I’ll tell you,…. NEVER. It just doesn’t happen.
Shades of Fresno. And not a ringing endorsement for the new Realist either.
Side Note: Remember when Dale Ross from RPR famously told all MLS executives not to renew their public records data provider contracts (RPR would provide their solution)? Now it looks like ARMLS will be paying for 2! Actually if you count RPR it would be 3 public records systems members have access to. And how sad is it that all this angst from ARMLS members about IMAPP and not a nary mention of RPR? This could have been RPR’s shining moment. They could have parachuted in RPR reps (dress appropriately) to Phoneix and start doing demos of RPR and showing ARMLS members that they didn’t need IMAPP or Realist, that RPR was really THE SOLUTION. Not!
But I digress. Basically the Mob has won. And what does this mean for future MLS conversions? I’d would have a rock solid plan together, along with strong emphasis on social media, if I want to convert vendors anytime soon. (I can hear the keyboards in Arroyo Grande and Scottsdale typing away now!)
And what does this mean to MLS vendors being pushed out an MLS market. Is an ad supported alternative MLS solution a viable option now? If so why not start launching them now? Might be worth the experiment.
Strange days indeed.
I was not sure what to say, or not to say, or when I could say anything – so I just kept my fingers quiet. Nice work.
An ad supported system is an interesting idea. I’m just not sure how well one would be accepted for a system designed to serve professionals day to day business needs. I’m trying to imagine what my day would be like if were, say, a bank teller, and the system I used to process and manage customer transactions had ads in the system. Or maybe I’m an attorney and my case management system displayed ads for local bail bondsmen (couldn’t resist that one).
It’s certainly an interesting idea, and provides for alternative option if one chooses to go that route.
Looking forward to your next blog post about today’s announcement. I think the big issue is that people didn’t understand how agent’s use the tax data. I do use RPR, but it doesn’t work for what I need, and Realist was following the trend of RPR. I don’t need flashy reports, or info on schools and shopping. I need quick access to recorded information, foreclosure dates and file numbers, and that is what iMAPP did better than the others.