Podcast Archives - Page 2 of 19

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Industry Relations Podcast:The Future of NAR: Can This Industry Titan Be Reformed?

December 6th, 2023

Should NAR be reformed? What is the role of REALTORS in the lawsuit, and the value of membership in NAR? Join Rob and Greg as they answer these questions and the potential rebirth of the REALTOR movement, the importance of authenticity in communication, and the value of REALTORS sharing their authentic stories to connect with consumers. Plus Rob and Greg throw in their own doom and gloom predictions just to shake things up. Stay up-to-date with the real estate industry with this brand new episode of Industry Relations!

Click here for Brian’s LinkedIn post mentioned in the show. And here for Greg’s.

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The Great NAR Debate: Sam DeBord Challenges Rob and Greg!

November 29th, 2023

On this episode of Industry Relations, Sam DeBord joins Rob and Greg, and things get a bit uncomfortable as Sam tries to set NAR’s record straight. Tune in as Sam and Rob have a testy disagreement on NAR’s competency, but at the end of the day display their passion for the industry. While Greg tries to keep the peace and believes everyone on all sides can do a better job.

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Listing Bits Episode 88: Does NAR Have Value Beyond MLS Access? – with Michael Lissack of The Virtual Realty Group

November 27th, 2023

The verdict against NAR in the Sitzer lawsuit has organized real estate up in arms.

But Michael Lissack thinks the decision is the best thing to happen to the industry in 100 years.

In fact, he sees the trade association as a criminal enterprise with little value beyond MLS access.

Michael is Managing Broker for The Virtual Realty Group, a 100% commission brokerage that operates in 12 states.

On this episode of Listing Bits, Michael joins Greg to discuss the real issue behind the lawsuits against NAR and describe what he would do to make buyer’s agent commission negotiable.

Michael explains why it’s necessary to decouple the MLS from NAR membership and how that would likely lead to bankruptcy for the trade association.

Listen in for Michael’s provocative take on why associations don’t deserve a way forward in a world where MLS access is open to anyone with a real estate license.

What’s Discussed: 

The real issue behind the lawsuits against NAR and several real estate brokerages

What Michael would do to make buyer’s agent commission negotiable

Why the DOJ takes issue with mandatory membership in NAR for MLS access

How decoupling the MLS from NAR would impact everyday REALTORS

What decoupling the MLS from NAR membership would do to the trade association (and what NAR might do to demonstrate its value and rebuild)

What it would take to decouple local, state and NAR membership

Why Michael believes a real estate license should be the only requirement for MLS access

Running MLSs as not-for-profit organizations vs. for-profit entities

Greg’s thoughts on providing a way forward for associations by compensating them for the work of building the MLS

Why bankruptcy might be apt for associations who don’t provide value beyond MLS access

Connect with Michael Lissack:

Michael.Travel

Michael on LinkedIn

Resources:

Sitzer v. NAR

Michael’s LinkedIn Post

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Industry Relations Podcast: NAR Conference Recap and Zombies

November 22nd, 2023

Join Rob and Greg on this episode of Industry Relations, as they recap the NAR NXT annual conference and explore some critical issues. Greg shares what NAR NXT’s atmosphere was like, and find out why Rob is worried about independent press commenting on NAR.

Also, discover the reasoning behind Rob and Greg’s beliefs that the real estate industry is way past prepping and the zombies are breaching the wall!

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Intercontinental Exchange

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Listing Bits Episode 87: Ben Graboske’s Big Bet

November 8th, 2023

In 2020 Ben knew they needed to make a change. So he went to the Black Knight board and made a pitch, “give me the resources to build a modern MLS system”. To his surprise, they said yes. Now, 3 years later, that dream has been realized.

His dream was a mobile-first MLS platform that understands the history of how MLS platforms operate but offers a modern user experience.

That’s exactly what Ben Graboske and Lucie Fortier are working on, and their new product, Paragon Connect, is ready for its close up.

Ben is President of Data & Analytics and Lucie is Executive Vice President of MLS Solutions at Intercontinental Exchange or ICE, the financial services firm that bought Black Knight in September 2023.

On this episode of Listing Bits, Ben and Lucie join Greg to discuss ICE’s history of digitizing complex transactions and explain why its acquisition of Black Knight makes sense.

Lucie shares her motivation for joining the team at Intercontinental Exchange, and Ben describes how ICE’s resources benefit his department in the development of Paragon Connect.

Listen in to understand what differentiates Paragon Connect from other MLS vendors and learn how it simplifies the agent experience by providing an entire MLS platform on both a responsive and native app.

What’s Discussed: 

ICE’s history of digitizing complicated transactions and why its acquisition of Black Knight makes sense

How being an MLS vendor supports ICE’s vision for making mortgages easier

Lucie’s journey to joining the ICE team and how technology drives her career decisions

What features differentiate Paragon Connect from other MLS vendors

Why Ben’s team decided not to change Paragon’s name (despite offering an entirely new experience)

How Paragon Connect provides an entire MLS platform in a native app experience

The talented team of designers behind Paragon Connect

How Ben’s team benefits from ICE’s data assets and information security

Lucie’s approach to transitioning existing users to Paragon Connect

How Paragon is introducing a consumer app in Q1 of 2024

Why the rules around marketing to members need to change in an MLS system-of-choice model

What makes Paragon Connect ‘the MLS platform of the future’

Connect with Ben Graboske & Lucie Fortier:

Ben on LinkedIn

Lucie on LinkedIn

Email lucie.fortier@bkfs.com

Resources:

ICE Acquisition of Black Knight

Paragon Connect Demo

Damien Huze on Listing Bits EP85

Paragon Connect on Vendor Alley

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Listing Bits Episode 86: A Deal Tracker Built for Agents – with Vijay Gopalswamy of Trackxi

October 25th, 2023

In 2021, Vijay Gopalswamy’s real estate business was growing like gangbusters. And at one point, he had 32 active transactions.

Which meant Vijay was spending every morning with his team, going over each transaction and asking, ‘Did you send this? Did you follow up with that? Did this contract get signed?’

But when he looked at the transaction management software on the market, Vijay realized that it was built for brokerages, not agents.

So, he set out to solve his own problem.

Vijay is Cofounder and CEO of Trackxi, a deal tracking software platform that helps agents visualize the next step in each transaction and provides full transparency for the consumer.

On this episode of Listing Bits, Vijay discusses his successful career in mechanical engineering and explains how he became an accidental real estate agent.

Vijay describes what differentiates Trackxi from other transaction management solutions and how it serves teams, transaction coordinators and new agents.

Listen in for insight around the visual nature of Trackxi’s tracking system and find out how the app can help you demonstrate your value prop with clients and grow your real estate business!

What’s Discussed: 

How Vijay moved to the US to pursue his Master’s in mechanical engineering

Vijay’s successful 20-year career in engineering, finance and sales with Daimler

How Vijay became an accidental real estate agent

How the challenge of managing 32 open transactions inspired Vijay to build Trackxi

The advantage of a dedicated app that does one or two things well

Why Trackxi is a deal tracking software platform (vs. transaction management tool)

What differentiates Trackxi from other transaction management tools

How Trackxi serves teams, transaction coordinators and new agents

How Trackxi’s tracking system provides transparency around the agent’s value

How Trackxi’s visual dashboard delivers a State of the Union of an agent’s business

What to expect from Trackxi’s hands-on onboarding process

Connect with Vijay Gopalswamy:

The Close Picks for Best Transaction Management Software for 2023

Email vijay@trackxi.com

Vijay on LinkedIn

Resources:

Trackxi Review in Inman

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Dieter Rams’ 10 Principles of Good Design

Listing Bits Episode 85: A Less, But Better Approach to Real Estate Software Design – with Damien Huze of Lone Wolf Technologies

October 20th, 2023

Among Dieter Rams’ Ten Principles of Design is the idea that good design is as little design as possible.

Less, but better.

And Damien Huze believes that the next evolution of real estate software will apply this concept, offering fewer high-quality apps that work together in a fluid system.

Damien is Senior Design Manager and Principal Designer at Lone Wolf Technologies, a software company working to build an end-to-end solution for real estate.

Damien served as Chief Design Officer at W+R studios before the Lone Wolf acquisition, and he is responsible for the design of Cloud CMA, one of the most popular apps in real estate.

On this episode of Listing Bits, Damien explains how making design a priority benefits companies building web-based apps and why he defines design as a skill aimed at problem-solving.

Damien describes how Lone Wolf is working to combine the tools of proptech into a single streamlined experience and shares his team’s user-centric approach to the problem of simplifying real estate.

Listen in for insight on the power of relentless focus and learn about Damien’s vision for designing real estate software that delivers more with less.

What’s Discussed: 

What Damien learned from growing up with creative parents who immigrated to the US

How making design a priority benefits companies building web-based apps (and why so few do it)

How Damien thinks about design as a skill aimed at problem-solving

What Lone Wolf is doing to bring several real estate apps together in a single end-to-end solution

Why Damien believes the next evolution in real estate software is ‘less but better’

Lone Wolf’s upcoming announcement at the T3 Technology Summit

What it means for good software to have an opinion vs. being too flexible or customizable

How Damien’s team brings a user-centric, design thinking approach to simplifying real estate

Greg and Damien’s take on the advantage of simple tools that get the job done

The well-designed product that’s had the biggest impact on Damien’s life

Why relentless focus boosts productivity and how Damien applies that tenet to design

Connect with Damien Huze:

Lone Wolf Technologies

Damien on X

Damien on LinkedIn

Resources:

T3 Technology Summit

Starlink

FaceTime on Apple TV

Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson

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Burnett v. NAR: The Lawsuit That Could Upend the Housing Market

October 18th, 2023

What if we told you that a high-stakes trial in the real estate and technology industry is about to unfold, with potential implications for consumers and the future of the housing market? Today, Rob and Greg are joined by Ed Zorn, Vice President and General Counsel at CRMLS, and they dive into the details of the ongoing Burnett v. NAR trial, exploring the various legal aspects and arguments that could lead to a major disruption for home sales.

Join us as we discuss the application of the “per se” standard, the challenges faced by the Burnett, and the pivotal role of the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) in this episode of our podcast. Don’t miss this heated discussion as Rob and Greg once again do their best to save the real estate industry.

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