Boom! Word on the street is that MRIS and TREND MLS, two of the largest MLS providers in the country, are in merger discussions.
Just the fact that these two giants are actually putting egos aside and talking consolidation makes other much smaller MLS providers not considering consolidation look almost petty.
From what I understand they have agreed to start the process without deciding on what happens in the end (i.e. leadership, management etc.) That takes some guts.
“Market Leader provides a customer relationship management system and some online marketing products. Since Zurple basically does the same thing, the acquisition raises the possibility that Constellation might integrate or blend the two.
Zurple offers a website, a customer relationship management system and online advertising management. The advertising managed by Zurple drives prospective buyers and sellers to the Zurple-powered website where some register their contract information.”
“Dear Industry Friends,
I hope this note finds you well!
I have enjoyed working with many of you as Senior Vice President of Industry Relations for Move, Inc., operator of realtor.com. I am writing to let you know of my pending transition.
I joined Move with the intention of influencing the direction and strategy of realtor.com. Although I am very proud of our team’s accomplishments and have enjoyed furthering my relationships with you, my role at Move has not evolved as I had hoped. For that reason, I have decided to leave Move and my last day will be September 30. Our parting is friendly and I will continue supporting the many good things that realtor.com has accomplished under its new ownership.
I remain committed to our great industry and still have a strong desire to make valuable contributions during this period of significant change. I will be evaluating opportunities to do so over the coming months.
I have enjoyed working with you and look forward to continuing our relationships. I hope to see you at the NAR meetings in San Diego, if not sooner.
-Russ
Somehow I get the feeling that working for a Rupert Murdoch company isn’t that fun.
Ralph, Niki and BrianTo say it’s been a tough year for Rapattoni is a massive understatement. Andy’s ongoing back issues and his unexpected death in April of this year have put a dark cloud of rumors over the company and its future.
But on a recent visit I made to Rapattoni’s company headquarters I found a lot of people who never thought of giving up and are ready to fight. Which makes sense. The company was founded in 1970, 45 years ago, and you don’t last that long without fighting the whole way.
At the center of that fight is Niki Rapattoni. Andy’s co-founder, wife, love of his life. And at an age where she should be enjoying the good life she has decided to push forward and take the company in a new direction for the future.
They are now rolling out Rapattoni Magic-Cloud AMS, a new cloud-based solution for their association management software (AMS) which frees the software from on-site hardware, as well as hosting of the current version of Rapattoni Magic AMS for customers that want to eliminate their in-house hardware. This, along with their Integrated Website Service, Single Sign-On (SSO), and Edge MLS mobile interface for iOS and Android, as well as their brand new corporate website, shows the company has been busy. Niki also gave me a tour of their newly renovated offices. Ralph Hoover, Rapattoni’s EVP, mentioned that these product decisions were made under Niki’s direction, after Andy’s passing.
But that’s not what caught my attention.
One thing that was also clear to me is that everyone at Rapattoni was in tune with what was happening in the industry. And Upstream was at the top of that discussion. Niki said that the company had a lot of discussions about Project Upstream and what it meant to MLS vendors like Rapattoni. And she said that after a lot of thought they had decided strategically they needed to make a change. That change was to separate the front end of the Rapattoni MLS from the back-end database. This, she said, would give the company flexibility to compete in the future as the landscape of the MLS world changed.
Whoa! This was huge news to me. I know that many MLS providers had been looking for some leadership from MLS vendors regarding this, but none of them that I know of have made the declaration publicly.
This is a huge undertaking. I was really impressed by Brian Tepfer, Rapattoni’s CTO, as he laid out the plan. Of course this will not happen overnight, he was quick to say, but the decision has been made, the work has started, and Rapattoni wants to lead the industry in this new direction.
On my drive back home to Huntington Beach I got to thinking. My stepmother lost my father a few years back, my mother-in-law lost her husband less than two years ago. Both strong women. But as strong as they are I can’t imagine how either of them could go on after such a great loss, to lead a company of over a 100 people and to make sure their families are taken care of. No break. Unimaginable. And yet Niki and her team are doing it.
So if anybody is asking what’s happening at Rapattoni, I would just repeat what Niki said to me as I left, “We’re still here Greg. And the sky’s the limit.”
“Here’s what the company had to say about their beloved founder’s life: Her impact on the residential real estate industry was unmatched. Over the years, Ebby opened the doors to successful careers for thousands of people; in particular for women at a time when opportunities were limited.
Ebby began working at age 8 near Abilene, Kansas, riding her pony from wheat farm to wheat farm selling Cloverine salve, which she marketed as good for bug bites, cuts and bruises. She quickly learned the profit system, the value of repeat business and the importance of attention to customer service.”
Such a great story, you should really read the whole thing. One thing that I’ve always loved is the Ebby Halliday logo. Just a simple typeface, very mid-century, yet still very timeless. Rest in peace.
Please join me in wishing Mr. Dan Woolley a happy birthday. He’s my business partner, friend and straight man. I really don’t know how he does it all! : )
