Happy Halloween from W+R Studios!
Put it on The MLS 2
Homes.com launches new podcast featuring Andy Woolley
Homes.com Launches New Podcast for MLS Executives
Homes.com announced today the launch of a new podcast designed to inspire collaboration and innovation within the MLS industry. Hosted by Andy Woolley, Vice President of Industry Development for Homes.com, the “Secrets of a Smarter MLS” podcast invites MLS leaders to share ideas about the intersection of strategy, operations, and execution that result in a smarter MLS.
Homes.com
“In an increasingly challenging industry, demanding an increasingly smarter MLS, this podcast is an opportunity for MLS operators of all sizes to learn from their peers around the country,” says Woolley. “My hope is that this podcast will be a platform for collaboration, sharing ideas to empower all MLSs to operate smarter.”
It’s official! I had a little bit of a heads up on this. You can access this wherever you get your podcasts and I have also included a link to it in the “Industry Podcast” section of Vendor Alley.
Andy’s first interview features a great conversation with Jeremy Crawford, CEO of First MLS.
#PutItOnTheMLS
The one thing I don’t think gets talked about enough when it comes to pocket listings and exclusive buyer networks is Fair Housing concerns. The notion that only “the right people” will see your home.
As we approach the discussion and vote at NAR Annual on Policy statement 8.0 I put together a few ideas for getting this message across. I call it Put it on The MLS. Here’s my first one.
John L Scott adds Buyside to help homeowners understand market demand
As a pioneer in the real estate technology space best known for leveraging buyer data, Buyside represents a powerful new way for large brokerages — such as John L. Scott — to capture seller leads, generate and secure more listings, and close more transaction sides in-house. As a trailblazer in the hyperlocal real estate market in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and California, John L. Scott has provided countless clients with efficient and customized service since 1931, continuously investing in its brokers’ success with the latest cutting-edge technology.
Digital Journal
Congrats to Buyside and John L Scott. A lot of people think the buy side (pardon the pun) of things are already figured out. But I see a lot of innovation going on in this space.
Listing Bits Episode 53: Radical Transparency & the Remine Pivot – with Mark Schacknies
When you move fast, you break things. Mark and the rest of Remine’s co-founders are definitely shaking things up in the MLS space. This conversation was recorded at the CMLS Conference in Salt Lake City on October 17th before their recent attempt to launch a new listing portal and Zillow’s decision to cut off access to their Zestimate API As Mark says, in this wide ranging conversation, Remine’s attitude is to “go big or go home.”
In February 2019, Remine raised $30M in private equity to grow its real estate data and analytics platform. A month later, the company announced a painful reduction in force as they shifted focus from upselling agents to partnering with the MLS. So, what prompted Remine’s pivot to an enterprise model? And how are they making the transition from predictive analytics to a next-level MLS system?
Mark Schacknies is the Cofounder and CEO of Remine, a software company that delivers real estate intelligence to more than 825,000 realtors in 40-plus MLS markets. On this episode of Listing Bits, Mark shares the Remine origin story, discussing how the founders started out as competing agents but came together around a shared fondness for data-driven strategies.
Mark speaks to Remine’s pivot from predictive analytics tool to full MLS system, describing what inspired their transition to an enterprise model and how they are addressing their lack of experience in the realm of MLS conversion. Listen in for insight around how Remine’s philosophy differs from legacy incumbents like CoreLogic and learn what success looks like for Mark’s team on their journey to an IPO.
What’s Discussed:
How the founders of Remine started out as competitors
Leveraging tech to transform real estate from within
How the MLS governs the world’s most important asset class
Why Redfin is at the top of Mark’s list of consumer portals
Balancing privacy with data to empower decision-making
What inspired Remine’s pivot to a full MLS platform
What a day-in-the-life of Mark Schacknies looks like
How Remine is addressing a lack of experience in MLS conversion
The difference in philosophy between Remine and CoreLogic
How Remine’s UI gives control to MLSs re: business rules
What success looks like for Remine + the IPO timeline
Resources:
The Third Wave: An Entrepreneur’s Vision of the Future by Alvin Toffler
Connect with Mark:
Homes.com’s Andy Woolley launches new podcast: “Secrets of a Smarter MLS”
I’m excited to announce that good friend and longtime industry advocate Andy Woolley is launching a new podcast called “Secrets of a Smarter MLS”. The podcast focusing on finding out the secrets to running a successful MLS organization by talking to their leadership.
His first guest is Jeremy Crawford. Jeremy is a great first choice. Jeremy is unique because he has seen multiple sides of the industry, from vendor to holding senior MLS staff positions at multiple MLS organizations, CEO of RESO, and now president and CEO of FMLS in Atlanta, GA.
The podcast is available on iTunes or wherever you listen to podcasts. You can also listen to the episode now in your browser at the link below:
Secrets of a Smarter MLS Podcast
I’ll also be adding the podcast link to the the Industry Podcasts page here on Vendor Alley.
Congrats Andy!
WomenUP!
WomanUP! Empowers the Next Generation of Real Estate Leaders
Now in its third year, WomanUP! is celebrating exponential growth to a venue capable of seating 1,000 people – nearly double the capacity of previous years. C.A.R.’s inaugural event in 2017 saw 300 women and men at what started as just a one-day event. The event has since expanded to three days.
“While the real estate industry is predominantly female, women are underrepresented in leadership positions both at the brokerage and senior management levels,” said C.A.R. President-elect Jeanne Radsick. “That’s why it’s important to increase awareness about women’s leadership opportunities in the brokerage industry and inspire women to step into brokerage leadership.”
W+R Studios very own Frances Wiseman and Katie Smithson are attending the event, so if see them please say hello.
Pro Tip: Words matter
I see a trend coming back. And it’s not necessarily a good thing. I hear it at conferences, see it in comment threads, and quoted in media outlets. It usually goes something like this..
“We are a legacy MLS Vendor….”, “our legacy system….”, “the legacy software provides…”
Stop this practice immediately. This phrase came from the old hardware days of “big iron”, with room size computer hardware systems that soon became outdated. Software never sleeps. Legacy means “old”, it means “tired”. I think “traditional” also falls in to this same trap.
I was talking to Dave Rifkin, VP of Sales at Flexmls at the last CMLS Conference. He told me that at FBS they don’t use the phrase “legacy” to describe their MLS System, they say “Flagship”. Which I thought was brilliant. Words matters. The internal diagloue we have with ourselves matter. The words we use to describe others, ourselves, our company, our products matter.
Here are a few phrases to help you get started.
- Battle-tested
- World-class
- Industry leading
- Proven
- Innovative
- Popular
- Respected
Keep your head up.
CRMLS adds Ventura County MLS to expand services
“A completed agreement, once finalized, will mean real estate professional users of the Ventura County MLS will have full access to CRMLS’s best-in-class products, services, training, and expanded support hours.
CRMLS
“We look forward to serving the real estate community in Ventura County directly,” said CRMLS CEO Art Carter. “CRMLS has a long track record of excellent service to brokerages across the state, and we’re excited to bring that service to professionals in this area as well.”
I have a feeling that we are going to hear a lot more about CRMLS in the coming months.
