“In his new role, Robertson will lead the company’s Association and Franchise Cloud initiatives, spearheading a seasoned sales team to help associations and MLSs across North America bring more value through member benefits, so they can help guide their agents through this dynamic market”
This is so meta.
I’m also looking to expand my team. Please reach out if you are interested.
Enterprise Sales Manager – Lone Wolf Technologies
“The Enterprise Sales Manager focus is to act as the primary point of contact for our Key Franchise clients, as well as MLS, Associations and prospects using Lone Wolf solutions. Key metrics will be to gain new clients, increase client retention and satisfaction, improve product adoption, and communicate new product updates and efficiency methods to customers. You will become the subject matter expert for Lone Wolf clients and their needs through maintaining contracts, partnering with key stakeholders inside of and outside of Lone Wolf, and guiding measurable results for our clients using our products.”
This time its personal! I’m looking to add someone to join Katie and I at my new gig at Lone Wolf. We have some exciting things in the pipeline. Do you have the industry experience, the knowledge, and the liver to join me? To find out more about this gig and others or to post a job you are trying fill, please visit the Vendor Alley Job Board.
Looks like Rhett has joined Opendoor as Head of Industry Relations, which I believe is a new position for the company.
I’m hearing that his main focus will be MLS. He will report to industry vet, Kerry Melcher, who is head of Brokerage and Sales. Rhett is a great choice for Opendoor and glad he found a new home after spending over 6 years at realtor.com. Congrats Rhett and Opendoor!
T3 Sixty spearheads new nonprofit to improve diversity in real estate
“It is hard to get into real estate, but it is much harder to stay in real estate and remain consistently successful,” said Kenya Burrell-VanWormer, herself a former real estate agent. Burrell-VanWormer is a sixth-generation Texan and native Houstonian and has been involved in real estate for almost two decades. Her achievements earned her honors as the Houston Association of Realtors’ Realtor of the Year in 2009. “It is extremely important to create role models and roadmaps for those who have a dream of becoming a successful Realtor,” Swanepoel said.
The Foundation has an audacious goal of raising $100 million in donations and sponsorships over the next decade and using that to help 40,000 people enter the real estate industry and build toward successful, long-lasting careers. All brokerages, agents, vendors, associations and MLSs are encouraged to participate in this meaningful cause by providing donations, services and support of any size.
A great cause and I think everyone can help. Kenya Burrell-VanWormer is an excellent choice as their first Executive Director. I had a chance to speak with Kenya on a recent Industry Relations podcast, you can check that out here.
Not too long ago, REALTORS were unified, often claiming to be neither Democrat nor Republican but members of the REALTOR Party. Today, however, the polarization in our country is reflected in the real estate community. And the recent changes to the NAR Code of Ethics, specifically Standard of Practice 10-5, seem to have pushed us even farther apart. So, how are these changes likely to affect REALTORS in practice? Can we be more inclusive without favoring one political party over another?
Laura Farley serves as General Counsel at the Virginia REALTORS Association, and she has more than 10 years of experience handling and supervising professional standards cases. Prior to joining the state association, Laura was an attorney for the Northern Virginia Association of REALTORS. On this episode of Industry Relations, Laura joins Rob and Greg to provide an overview of the three major changes to NAR’s Code of Ethics and offer insight into how those changes might impact real estate professionals now that the professional standards apply to everything a REALTOR does, real estate related or not.
Laura explains why NAR’s list of protected classes in Standard of Practice 10-5 is more inclusive than a lot of states and addresses the subjective nature of determining intent as well as the concerns that 10-5 gives some REALTORS more speech rights than others. She also discusses the significance of removing the word ‘willful’ from NAR’s definition of public trust, introducing us to the concept of disparate impact—and why it may or may not apply to Article 10. Listen in for Laura’s insight on how 10-5 has further polarized the REALTOR community and get her take on the best possible outcome around the revised Code of Ethics.
What’s Discussed:
Laura’s decade of legal experience with professional standards cases
Laura’s overview of the 3 major changes to the NAR Code of Ethics
Why NAR’s list of protected classes is more inclusive than most state lists
The significance of the word ‘use’ in Standard of Practice 10-5 (REALTORS must not ‘use’ harassing speech, hate speech, epithets or slurs)
The controversy around how 10-5 gives some REALTORS more speech rights than others
The subjective nature of determining an agent’s intent to harm, hurt or harass
How Laura thinks about the concerns of REALTORS on the political right re: implicit bias
The significance of removing the word ‘willful’ from the definition of public trust
The concept of disparate impact and why it may or may not apply to Article 10
How the change to 10-5 has further polarized the REALTOR community
Connect with Laura:
Email: lfarley [at] virginiarealtors [dot] org
Connect with Rob and Greg:
Resources:
Laura’s Code of Ethics Update Video
Virginia REALTORS Code of Ethics Resources
NAR’s Code of Ethics & Standards of Practice
Rob’s Post on an Alternative to the New Speech Code
Virginia REALTORS Diversity & Inclusion PAG
Rob’s Post on Disparate Impact
Our Sponsors:
Chief Technology Officer – Stellar MLS
“This leader is responsible for helping to create and implement the strategic vision as part of the executive leadership team. This position interacts with all departments in the company including the employees, stakeholders, customers and the Board, while providing leadership for the Information Technology, Development, Data Services and Data Analyst teams and create the technical vision for new product offerings, facilitate focus groups, generate product requirements, and production plans.”
To find out about this job, and others or to post a position you are looking to fill please visit the Vendor Alley Job Board.
Freddy’s Funeral , Medical , & Other Expenses
“We are looking to raise money for Suzanne, Freddy’s wife, and the Sarabia Family to help with Funeral, Medical, and Other expenses during this difficult time. Unfortunately, we lost this loving Husband, Son, Brother, Uncle, Step-Dad, Step-Grandpa, and Friend to COVID last week. “
Great to see the generosity the industry is showing toward Freddy’s family. Giving and helping out someone else is need is one of the best things you can do for yourself. So click on the link above and put a smile on face for the rest of the day. Rest In Peace Freddy.
T3 Tech Marketplace launches with over 900 tech products
“Technology usage and products have exploded in the residential real estate industry the past two decades. Brokers, teams, agents, MLSs and Realtor associations face an increasingly complex ecosystem when looking for the right tech tools to help them grow their businesses. With the T3 Tech Marketplace, they can map out their current technology solutions to identify where they might have gaps, strategize about changing technology needs, track budget and contract details, and compare similar technologies.”
Love this. This is a great site for MLS organizations, associations, brokers and agents to use for vendor/product research and reference. MLS and assns. should consider a link on their organization’s website for easy access.
“Commit yourself to the noble struggle of equal rights. You will make a better person of yourself, a greater nation of your country and a finer world to live in.” – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
What can technology vendors do to better connect with the agents and brokers we hope to serve? And what can we learn from the perspective of a computer engineer turned REALTOR about how to approach real estate professionals and what kind of tech solutions they need?
Georgia Purpura is Managing Broker at Urban Nest Realty, a mid-size independent brokerage out of Las Vegas, Nevada, where she specializes in helping agents grow their business. She is also very involved in the local association, most recently serving as Chair of the MLS. Georgia has been a licensed agent for 12 years, acting as broker for Keller-Williams Southwest before joining Urban Nest in 2018. Prior to real estate, she earned her degree in business and information technology and spent eight years working as a computer engineer.
On this episode of Listing Bits, Georgia discusses how her background in IT has served her well in real estate, explaining how she evaluates technology solutions and what vendors can do to market their software more effectively. She offers advice for vendors and brokers on creating a business model that mitigates agent churn, challenging us to focus on producers rather than subscribers—casting a deeper net as opposed to a wider one. Listen in for Georgia’s insight on how modern agents learn about technology tools (and how that’s evolved over the years) and get her take on the top technology needs in the real estate space.
What’s Discussed:
Georgia’s background in computer engineering and how that tech experience has served her well in real estate
How Georgia learned about tech tools early in her career from sales meetings and through the local association
How modern agents learn about tech tools through word-of-mouth on social media
Georgia’s advice for vendors around marketing to top producers who can create influence for you
Why vendors should lead with the problem they’re solving for in pitching agents and brokers
How Georgia evaluates tech based on its potential to shorten the sales cycle and save time or money
Georgia’s criticism of how brokers have gone about increasing profitability by having the biggest army (rather than the best)
How real estate brokerages and software vendors can build a business model that mitigates agent churn
The top technology needs Georgia sees in the real estate space
–Integration among tech solutions (strategic alliances)
–Agent retention and engagement tool for brokers
Connect with Georgia:
Email georgiapurpura [at] gmail [dot] com
Resources:
Our Sponsor:
