2021 can suck a hot d*ck
RIP Betty White
Pennsylvania Association of Realtors® to provide zipForm as a member benefit
Pennsylvania Association of Realtors® to offer real estate’s leading member benefit, Transactions (zipForm Edition) PA Association of Realtors® keeps foundational digital transaction management tool in members’ hands at no cost.
“As the industry continues to adapt to working along digital platforms, it’s vital for Realtors® to be equipped with the tools that can develop along with them and help them deliver their clients a seamless experience,” said Pennsylvania Association of Realtors® President, Christopher Raad.
Lone Wolf Technologies
“Transactions is the most used and highly-adopted member benefit in real estate today,” said Jimmy Kelly, CEO of Lone Wolf. “It’s a foundational solution, giving agents leading digital forms and transaction management tools for a complete, simple, and secure transaction. From listing to contract to close, Transactions gives agents everything they need to focus on what’s most important to them: closing deals and amazing their clients.”
Big win for Lone Wolf. If you haven’t been paying attention the Association Team at Lone Wolf headed by Lisa Mihelcich has done a great job working with state and local associations to take over the member benefit previously provided by the National Association of REALTORS.
I’m also looking forward to seeing Lone Wolf’s next generation of form solutions (cool stuff!) rolling out of beta next year. Congrats to Lisa and her team (Ashley, Jim, Michelle, and the amazing Jessica Richardson) for lending a hand.
Looking for a new gig?
Product Manager – Lone Wolf Technologies
“Lone Wolf is looking for an experienced Product Manager for our LionDesk CRM & Website products.
Lone Wolf Technologies
This is a dynamic position and you should be excited to work in a rapidly evolving environment, able to manage delivery of near-term product enhancements and longer-range projects, while communicating with a wide range of other departments and stakeholders at various levels across the organization.”
The find out about this job or post a job, please visit the Vendor Alley Job Board.
“The Waldorf please!”
It’s the holiday season and a lot of us are spending time with our families. During this time my thoughts think back to my father and how much I miss him.
A few months ago I was up visiting my family in the Seattle area. One of the reasons was to help my sister clear out some files my Dad had. It’s been over 11 years since he passed but a lot of his stuff we haven’t touched. It was tough, we shared a few tears going through everything. He seemed to keep everything. Postcards, photos, software manuals, and tons of letters. One of the letters caught my eye because it was from me. I wrote it to him and my stepmom Linda (and Lady and Jaxon, their two dogs) on one of my first trips to New York City. I believe it was a RIS Media event. I love that he kept it.
I think those of us that travel a lot for work love some of the experiences we have on the road. Reading this letter brought me back to the feeling of being a “big shot” and wanting to share my experiences with my Dad. There are so many other experiences since he passed that I wish I could share with him now.
Hope you enjoy it (I’ve transcribed it since it’s on two pages and my awful cursive handwriting).
Dear Dad and Linda, Greetings from New York City!! I’m staying at the Waldorf Astoria, which I’ve only heard about in movies. A real estate technology conference is being held here. When I got here on Sunday, at the airport, I had fun telling the cab driver, “The Waldorf please!” I thought I sounded like a real big shot! Anyway the hotel is very “swanky”, and when I saw they had hotel stationery in my room I couldn’t resist to write your both a letter. Last night we went to a Jazz Club called “The Iridium”. Les Paul was playing his electric guitar, which is fitting since he invented it. He played mostly old standards and my friends and I had a really good time. I only wish Jenn was here because she would have enjoyed the show too. But Jenn has bigger problems, our new boy Cole!! I brought a bunch of pictures with me but I really am missing him. He is so adorable. Pictures don’t do him justice!! Well gotta go, my flight back leaves at 2:00 PM today. I miss you both. Give Lady and Jaxon a kiss for me. Love Greg.
If your Dad is still alive give him a hug and tell him that you love him. Happy Holidays everyone.
Zillow partners with Down Payment Resource
Zillow Adds Down Payment Assistance Information to For Sale Listings
“Millions of people may be more qualified to buy a home than they realize, and partnering with Zillow is a great opportunity to help guide these individuals from dreaming to reality,” said Rob Chrane, CEO and founder of Down Payment Resource. “We’ve worked for many years to curate the most expansive list of affordable homeownership resources available. Nearly every community is served by some type of assistance program, and it’s our mission to get this information into the hands of those that need it.”
I had a chance to talk with Rob Chrane on my Listing Bits podcast about his journey with DPR (Down Payment Resource). It’s a great story to hear how Rob has manifested his vision to bringing this kind of data to help more families purchase homes.
So inspirational when you can match social good with such a great entrepreneurial spirt. Well done Rob, congrats to your team and Zillow.
Frances Wiseman joins Sisu
I know what you are thinking; why is everyone leaving you Greg?
For those of you who don’t know Frances, she was our Director of Marketing at W+R Studios. She started with us in 2012, I believe we had less than 10 people at the time. She was also a big factor in W+R’s success. While Katie managed all the Enterprises sales, Frances managed a huge part of the agent sales along with company marketing.
If you love W+R’s t-shirts, then you have Frances to thank.
She had the almost impossible job of making all my crazy ideas come to life.
Did you order the Mariachis yet?
I think we need more dry ice.
Can we double our order of balloons?
I want to dress Karl up like Bjorn Borg.
I want to turn our office into a speakeasy, can you pull that off?
Yes, she did.
It was also great to see her grow, build a team and lead some of W+R’s awesome events. I can say that all of us had some fun times together. Here’s an example:
Frances had taken on a smaller role at Lone Wolf, but I knew she was anxious to get back to something she could sink her teeth in too, so while I’m sad to see her leave I know she was ready for a new a challenge. She has joined the team at Sisu, where she is the Director of Growth Marketing. I hope they realize what a rockstar they have hired.
Thank you Frances. I hope to see “Travel Frances” soon.
Jeff Bosch is the new CEO of IRES
IRES taps real estate industry veteran Jeff Bosch as new chief executive officer
“Bosch has held numerous leadership roles throughout his two-plus decades in real estate, most recently serving as chief operating officer of MARIS, a St. Louis-based MLS. He also previously held titles as director of MLS services and director of broker engagement at MARIS and was a managing broker at Coldwell Banker Gundaker before joining MARIS.”
Big congrats to Jeff and IRES. Lauren is one tough act to follow but knowing Jeff I’m sure he is up for the challenge.
Katie Smithson joins Bridge Interactive (Zillow)
All good things must come to an end.
Katie joined W+R Studios back in January of 2013 and quickly became indispensable to me. She was a fast learner and began to take over different parts of the business. She got my sense of humor, told me when I was wrong (many times), and did many parts of the job better than I did. And to see her become a mother earlier this year filled me with more joy than I thought possible.
I’m extremely proud of what she has accomplished at W+R and the industry, where she has been part of the RESO Board of Directors and the CMLS Board of Directors along with getting CMLX1 certified. While it’s hard for me to imagine not working with her every week, I am excited to see her continue to grow on this next adventure…..ish.
Thank you Katie. #shakeandbake
Triple Play was lit
Recognize anyone?
Craig Rowe of Inman News says MLS providers should stay in their lane
The 6 tech trends that defined real estate in 2021
“Many of the nation’s multiple listing services are now rebounding with attempts to develop and deliver technology for their members instead of seeking the best possible options in the open market.
Inman News
Beyond it not being their core competency, building software isn’t easy, cheap or a one-time thing.
There’s simply no way for MLSs to create a system, continually support it and offer training and help to thousands of members (in some cases, tens of thousands) without significantly raising fees, which it will need to do in order to hire more experienced technology professionals, including expensive engineers and developers.”
This matches what I hear from a lot of vendors: Remember when all the big franchisors and real estate brokers announced they were “technology companies”, not real estate companies. How’s that working out?
He goes on to cite the vetting process most MLS providers follow.
“How can this not further complicate how due diligence on other products is handled, especially when they provide comparable services? Thus, does it best serve members, or the politics and public image of their organization?
Inman
It’s also hypocritical, specifically in any case where an MLS has refused to partner with a vendor for fear of that vendor being acquired.”
He said it, not me. 😇
