Where Real Estate Gets Its Dirt

Listing Bits Podcast: The Amazing Annie Ives

🎙️ Listing Bits Episode: The Amazing Annie Ives

Host: Greg Robertson

Guest: Annie Ives, CEO of The MLS™ / VestaPlus

Duration: ~40 min

👋 Episode Summary:

In this episode, Greg sits down with Annie Ives, a true titan in the world of organized real estate. From her early days immigrating from Tunisia to building and reviving one of the most resilient MLS organizations in the country, Annie shares her personal and professional journey with candor, humor, and a hint of rebellion.

They cover everything from her humble beginnings in Los Angeles, to taking down not one but two formidable adversaries (a rogue MLS and the LA Times), and ultimately building a fully-fledged MLS software company from the ground up — all while raising a family and earning her MBA.

🧩 Key Topics Covered:

• Annie’s Origins: Born in Tunisia, moved to LA in 1967 post-Six-Day War

• First Jobs in the U.S.: Nanny, Bank of America check processor

• Finding Her Calling: Started in accounting for CLAW (Combined L.A. Westside MLS) in 1993

• The CLS Uprising: How Annie resurrected CLAW after a broker-led exodus and competition from the breakaway “CLS”

• Publishing Power Move: Took on LA Times and launched Southern California Homes & Estates, which remains a staple in the market

• Building VestaPlus: Tired of relying on vendors, Annie led the charge to build a proprietary MLS platform — now adopted beyond their core market

• Checkmate™: Her team’s AI-driven compliance tool making waves across the MLS industry

• Team Philosophy: Why taking risks, building a strong team, and staying scrappy still matters

📌 Resources & Mentions:

• The MLS™ / VestaPlus:

• Contact Annie: annie.ives@themls.com

• Compliance tool: Checkmate™, powered by VestaPlus

• The MLS Summit Event: Annual event hosted by The MLS™

Listing Bits Podcast: A floor plan with every listing

In this episode of Listing Bits, Greg Robertson is joined by Megan McFarlane from New Mexico MLS and Jeff Allen from CubiCasa to discuss the growing importance of floor plans in real estate listings. They dive into why New Mexico MLS has taken the bold step of requiring floor plans on every listing, how technology like CubiCasa is making this easier, and the industry-wide momentum pushing for more complete and transparent listing content.

Key Takeaways

• New Mexico MLS’s Bold Move: Why they made floor plans mandatory and how it enhances listing accuracy and consumer experience.

• The Tech That’s Changing the Game: How CubiCasa and other solutions make floor plans more accessible for agents and MLSs.

• Overcoming Pushback: Addressing concerns about liability, data privacy, and adoption challenges.

• Consumer Demand is Clear: NAR research shows floor plans are the #1 most requested listing feature.

• Global Trends in Real Estate: Why countries like Finland and Australia have already made floor plans standard—and why the U.S. is catching up.

• The Future of MLS Compliance: How MLSs are using AI and automation to enforce floor plan requirements.

Links & Resources

New Mexico MLS to require floor plans on all listings

MLS Floor Plan Requirement Programs: FAQ 2025

CMLS Presentation Clip

Our Sponsors

Trackxi – Real Estate’s #1 Deal Tracking Software

Giant Steps Job Board – Where Proptech gets hired

Production and editing services by:

Sunbound Studios

Listing Bits Podcast:AI and compliance with Todd Carpenter of Styldod

In this episode of Listing Bits, Greg Robertson sits down with Todd Carpenter, SVP of Industry Relations at Styldod, to talk about the evolution of real estate technology—from mortgage lead gen to photo AI. They dive deep into how Styldod uses artificial intelligence to help agents with virtual staging, automate compliance workflows, and extract property data directly from listing photos. Todd also shares his career journey through early online mortgage startups, NAR, and RE.net culture to where he is today—working on AI-powered tools designed to modernize listing input and photo compliance for MLSs.

Key Takeaways

  • Career Journey – Todd shares his path from growing up in real estate, to working in mortgage tech, to leading social media strategy at NAR, and now serving at Styldod.
  • Photo Compliance and Automation – Styldod’s AI can detect and automatically correct issues like branding, people, pets, or license plates in listing photos based on MLS rules.
  • Data Extraction from Photos – The AI identifies room types, finishes, and furniture to help pre-populate listing details and property descriptions.
  • AI-Powered Listing Input – Discussion on how AI can assist in streamlining listing input and future MLS integrations without replacing MLS platforms themselves.
  • Visual Staging and Marketing Add-ons – Styldod enables decluttering, virtual staging, and style customization through a seamless workflow integrated into MLS photo upload processes.
  • Product and Pricing Models – Overview of different pricing approaches for MLSs, agents, and brokers—either as direct charges or revenue-share options.
  • Reimagine.AI – Styldod’s consumer-facing product with over 2 million users, offering swipe-based before-and-after image tools.
  • AI Search and Industry Disruption – Todd and Greg speculate on how on-device AI and generative agents may reshape search, SEO, and real estate monetization in the future

Contact Todd

Email: todd@styldod.com

LinkedIn

Links:

Reimagine

Styldod

Our Sponsors

Trackxi – Real Estate’s #1 Deal Tracking Software

Giant Steps Job Board – Where ORE gets hired

Production and editing services by:

Sunbound Studios

Listing Bits Podcast: Brian Donnellan and the future of cooperation

🎙️ Listing Bits: Brian Donnellan, CEO of Bright MLS

Host: Greg Robertson

Guest: Brian Donnellan, CEO of Bright MLS

Episode Summary:

Greg sits down with Bright MLS CEO Brian Donnellan for a candid conversation about leadership, music, and the shifting dynamics in real estate. They dive into design, the Clear Cooperation Policy, Wall Street’s influence, and why cooperation—not just compensation—is the heart of MLS value.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why Bright MLS invests so heavily in communication and design

• How playing in bands helped Brian lead complex teams

• The real impact of removing compensation from the MLS model

• Brian’s take on Clear Cooperation and private exclusives

• What Wall Street’s growing role means for brokers and MLSs

Our Sponsors

Trackxi – Real Estate’s #1 Deal Tracking Software

Giant Steps Job Board – Where Proptech gets hired

Production and editing services by:

Sunbound Studios

Listing Bits Podcast: Getting rid of the grey with Amy Gorce of REdistribute

This Listing Bits episode is now available on your favorite podcast player!


Overview

Greg Robertson sits down with industry veteran Amy Gorce of REdistribute to clarify what REdistribute actually does, how it differs from display-focused data platforms, and why MLSs should care about the exploding gray-market use of MLS data. Amy breaks down the institutional-buyer use cases, explains how gray-market pipelines emerged, and outlines why MLS participation directly impacts valuation accuracy, AVMs, risk modeling, and overall market health.


Key Takeaways
 • REdistribute is not a display vendor. Their data is used solely for institutional-grade analytics, AVMs, risk modeling, and portfolio management—never for consumer-facing listing display.  
 • Owned by MLSs, built for MLSs. The operating agreement limits eligible purchasers and prevents MLSs or brokers from using the data for competitive display products.  
 • The gray market is real and accelerating. Companies scrape, partner with brokers, or purchase unclear data sources to fuel AVMs and risk tools—often without MLS compensation. REdistribute is actively converting gray-market users.  
 • AI is making the problem bigger. Scraping tools, automated ingestion, and LLM training pipelines are proliferating. REdistribute is building an MCP server to support AI-specific use cases in a controlled and compliant way.  
 • Coverage, not demand, is the bottleneck. Institutional buyers are ready, but MLS participation is still below critical mass (~55–60% coverage). More MLSs joining closes the gap and increases revenue potential.  
 • Economics vary by use case. AVM licensing generates significantly higher value than simple match-and-append use cases—creating real opportunities for meaningful revenue distribution back to MLSs and brokers.  
 • Joining is simple. MLSs sign a license agreement and can be onboarded in roughly two weeks, with quarterly revenue distributions.  


Links
 • The Market Value of Listing Data—and the Cost of the Grey Market – White Paper

Contact

Amy Gorce
Allison Duggins

Sponsors
Trackxi – Real Estate’s #1 Deal Tracking Software

Giant Steps Job Board – Where ORE gets hired

Production and editing services by:
Sunbound Studios

Listing Bits Podcast: Meet Ben Kinney, the new owner of Remine

The latest Listing Bits episode in now available on your favorite podcast player!

In this episode, Greg Robertson sits down with Ben Kinney, CEO and co-founder of Place, to talk about Place’s acquisition of Remine, how Ben built his PropTech empire from the ground up, and what’s next for the platform. Ben shares his personal journey from growing up in rural Washington to building a half-billion-dollar business, and lays out his vision for supporting agents, MLSs, and consumers through technology, services, and long-term stability.

Key Takeaways

  • Place Acquires Remine – Ben shares why his team bought Remine out of bankruptcy, what they plan to do with the platform, and how MLSs can expect immediate support.
  • A Business Built for Agents – Place focuses on helping top teams across brokerages run more profitable and efficient businesses without trying to replace brokers or compete with their models.
  • Three Keys to Product Adoption – Ben breaks down his framework for driving usage: show users how, show them why, and show them others who’ve succeeded.
  • From CRM to Services – Place provides agents with everything from CRMs and marketing tools to bookkeeping, HR, title services, and even AI-powered handwritten notes.
  • CCP and Cooperation – Ben shares his views on Clear Cooperation and listing exclusivity, emphasizing transparency, consumer benefit, and the importance of cooperation.
  • Long-Term Vision – Ben discusses Place’s public company aspirations, upcoming acquisitions, and consumer-focused services like moving support—all while keeping control of the business.

Links

Place.com https://place.com

Active Rain https://activerain.com

Mom’s “No Bake” Cookie recipe

1 stick of butter

2 c sugar

1/4 c cocoa powder

1/2 c milk

3 c oatmeal

1/2 c crunchy peanut butter

1 tsp vanilla

Stir butter, sugar, cocoa, milk in saucepan until boil. Boil at low for 2 mins. Remove from heat and add in oatmeal, peanut butter, vanilla.

WAV Group Interview: Meet Ben Kinney and Chris Suarez of Place – new owners of Remine –

Meet Ben Kinney and Chris Suarez of Place – new owners of Remine

Our Sponsors

Trackxi – Real Estate’s #1 Deal Tracking Software

Giant Steps Job Board – Where ORE gets hired

Production and editing services by:

Sunbound Studios

Industry Relations and Listing Bits podcast nominated for Inman Innovator Award

It’s nice to be recognized and it’s double nice to be recognized twice! Many thanks to Inman News for this nomination. Rob and I have been nominated several times, maybe this year is the year!

Brian Tepfer: How PropStream Turns Data Into Deals

The Listing Bits Podcast is now available on your favorite podcast player!

Overview

Greg Robertson interviews Brian Tepfer, CEO of PropStream, about his journey from tech support at Rapatoni to leading a major proptech data platform. The conversation explores how PropStream turns public record data into actionable real estate opportunities, the rise of investor-focused tools outside the MLS, and how shifting market conditions are changing agent behavior. They also discuss industry trends like wholesaling, MLS fragmentation risks, and new go-to-market strategies—including vendor partnerships and alternative revenue models. 

Key Takeaways

  • Brian transitioned from tech roles into leadership by focusing on business + people, not just coding. 
  • PropStream is a nationwide property data platform built primarily on public records, not MLS data. 
  • The platform helps users identify “signals” (distress, equity, liens, etc.) that indicate potential transactions. 
  • A significant portion of users are investors or aspiring real estate entrepreneurs—not traditional agents. 
  • Wholesaling offers a low-barrier entry into real estate compared to licensing. 
  • Market shifts (rates, lower transaction volume) are pushing agents to explore investing and alternative revenue streams. 
  • PropStream is expanding into a full workflow: search → identify → connect (via dialer, outreach tools). 
  • AI features are being introduced to provide actionable insights (e.g., evaluating deal potential). 
  • MLS partnerships are positioned as marketing + non-dues revenue opportunities. 
  • Concerns remain about MLS fragmentation and its impact on data access and market transparency. 
  • New vendor collaboration models may offer faster, more flexible go-to-market strategies. 

Links

Rethinking Ownership: Brett Humphrey on Co-Owning Homes

The Listing Bits Podcast is now available on your favorite podcast player!

Overview

Greg Robertson sits down with Brett Humphrey, founder of Joynt, to discuss a new approach to housing affordability through co-ownership. Brett shares his background as a longtime software developer and entrepreneur, including selling a consulting business to Accenture before launching Joynt. The conversation explores how shared home ownership could help address affordability challenges by allowing multiple buyers to jointly purchase and manage property, along with the technical and legal infrastructure required to make that process safe and practical.

Key Takeaways

  • Founder background: Brett Humphrey spent decades as a software engineer and consultant before launching Joynt, an idea he had been considering since the early 2000s.
  • Affordability challenge: The core problem Joynt aims to address is housing affordability, particularly in expensive markets like Southern California.
  • Co-ownership model: Joynt enables multiple parties to co-own a home, providing tools and frameworks to handle ownership structure, responsibilities, and ongoing management.
  • Making co-ownership practical: The platform focuses on reducing the complexity and risk of shared ownership by providing software tools and structured agreements.
  • Shift in industry thinking: The discussion highlights the need for the real estate industry to think beyond traditional home purchases and consider alternative ownership models.
  • Timing and market conditions: Rising home prices and affordability pressures make shared ownership models increasingly relevant.

Links

  • Joynt – https://joynt.com
  • Brett Humphrey – brett@joynt.com
  • General inquiries – hello@joynt.com

Sponsors

Aligned Showings — MLS-owned showing software built to simplify scheduling, improve communication, and keep MLS data where it belongs.

Giant Steps Job Board – Built for organized real estate and PropTech, not generic tech bros and recruiters who don’t know what an MLS is.

Production and editing services by:

Sunbound Studios

Killing the Copy-Paste: MLS Data Meets Canva

The Listing Bits Podcast is now available on your favorite podcast player!

Overview

In this episode of Listing Bits, Greg Robertson sits down with Marcus Brown, founder of MLS Pipeline. Marcus shares his path from real estate agent to solo software founder, discussing how frustrations with lead generation, CMAs, and manual marketing workflows led him to build a Canva-based MLS data integration. The conversation covers MLS sales cycles, member-benefit products, and why automation and design flexibility matter for agents today. 

Key Takeaways

  • Marcus Brown transitioned from working auctions and traditional real estate sales into building real estate software. 
  • Partial “home value” leads often converted better than fully submitted leads when followed up with hand-delivered CMAs. 
  • MLS Pipeline connects MLS data directly into Canva, eliminating copy/paste and manual data entry. 
  • The product is designed as an MLS member benefit rather than a direct-to-agent SaaS. 
  • MetroList is the first MLS to officially launch MLS Pipeline on its dashboard. 

Links

  • Contact Marcus Brown: marcus@mlspipeline.com
  • Phone: 208-340-9600

Sponsors

Aligned Showings — MLS-owned showing software built to simplify scheduling, improve communication, and keep MLS data where it belongs.

Giant Steps Job Board – Built for organized real estate and PropTech, not generic tech bros and recruiters who don’t know what an MLS is.

Production and editing services by:

Sunbound Studios

Sponsored By ICE