Where Real Estate Gets Its Dirt

Brokers, your real estate super app is here

Rechat and Canva Unveil New Integration

By integrating with Rechat, we are empowering agents to turn live property data into polished, on-brand marketing materials in minutes.

Smart move. But the Canva deal isn’t really the story here.

The story is what Rechat has quietly become. They’ve hit 100% year-over-year revenue growth, grown their customer base by 220%, and expanded their team to 85 people across 18 countries. Their CRM adoption rate sits at 75% — which, if you’ve spent any time in this industry, you know is borderline miraculous.

I think two things are at work here to qualify that success.

Number One: Integrations. Figma last August. SkySlope. Follow Up Boss. Now Canva. Rechat CEO Shayan Hamidi says it’s about “removing friction from the creative process and meeting agents where they want to work.” This feels different than an “all-in-one” or “end to end” strategy that a lot of vendors are shooting for — they started by knowing that integrations would be part of their solution.

Number Two: Knowing who their customer is: Independent Brokers. The content that Rechat creates is of high quality and good design. Something that gives independent brokers a way of competing with Compass’ tech stack, but without all the restrictions.

Rechat isn’t trying to be everything to everyone — they’re building the platform that independent brokers didn’t know they were waiting for, and the numbers say it’s working.

OneKey MLS taps BPP

OneKey MLS Taps Broker Public Portal to Power Consumer Search

“This next phase of our strategy ensures that our consumer-facing experience not only reflects the integrity of MLS data, but also actively supports our participants by helping connect buyers directly with listing brokerages.”

Looks like OneKey listings will expand portal distribution to add Cribio, BPP’s national consumer search site, with opt-out preserved for brokers and sellers.

This is a significant win for BPP. OneKey is one of the largest MLSs in the country — tens of thousands of subscribers across New York City, Long Island, and the surrounding metro. Landing them as a partner is a credibility milestone.

The pitch is becoming a bit more straight forward in my eyes: accurate MLS data, fair display, direct consumer-to-listing-brokerage connections, no ad model. That last part matters. In a post-settlement world where broker value is under a microscope, an MLS choosing to power its consumer experience through a platform that attributes rather than monetizes the listing relationship is a deliberate strategic signal. Although some industry players have pushed back on the overall value proposition of sending on-line leads to listing agents.

But, worth watching whether this accelerates adoption among other major MLSs. OneKey signing on makes the next conversation a lot easier for Dan Troup and his team. Congrats!

Everywhere

A message from Our Chairman and CEO

“Our collective vision is to become the best in the world at empowering real estate professionals with everything they need to realize their entrepreneurial potential. What makes this moment unique is not a transaction that combines two companies – it’s that the industry’s leading brands and professionals are coming together on a single, modern technology platform that will help real estate professionals save time, grow their business, and better serve their clients.”

It’s only January 9th and I’ve already gotten one of my predictions for 2026 wrong. Oh well. Gonna be fun to watch.

How Brokers Can Win Without Going to War

I was asked to collaborate on some insights with Realtracs.

How Brokers Can Win Without Going to War

“Collaboration Isn’t Kumbaya

Collaboration doesn’t mean holding hands and singing around a lockbox. It means using shared data and tools to sharpen your own edge.“

NextHome – Floor Plans on ALL listings by July 2026

NextHome Sets Company-Wide Goal: Floor Plans on 100% of Listings by July 2026

“James Dwiggins, Co-CEO of NextHome, explained the importance of the shift:

“This is an important move, not just for our company, but for the future of our industry. If agents want to be paid what they’re worth, they need to continue to raise their value proposition. According to the most recent NAR homebuyer survey, floor plans are the third most requested tool in the search process. This is one simple, powerful way to do it. In our view, floor plans aren’t just an add-on anymore. They’re front and center for consumers. And helping consumers is the heart of our mission at NextHome.”

Can you feel it? It’s really starting to happen.

“Hey Lucy, sell this house”

Meet Lucy, an AI assistant that’s ‘all about empowering’ agents

“Rechat is a real estate marketing superapp that allows brokerages, teams and agents to select from an array of connected modular solutions for email, video marketing, digital display advertising and social media campaigns. It also provides CMA generation, websites, communication networks, CRM functionality and a smart transaction management center with digital signatures, intuitive form builders and business analytics.”

Remember the days when “there’s an app for that!” Now it seems all you need is a single Superapp! But seriously, the UI looks great. Broker only for now. Looking forward to see a fun demo.

Something tells me that this Lucy will be better at keeping up with her tasks than this Lucy!

“Speed her up!”

Doorify invests in BPP

Doorify MLS Joins Broker Public Portal as Strategic Investor

“Our investment in Broker Public Portal is a clear signal of Doorify MLS’s commitment to technology sovereignty in real estate,” said Matt Fowler, CEO of Doorify MLS. “By taking ownership in this broker- and MLS-controlled platform, we’re ensuring our industry retains vital control over its technology infrastructure and data. Our core mission is to provide consumers with the most comprehensive MLS search experience, directly connecting them with the local experts – their agents and brokers. This investment fortifies a platform truly built by the industry, for the industry, fostering genuine engagement between consumers and real estate professionals.”

The tech that Dan and his team have put together in such a short amount of time is pretty amazing. And I was especially impressed by this statement from the release:

“With this addition, the strategic investors in the Broker Public Portal are comprised of 44 brokerages and 48 MLSs, serving 1,047,000 agents.”

There seems to be a lot of opportunity out there. The tough part is just fitting all the pieces together. Fortunately, Matt and his team have no shortage of ideas, and with his background at Solid Earth I’m confident they will be a perfect strategic partner.

Audie Chamberlain joins Rechat

Audie Chamberlain named Rechat head of growth, communications

“Chamberlain has long been a vocal advocate for real estate agents and their evolution through smart marketing and technology. He’s led public outreach campaigns for the likes of Concierge Auctions, Luxury Portfolio, Hawaii Life, Contactually and Zillow, among others. The relationship with Rechat developed after Chamberlain was hired to advise Hamidi on new ways to broaden the company’s national presence.”

Audie is one of the good ones. Excited to see what’s next for Rechat.

Hoby Hanna don’t like the rules

Howard Hanna in open rebellion against Clear Cooperation Policy

“We won’t pay the fines,” Hanna said. “We don’t think our agents should pay the fines if a seller has choice.

“What does that lead to, if we don’t pay the fines, then, okay, they’re going to say we can’t participate in the MLS? Well, is that really what they want to do? They want to have less inventory in the MLS? Do they want to destroy the MLS?”

Hanna has previously said his company was considering leaving the MLS due to NAR’s mandatory MLS policies.”

Maybe I’ve been watching too much basketball lately, but in my opinion, the concept of brokers wanting to change the rules because they have a new “novel” strategy is akin to an NBA team saying, “We don’t think that ‘shot clock’ is valid, so we aren’t going to follow it, and if you don’t change it, we are going to start our own league.”

Maybe not the best analogy, but as Sam DeBord elegantly stated in his LinkedIn post,

“The MLS ruleset is the lever that creates the marketplace for better seller outcomes. Like laws that make for an organized society, these rules create an organized marketplace that benefits those who participate.”

Mr. Hanna has every right to leave. If he has a better idea for what an MLS should be he should pursue it.

Gino says no deal!

Looks like the WSJ got it wrong. So far I haven’t seen any sort of retraction from them.

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