Where Real Estate Gets Its Dirt

FBS joins ROAM on its journey to form statewide marketplace

Press Release: ROAM MLS Selects FBS and the Flexmls® Platform to Support Statewide Marketplace

“Our newly established partnership with FBS will provide our members with an MLS platform that preserves many of the features and familiarity of their current native system while offering access to updated technology. This decision eliminates the need for duplicative add-ons, consolidates data into a single source, and provides our members with the opportunity for greater cost savings,” said Rhonda Reap-Curiel, ROAM MLS President”

Significant win for FBS. See below from ROAM’s website:

“What is changing

  • ROAM will launch a unified MLS platform, built specifically for ROAM by Flex MLS.
  • ROAM will retire the existing Matrix, Paragon, and legacy Flex platforms.
  • Members will be converted to the new platform with their listings, contacts, and saved searches.
  • The Clareity dashboard will be retired.

What is not changing

  • All ancillary services will remain in place, including Cloud CMA, ShowingTime, lockboxes, RentSpree, RPR, and other current tools.
  • Local support remains local.
  • Association-specific fees are unchanged as part of this announcement.”

Nice to see Cloud CMA didn’t get kicked off the island.  😅

Hive MLS grows

West Metro Board of REALTORS joins Hive MLS as its 20th Member

“West Metro joining Hive is a powerful example of what our cooperative model is all about,” said Daniel Jones, CEO of Hive MLS. “They share in our belief in the strength of community, where associations gain influence by working together, the value of collaboration across markets to support brokers and agents with better tools, and the importance of connectivity through modern systems and seamless data exchange. We look forward to West Metro helping to strengthen our Hive.”

Interesting model. One thing I’m looking forward to about MLS Reset is getting a chance to learning more from Daniel and others on their unique business models.

MetroList continues expansion

MetroList Expands Regional Footprint with Madera County Association of REALTORS®
-Joining Its MLS Platform

“With the addition of MAR, MetroList now serves 15 Central and Northern California counties and supports data-sharing across 29 relevant counties, creating expanded exposure and opportunity for real estate professionals and consumers alike. This strategic move reflects MAR’s commitment to equipping its members with forward-thinking tools, innovative technology, and comprehensive service and support in an increasingly value driven real estate landscape.”

Looks like MetroList is building some momentum. The consolidation continues…

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.

MetroList expands, adds Calaveras County AOR

MetroList Expands MLS Footprint Through New Agreement with Calaveras County Association of REALTORS®

“We are pleased to welcome the Calaveras County Association of REALTORS® and its members to MetroList,” said MetroList President and CEO Dave Howe. “By bringing more associations together on a single MLS platform, we are creating a regional MLS that enables real estate professionals to better serve their clients and supports consumers who are increasingly searching for properties across county and regional boundaries.”

You ever read Mark Twain’s The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County? I did!

Quick story, long time ago I was with some friends on a river rafting trip. We stopped by Angels Camp. We had no idea at the time but there was a rodeo and fair going on with a frog jumping contest. I just remember the excitement of just happening upon this and all of us heading to the fair and having a great time that day.

Anyway, congrats to MetroList and CCAR. MetroList is already the largest MLS in the state of California and this partnership adds a few more giant sequoias to the mix.

The consolidation continues…

Realtor.com goes Zen

Realtor.com® Acquires Zenlist

“We’re excited to join the team at Realtor.com® and view this acquisition as an incredible opportunity for our customers and team,” said Tom MacLeod, founder and CEO at Zenlist. “By tapping into Realtor.com®‘s trusted brand and scale, we’ll be able to enhance our platform, broaden our offerings, and continue delivering top-tier services and tools to even more industry partners and professionals.”

This makes a ton of sense, Realtor.com needs to move closer to the agent. It will be interesting to see if this helps Zenlist scale more quickly using Realtor.com’s “non-IDX” data.

What I also like about this deal is that Realtor.com gains a ton of young talent. Along with Zenlist CEO Tom MacLeod (who joined me as a guest on my Listing Bits podcast), there’s the super-smart Eileen Romito, VP of Sales and Operations, whom I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing and who has become a respected thought leader in the industry — and the stylish Andrea Bandio, Zenlist’s VP of Product and Design. I’ve highlighted Mr. Bandio before on this blog.

Congrats to Tom and the rest of the team!

Ben Kinney’s Place acquires Remine for $1.5

Place buys Remine at auction for $1.5M in cash

“Real estate tech and agent services company Place is acquiring real estate software firm Remine for $1.5 million, all in cash — less than 3 percent of what four multiple listing services paid to buy the company 3.5 years ago.

The deal is expected to close in about 14 days, Place co-founder Ben Kinney told Inman exclusively Thursday.”

“Less than 3 percent…” — ooof.

Probably the best outcome for Remine, though. Ben Kinney is legit. Still, a long road ahead.”

The consolidation continues…

Gino says no deal!

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

Red Rocket

Rocket Companies to Acquire Redfin, Accelerating Purchase Mortgage Strategy

“Rocket and Redfin’s approaches to lending and brokerage service have always been two halves of one vision to make the whole home-buying process magical,” said Glenn Kelman, CEO of Redfin. “We want a customer to be able to check her phone to find out what she can afford, see which homes are just right for her, schedule a tour with a local, expert Redfin agent, and get pre-qualified for a loan, all in a matter of minutes. Varun and I see how much better real estate could be when AI guides customers not just through that first step in their search, but all the way home, through the sale, the loan and then a lifetime of accumulating equity and wealth.” 

Talk about attachment rate! But in the end, Redfin had to do something. I remember reading their last announcement about laying off 450 people due to their deal with Zillow Rentals and thinking, “Do they still have 450 left?” There were rumors swirling about Zillow acquiring Redfin, but I never took those too seriously.

I’m still processing what this means for Glenn Kelman—or GFK, as I affectionately refer to him. In an industry dominated by big personalities, Glenn was the guy who was going to fight the good fight. I’m sure the biggest reason this happened was that Glenn saw it as the best path for Redfin’s survival.

The consolidation continues…

Gary Keller takes some chips off the table in sale of stake in Keller Williams to Private Equity firm Stone Point Capital

Keller Williams takes on major investment from CoreLogic owner

“The news, which is expected to reverberate across more than 1,000 offices across the world, was shared internally with Keller Williams’ approximately 200,000 agents and associates in a call Monday morning, a spokesman told Inman.

“This is an exciting milestone for all Keller Williams agents and franchisees,” Gary Keller said in a statement. “We’ve built an incredible foundation and as we focus on each agent’s personal development and their continual sales growth, we welcome the partnership and backing from the team at Stone Point Capital.”

Well, I never thought I had much in common with Gary Keller, but it appears we both sold our companies to Stone Point Capital. Stone Point Capital also owns Lone Wolf. However, the headline is a bit misleading, as Stone Point Capital jointly owns CoreLogic with another private equity firm, Insight Partners.

I’ve written before that much (if not all) of KW’s success stems from its culture. Maintaining or growing a company’s culture isn’t exactly a strong suit of private equity firms. Time will tell.

But KW had to do something. Companies like eXp, real, and Compass are public, giving them greater access to capital. KW was on a path to going public but missed that window, and its revolving door of leadership hasn’t helped. For KW, private equity was really the only solution to help it compete in today’s real estate market.

The consolidation continues.

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