Where Real Estate Gets Its Dirt

Trulia and Market Leader analysis…

Good analysis from Brian Boero at 1000watt Consulting. Go read it, it’s really smart. I agree with him on most points. But just one quibble.

Brian Boero:

Thoughts on the Trulia/Market Leader deal

“Interesting energy

This is admittedly fuzzy, but both of these companies have suffered from something I will simply call “bad vibes” in the industry (yeah, I know, incisive analysis!).

I’ve been in this business since 1997. And you hear things. Opinions. Rumors. Rants. And I’ve heard more of these types of things about Market Leader over the years than just about any other company. I’m not certain it was ever justified, but it was in the air.

Trulia has been dogged by this too. Some in the industry fear Zillow. Some resent Realtor.com. But a lot of people I know always felt suspicious of Trulia. I think part of this was taken care of pre-IPO, and it seems to be getting better, but, again, it’s there.

Of course, a few bad vibes didn’t stop either of these companies from getting where they are today, but it will be interesting to see how this plays out.”

I’m not exactly sure what Brian is talking about here. If people have been suspicious of Trulia I think its because they’ve kept things closer to the chest, whereas Zillow has pounded its chest like a gorilla. In regards to Market Leader, maybe the “bad vibes” that Brian speaks of is due to the multiple pivots Market Leader has made over the years. Nobody likes changes, but good leaders like Ian Morris and his team deserve kudos for keeping their company relevant.

Bad vibes indeed.

LPS powers consolidation of 13 Indiana MLS providers.

LPS Technology Selected to Power Consolidation of 13 Multiple Listing Services Into A Single Indiana Regional MLS
LPS Paragon Will Serve New 5,000-member MLS

“For the first time, more than 5,000 real estate professionals across Indiana – who formerly used 13 independent MLS systems – will now have unrestricted access to more than 750,000 real estate listings through LPS Paragon’s advanced capabilities. Newly formed Indiana Regional MLS (IRMLS) will collect from and distribute listing data to the 13 Realtor associations in Indiana, allowing members to search across multiple markets and pay only one MLS fee to access the IRMLS data.”

These deals are complicated (technology and politics) so a nice win for LPS.

And there’s this…

“Kendall said the participating associations worked collaboratively with industry consultant Kevin McQueen of Focus Forward Consulting Inc. and LPS to meet the challenge of a consolidation of this magnitude and achieve successful results. “In addition to combining the listing data information, the resulting cost efficiencies are going to provide members additional benefits, including public records information, appointment services and a consumer-facing website,” she said.”

Mark one on the score board as well for Kevin McQueen of Focus Forward Consulting.

Smarter Agent and CoreLogic ink patent licensing deal.

CoreLogic and Smarter Agent Announce Patent License Agreement

““We are pleased to have formalized a licensing agreement with a market leader like CoreLogic and look forward to working with them in the future,” said Smarter Agent CEO Brad Blumberg.

Ben Graboske, senior vice president of Real Estate and Financial Services for CoreLogic added, “We are always looking to provide the best, most innovative products to our customers and this agreement with Smarter Agent, enhances our ability to deliver on that promise and to provide mobile data solutions to our clients.”

As an independent software developer I have mixed feeling about software patents. But from the perspective of my previous post regarding “home grown” MLS systems you can see CoreLogic’s play here.

Home grown MLS systems – Another one bites the dust.

Metrolist Selects Corelogic Matrix MLS System

“For more than 25 years, Metrolist developed and hosted its own proprietary MLS systems. “The pace of innovation has profoundly accelerated since the company was originally founded in 1984 and we found that a transition to a vendor-based product suite made a lot of sense,” commented Metrolist President and CEO, Kirby Slunaker. “We’re really here to empower our customers and help them drive their business success. Through this partnership with CoreLogic, we will be able to offer our customers a comprehensive set of tools that extend beyond the MLS platform and deliver on our service promise to Colorado Realtors®.”

This is old news of course, everyone knew Corelogic won the Metrolist contract. It appears their bundling strategy is working. When you have so many products to throw in with the deal it can make it difficult for other Vendors to compete. In a sense Matrix is the wheelbarrow that allows Corelogic to load up!

A few other things worth mentioning. The first, is what is not mentioned in the press release, Fusion. Pretty obvious that Fusion isn’t part of Corelogic’s long term future. Now you can see why Corelogic’s 30 million dollar acquisition of Tarasoft made sense. Can you imagine Corelogic without Matrix? Tempo and Fusion? Neither system will work both on an iPad or a Mac. Yuck.

The obvious thing here is the death of another “home grown” (I’m not sure I like this term, we should have something better) MLS system. Is this a trend? Yes, you can point to a quite a few “home grown” MLS systems that have converted to main stream MLS Vendors in the past several years. But you can also point to other MLS Providers who are “doing quite well thank you very much”. UtahRealEstate.com, and IRES MLS (just a bit down the road from Denver) just to mention a couple. RMLS in Portland also looks to be going strong despite their neighbor to the north, NWMLS (another Matrix account). So what’s the secret? How can some MLS providers thrive with their “home grown” MLS systems, and others cannot? Might be a good panel conversation for CMLS.

Despite all this, the facts remains clear, Corelogic’s strategy is working. Congrats to Ben and his team.

Update: David Charron reminds me of another “home grown” MLS provider, that is not only surviving but thriving, Annie Ives at TheMLS/CLAW.

CRMLS chooses Real Estate Digital’s reDataVault

California Regional MLS (CRMLS) Selects Real Estate Digital’s reDataVault

“reDataVault addresses the real estate industry’s pressing need to simplify, standardize and streamline the MLS listing data licensing process by offering a document workflow system for all licensing-related documents and contracts (e.g., IDX and broker participation agreements). The system also offers automated dashboard alerts and unlimited cloud-based document storage and retrieval for 24/7 access.”

Nice win for everyone at RED. Congrats!

Move, Inc. and Trulia Sign New Listing Syndication Agreement for ListHub

Move, Inc:

“Since the September 2010 acquisition of ListHub by Move, Inc., the ListHub publishing network has increased by 117 real estate franchises and MLSs to now represent 421 content sources. ListHub Publishers have also increased from 79 to 126 public-facing real estate web sites and marketing outlets since September 2010.”

As time goes on the acquisition of Listhub by Move, Inc. looks smarter and smarter.

Clareity Security signs four real estate boards in Canada to multi-year deals.

Oh Canada! Nice win for Clareity Security’s Scout of SAFEMLS.

Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver, CREB® (Calgary Real Estate Board), the REALTORS® Association of Edmonton, and the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board (collectively known as the REB4 group).

Full Press Release Below:
_________________________________________________________________

Four Canadian Real Estate Boards Sign Multi-Year Contracts for Clareity Security’s
Scout for SAFEMLS®

June 15, 2012 – Scottsdale, Arizona – Clareity Security (www.clareitysecurity.com), the pioneer of data security and listing syndication management solutions for the real estate industry, is pleased to announce the recent addition of the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver, CREB® (Calgary Real Estate Board), the REALTORS® Association of Edmonton, and the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board (collectively known as the REB4 group) to its customer family. The four boards signed multi-year Scout for SAFEMLS® agreements and will add the leading data security, account remediation and subscriber analytics tool for multiple listing services to their respective CoreLogic™ MLXchange™ MLS systems.

“After extensive multi-year research into available technologies to help protect our members’ valuable information and resources, we chose Clareity Security for their expertise in our marketplace and Scout for SAFEMLS for its abilities to address our specific business requirements”, said Mike Pedersen, Chief Information Officer, The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver.

“We are very excited to deploy Scout for SAFEMLS to the Real Estate Boards in the provinces of Alberta and British Columbia. With the addition of these four Real Estate Boards, Clareity Security proudly provides data security solutions to over sixty-five percent of real estate professionals across all of Canada.” stated Troy Rech, Vice President of Sales, Clareity Security.

Scout for SAFEMLS serves as a comprehensive solution that reduces administration and total cost of ownership compared to traditional strong authentication products. The SAFEMLS® intelligence-based authentication suite combines access intelligence and zero-footprint, strong authentication to accurately identify risks and then cost-effectively mitigate them. The foundation of the solution is an identity-profiling engine for aggregating user access data, creating statistical profiles, and detecting anomalies. Powered by patent-pending keystroke dynamics, SAFEMLS is unrivaled in its ability to accurately and transparently identify users, detect account sharing, account takeover, and differences between individual users not possible with traditional device or IP tracking.

About Clareity Security:
Clareity Security, located in Scottsdale, Arizona, is the leading provider of data security, Single Sign On and compliance management products and services for the real estate industry. Our Scout for SAFEMLS® and SAFEACCESS™ products help MLS organizations and real estate professionals easily and effectively safeguard sensitive consumer information against unauthorized access and provides strong authentication solutions for secure online transactions. Additionally, Clareity Security is the creator of Safe Syndication™, the leading listing syndication and IDX/VOW compliance management tool for brokerages and MLS organizations.

# # #
Contact:
Amy Geddes, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
480-444-0014
Amy.Geddes at ClareitySecurity dot com

iMapp and Discover MLS partner to take on Corelogic in Miami

It was only a matter of time. With CoreLogic existing MLXchange MLS system only being able to work on Internet Explorer and their new Fusion MLS system not able to work on mobile devices like the iPad it looks like Miami agents have had enough.

This move seems to be unprecedented. The Miami Association of REALTORS is now paying for two different MLS solutions. This isn’t a vendor just setting up a free MLS system in hoping to gain traction, their getting paid.

I’m told that the Discover iMapp solution will be different than any of their other installations.

This is setting up to be The Showdown In The Sunshine State!. The real question is will the iMapp/Discover MLS solution gain enough traction and be able to push CoreLogic out and become Miami’s single solution? What about Greater Fort Lauderdale REALTORS? RMLS? They all must have similar issues.

One thing is for sure, mobile matters.

Full Press Release Below:

MIAMI Association of REALTORS® Selects Discover/iMapp
as Alternative MLS Application

TAMPA, FL — May 7, 2012 — iMapp® and Discover MLS today announced that the MIAMI Association of REALTORS®, the largest REALTOR® Association of the National Association of REALTORS®, have signed an agreement to launch Discover iMapp, the new initiative merging MLS and tax data into a unified, property-centric application.
“Our members demand the best tools available and Discover iMapp gives them a powerful, easy way to access the MLS on any computer, including Mac and iPad, on any browser and the ability to effectively use their mobile devices and stay in contact with their clients.” said Teresa King Kinney, CEO of the MIAMI Association of REALTORS®. “We are excited to be the first association in the country making this powerful benefit available to our members. They deserve the best and it’s our job to make sure they always get it.”

Keeping Agents at the Forefront
Existing MLS software providers have been slow to embrace mobile technology while consumer access to listing data has skyrocketed. By putting agents first, Discover iMapp emphasizes the MIAMI REALTORS’® role as the leading source for real estate information and marketing tools for agents, brokers and their clients.

“Our REALTOR® subscribers are used to having iMapp running on their iPads and all other mobile devices.” said Bill Rovillo, CEO of iMapp. “Now they can share MLS and any public record data with consumers from a single, mobile solution using trusted, MIAMI Association of REALTORS® data.”

Strong Demand From Associations

“The MIAMI Association of REALTORS® saw our presentation for the first time just three weeks ago.” said Bret Wiener, CEO of DiscoverMLS. “They instantly recognized the value to their members and approved the product for launch.”
Discover iMapp includes a real-time client portal with a live-chat feature that allows agents to interact with their clients, react to feedback on properties and instantly modify results to include the dynamic changes that often occur in the challenging search process. Discover iMapp is optimized for mobile and runs on all major web browsers, freeing users from PCs and allowing agents to use their preferred devices.

Roll-out Scheduled for Summer, 2012

The MIAMI Association of REALTORS® anticipates having the Discover iMapp System running with their existing MLS data in Summer 2012. An implementation team and work group will guide the launch and work with iMapp and Discover MLS to insure a smooth transition for all MIAMI REALTORS®.

CoreLogic extends Matrix deal and does rev share with CRMLS

Big announcement, when you think about it. CRMLS is the largest in the country in both membership size and the population is covers. Congrats!

Full Press Release Below:

California Regional MLS Joins Partner InfoNet by CoreLogic
Nation’s Largest MLS Also Extends Matrix System Agreement
May 10, 2012, Santa Ana, Calif. –

CoreLogic® (NYSE: CLGX), a leading provider of information, analytics and business services, and California Regional MLS (CRMLS), the nation’s largest multiple listing service (MLS) provider, today announced that CRMLS has joined Partner InfoNet™ by CoreLogic. The companies also announced that CRMLS has agreed to a multi-year extension of its Matrix™ MLS system contract.

Launched in June 2010, Partner InfoNet is an innovative revenue-sharing program in which MLSs license their listing data to CoreLogic for use in risk management products for mortgage lenders, servicers, and capital markets (but not consumer outlets). With the addition of CRMLS, Partner InfoNet now encompasses nearly 1.1 million active listings and more than 450,000 real estate professionals from 78 MLSs.

Matrix is an enterprise-class MLS system that provides real estate brokers and agents with a flexible, high-performance platform for managing real estate listings. 16 MLSs serving more than 163,000 real estate professionals currently use Matrix, and six more installations are scheduled for this year. In total, CoreLogic serves approximately 550,000 real estate professionals with its MLS systems—more than half the North American market.

“Through our local member associations, we strive to provide the most dependable, convenient and affordable listing technology services available,” said Art Carter, CEO of CRMLS. “Matrix has proven to be an extremely fast and reliable MLS system that meets the needs of our progressive subscribers by supporting virtually all computing platforms and devices. Partner InfoNet supports our goal of keeping costs down for our members by simply and securely leveraging the value of our listing data.”
“This new agreement with CRMLS is a powerful endorsement of both Partner InfoNet and our Matrix MLS platform,” said Ben Graboske, senior vice president of Real Estate and Financial Services for CoreLogic. “We are honored to serve the nation’s largest MLS in these critical capacities and are working hard every day to provide the highest level of service and security in the industry.”

About CoreLogic
CoreLogic (NYSE: CLGX) is a leading provider of consumer, financial and property information, analytics and services to business and government. The Company combines public, contributory and proprietary data to develop predictive decision analytics and provide business services that bring dynamic insight and transparency to the markets it serves. CoreLogic has built one of the largest and most comprehensive U.S. real estate, mortgage application, fraud, and loan performance databases and is a recognized leading provider of mortgage and automotive credit reporting, property tax, valuation, flood determination, and geospatial analytics and services. More than one million users rely on CoreLogic to assess risk, support underwriting, investment and marketing decisions, prevent fraud, and improve business performance in their daily operations. The Company, headquartered in Santa Ana, Calif., has approximately 5,000 employees globally. For more information, visit www.corelogic.com.

About CRMLS
California Regional MLS is the nation’s largest Multiple Listing Service, providing products and services to over 70,000 subscribers from 33 REALTOR® Associations. California Regional MLS, located at 180 Via Verde, Suite 200 in San Dimas, California, provides access to listing data throughout the State of California. California Regional MLS has been a regional MLS for over 30 years and is dedicated to making a REAL Difference in the day-to-day business of Real Estate Professionals. For more information on California Regional MLS, contact communications@crmls.org.
CORELOGIC and the stylized CoreLogic logo is a registered trademark owned by CoreLogic, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries. MATRIX is a common law trademark of CoreLogic, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries. CRMLS and the stylized CRMLS logo is a trademark of the California Regional Multiple Listing Service, Inc. No trademarks shall be used without the express written consent of their respective owners.

There’s a New MLS Vendor In Town.

Annie Ives, CEO TheMLS/CLAW
17 years ago, TheMLS/CLAW was just an empty office space and had less than 1,700 members. These members sold some of the most coveted real estate in California: Beverly Hills/Los Angeles. Two local brokers were heading an effort, called CLS, to start their own MLS company and had hired all The MLS/CLAW staff.

Then Annie Ives walked in to the building.

The rest, as they say, is history. CLS failed, and TheMLS/CLAW grew back to over 12,000 members. Since then TheMLS/CLAW has built their own MLS system dubbed, THEMLSPRO®, and taken an almost fanatical approach to customer service. Annie is fond of saying “We’ve been successful because we know that we are running a software company and a service organization, and that both are of equal importance,”

Annie isn’t afraid of a challenge either. When the Palm Springs Association of REALTORS (900+ members) decided to look for a new MLS provider Annie knew she could provide the level of customer service that the members of Palm Springs association would demand. Some would think the obvious choice would be CRMLS, the ever growing (70,000 members) MLS provider born from the failed California state-wide MLS effort calREDD. Some might think that, but they would be wrong.

In the end, the Palm Springs Association signed the agreement with TheMLS/CLAW. Which makes two things very clear.

Don’t bring a knife to a gun fight in Beverly Hills and the MLS game in California is far from over.

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