Where Real Estate Gets Its Dirt

Looking for a new gig?

Development Support Manager – FBS

“In this role you’ll manage a hybrid support and engineering team on the cutting edge of the real estate industry’s transition from legacy architecture to modern, API powered products. Our focus is to make the API solutions that FBS offers both effective and simple to use. A crucial piece of that experience is providing stellar, near concierge, developer and administrator facing support to all integrating partners as they begin working with these technologies. Additionally, as the voice of our customers, your team will be relied on to provide a direct line of feedback and strategic insight to our Product team, helping shape the future of the industry.”

The find out about this job or post a job, please visit the Vendor Alley Job Board.

Looking for a new gig?

Product Manager – FBS

“FBS is looking for two Product Managers to join our team! Our Product department consists of Product Managers, UI/UX Researchers, UI/UX Designers and Product Analytics. Product Managers may work with all of our real estate products, including Flexmls, FlōPlan, Spark API and ancillary products as well.”

The find out about this job or post a job, please visit the Vendor Alley Job Board.

It’s 1967, your MLS system is calling…

Great find by Sara Bonert!

This is one of 3 videos in a series of getting the old Realtron system working. If you are reading this Travis I would love to interview you for my podcast.

Anyone watching the “Severance” on Apple TV will love this hardware design aesthetic.

But, this MLS Vendor video is still one of my favorites.

MLS United launches with Cloud CMA

MLS United to provide members with leading digital solutions from Lone Wolf

“Lone Wolf Technologies (“Lone Wolf”) and MLS United are thrilled to announce a new partnership that provides real estate’s leading technology suite to the association’s 5,700 members as a member benefit in 2021 and beyond. This member benefit includes:
Lone Wolf Transactions (zipForm Edition), the most used forms and transaction management solution in real estate today
-Cloud CMA, the award-winning comparatative market analysis (CMA) tool
-zipLogix Digital 2.0 (powered by Authentisign), real estate’s top eSignature solution
-zipForm Mobile, the companaion app to Transactions
-MLS-Connect, direct listing import into Tranactions”

Great working with the team at MLS United and FBS. Congrats on your new MLS.

Looking for a new gig?

Product Marketing Manager – FBS

“FBS, the 40+ year leader in developing software and solutions focused on real estate multiple listing services (MLS) is seeking a Product Marketing Manager responsible for developing strategies, campaigns/programs and content that: (a) communicate new features and feature enhancements of existing software and tech, (b) measurably support sales efforts (retention and new revenue development) and (c) bolster product awareness, demand, adoption and engagement across the board with a nationwide population of (non-technical) software users and enterprise clients of varying sizes and experience-levels.

To find out about this job, and others or to post a position you are looking to fill please visit the Vendor Alley Job Board.

ShowingTime adds the option to schedule virtual showings.

Conducting Virtual Showings with ShowingTime

The spread of COVID-19 has affected almost every aspect of our lives. Communities have shown themselves to be resilient, however, and so too have real estate professionals. Responding to the challenge imposed by the pandemic to continue to serve their clients in a safe, responsible manner, agents have incorporated streaming video technology to offer showings while adhering to social distancing best practices.

I’m a little late to some of this news but I’m just loving how a lot of vendors are stepping up their game during this crisis. ShowingTime in particular. Adding a way to schedule virtual showings is a no-brainer. Plus the showing data they are tracking and publishing is fascinating.

Flexmls has a way for agents to schedule Virtual Open Houses. Remine has announced a soon to be launched feature to create a Live Open House via their mobile app.

MLS organizations like Stellar MLS are putting together handy guides to help their members show the different options they have in their Matrix MLS systems along with best practices.

Black Knight is also launching live streaming options as well.

I’m sure I’m missing a few other solutions here but it’s great to see the old proverb of necessity is the mother of invention come to life in the real estate space.

DOM during a Pandemic

MLSs Dealing With The Pandemic: Virtual Open Houses and DOM

“The problem, however, is that pausing DOM distorts the accuracy of the data in the system. Years from now when the pandemic is hopefully a distant memory, we should be able to look back at the data and see the effect the pandemic had on days on market. If we see some markets where there’s no effect (because DOM was paused) and other markets where it wasn’t, that’s going to create a misleading picture. Another reason not to pause DOM is that no competitive advantage or disadvantage is created for any agent, the pandemic is impacting everyone the same. Lastly, the way DOM works in Flexmls, pausing DOM is way more complicated than one might think, so not messing with it really helps us out, too, and creates less of a chance for problems.”

The drama around “Days On Market” never ends. I think this post from FBS makes a good point of why DOM should not be ‘paused”. Good to hear CRMLS decided not to pause DOM.

I had my 15-year-old son try FBS’s new “FlōPlan”, here’s what happened…

So we are all under lockdown due to the corona-virus. Schools are closed, and since my wife teaches 2nd grade the Robertson house is full.

I’ve been wanting to create a floor plan of my house for a while now. I got my hands on the Leica DISTO E7100i laser measuring device to make it easier for me. But with the kids in the house, I had another idea.

Every since FBS announced “FlōPlan” I’ve been intrigued. FBS hasn’t officially launched FlōPlan, but I knew it is licensing the software behind “FlōPlan” from a company based in Finland called CubiCasa. So my actual test was on the free official CubiCasa app in the App Store.

I asked my oldest son, Cole, who is 15 years old, to download the app on his iPhone. I told him the app was a way to create floor plans. I didn’t give him any other directions other than to try and use the app to make a floor plan of the upstairs of our house. He headed upstairs.

Less than a minute later he came down the stairs and said he had a problem. The app asked him to put a name in for his company, and he tried “Test company” but that was already taken. I told him to call it something else, he did, it worked and he went back upstairs.

About 4 minutes later he came downstairs again. I wondered what problem he might have encountered this time. He went to the kitchen and poured himself something to drink. I asked him what the problem was this time? He said, “Nothing, I’m done.” “Done, done?” I asked. That was quick, I thought, maybe a little over 3 minutes? Wow.

So I asked to see the floor plan, the app said it was “in progress”. Their site says the floor plan will be sent to you within 24 hours. It took about 7 hours and we received our floor plan, which you can see above.

All I can say is this shit is super legit! Color me impressed. My whole house would most likely take less than 10 minutes. I checked the dimensions in my son’s room (with my fancy Leica digital laser measuring device) and it was only off by 2 inches.

Side note: FBS doesn’t think the dimensions calculated by FlōPlan should be used as official square-footage, more as a representation of the “flow” of the home.

Adding floor plans to listings is a no-brainer. Consumers would LOOOOOVE them. And I think the MLS is in the perfect position to capture this data. As I said in my first blog post about it.

“On the surface this could seem like just another partnership with a third party software app. But under the surface, the real innovation is about MLS providers capturing a new digital asset. An asset that could be used as leverage against existing portals and make MLS and brokerages more relevant to consumers again.
And what do I mean by “leverage”? Any contract negotiations come up with anyone regarding MLS data, the MLS can negotiate (new and old agreements) new rates and terms based on the inclusion of floorpans.”

FBS introduces FlōPlan, a super easy way to make floorpans, but that’s just the beginning.

The only way MLS providers can get this type of leverage is to have a large inventory of homes where the floor plan is captured. It’s a classic “chicken or egg” scenario. The key to capturing this data would be ease of use and maybe some sort of incentive. After this test, I’m convinced that either the seller themselves, the agent, or even their kids could capture this information without any real effort, and that’s key.

Cock-a-doodle-do

FBS introduces FlōPlan, a super easy way to make floorpans, but that’s just the beginning.

FBS Introduces FlōPlan: Game-Changing Floor Plan Innovation for the MLS

Continuing its 40+ years of providing technology and services that maximize the core value of Multiple Listing Services (MLSs), FBS introduces FlōPlan, game-changing floor plan and digital capture technology that empowers MLSs to create new value for members and consumers with a floor plan on every listing.

On the surface this could seem like just another partnership with a third party software app. But under the surface, the real innovation is about MLS providers capturing a new digital asset. An asset that could be used as leverage against existing portals and make MLS and brokerages more relevant to consumers again.

And what do I mean by “leverage”? Any contract negotiations come up with anyone regarding MLS data, the MLS can negotiate (new and old agreements) new rates and terms based on the inclusion of floorpans.

Think about it, what if through this partnership an MLS began to capture a majority of floor plans for each new listing. Would that be valuable? I would say, “Hell, yes!” I think consumers would absolutely love listings with floor plans and begin to demand them.

I also absolutely think that the MLS is in the best position to capture this data. I can imagine a listing agent telling their seller to have their 15 year old son download this app and start capturing the floor plan.

One quibble, the name “FlōPlan”. Too cutesy for me. Otherwise I think this is something every MLS provider should embrace and start implementing today.

FBS adds 8,000 new agents to Flexmls system

Maine Listings and Greater El Paso Association of Realtors select FBS and the Flexmls System.

“FBS’s vision and subsequent product strategy have earned them ​+99% MLS-client retention rates during the last decade​. The ​Spark​®​ API​ powers both the Flexmls Mobile platform and the Spring® MLS consumer portal product. Maine Listings licensed the Spring MLS Portal together with the Flexmls System while GEPAR was already a Spring customer. Excited to have all of the pieces come together with FBS, GEPAR CEO Jason Sanchez says, “FBS has an impressive, proven track record of maintaining great partnerships and delivering innovation that positively impacts the MLS, brokers, agents, and consumers. Their Flexmls System was our choice for a reliable, mobile-responsive, future-built MLS system that would deliver value for our members and their customers, especially in conjunction with Spring.”

Looks like their strategy is working. 8,000 REALTORS is a big chunk.

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