Where Real Estate Gets Its Dirt

MLS Rap

I was asked to participate in an “Oxford Style Debate” at Inman Connect NYC this year by David Charron and Denee Evans (CEO of CMLS). The topic was “Resolved: The MLS Limits Progress”. Rob Hahn and I were to be on the side that said this statement was true (I guess they couldn’t find any other suckers). While Chris Carrillo and Celeste Starchild took the opposite position.

I was to start off the debate first, with a 5 minute opening statement. Inspired by the rap battles in the play Hamilton, I decided to make my own rap about the topic.

Also, many thanks to Freddy Sarabia, who was in the audience and took this video. I have also included the lyrics at the bottom. Super fun time, and everyone was a good sport.

 

So, Allow me to introduce myself….

I’m the publisher of your favorite blog
I really like it when you read along
I re-invented the C-M-A
So, I’m here to drop some knowledge with you today.

They call me the Grand Master G
And today I’m repping the N-Y-C
don’t forget the notorious R-O-B
because he’s going make you go O-M-G

We here to talk about the M-L-S
The one that created
all this mess.

Your technology is all so whack
Theres too many of you,
you need to cut back.

Your policies give your brokers a heart attack
and talk on the street is you might get sacked.

Your PARAGON makes me yawn
Your RAPATTONI looks like RIGATONI
The MATRIX renders slowly
and the FLEX MLS seems the opposite to me.

And before you start blaming
the vendors I’ve been naming
Remember its you that signs their checks, breeze.

Maybe if you quit nickel and dimen
You’re vendors would begin shinning
and putting out some great I-P.

And don’t blame your brokers
Its just like a good game of poker
You got to play the cards you see

And what about the C-M-L-S?
They throw a great party
but what the heck?
We all want to know
what comes next?

Please do something. Please

So Mr. Carrillo
when you sit on your pillow,
and worry about Zillow
remember your members need someone to LEAD.

And you ain’t no STAR–CHILD.
I don’t get the HUB BUB
over the LIST-HUB
Its just all stale data to me.

But maybe in your new position,
you can show the true disposition of a
what strong women leader can achieve.

So, just remember this,
before you think this is all just a dis…

It’s not about cooperation or compensation

but its true innovation that we seek.

And if you don’t no, now you know.

Can you beat Karl?

I’m not sure if our “Beat Karl” campaign is actually going to help us hype up our booth presence at the REALTORS EXPO & CONVENTION in San Diego this week, but we are sure having fun with the promotion. : )

We created a “walk on” video that will be played right before Karl’s ping pong matches. Enjoy, and please share!


#BEATKARL #BOOTH945 #NARANNUAL

Back in the day

Just in time for CMLS I found this gem on Facebook. How many can you recognize? Click the photo for a hires image.

RSI Spring Workshop 1993 Photo-HIRES

Here’s a cheat sheet

via: Stan Cowen
#CMLS2015

I pity the fool who doesn’t use ShowingTime

Lane and Mr T

Guess who was on ShowingTime’s president Michael Lane’s flight today?

Did someone say party?

CoreLogic held their User Group Summit in Huntington Beach this year. So we hosted a party for user group summmit attendees at the W&R Studios World Headquarters on Main Street, just a few blocks from their conference hotel. The theme of the party was “Handcrafted Cocktails”. We had two hipster bartenders, great food and a DJ playing nothing but vinyl all night. It was a HUGE success. My thanks to Frances Brittle, W&R Studios’ Director of Marketing, and her team for making this such a special night. Also a big thanks to Kim McLean, Rich Paulson, and Chris Bennett for their generosity.

Also checkout the photo gallery here:

If you do happen to go big on the first night….

painkillers chart_03

Via SMH and Business Insider

Can you spot the developers in this picture?

Main Street Coders550
#W&RStudios

A Few Good MLS Execs

Some fun for the Zillow meetings in Las Vegas this week….

MLS EXEC

You want answers?

Industry Consultant 1
INDUSTRY CONSULTANT
I think I’m entitled to them.

MLS EXEC
You want answers?!

INDUSTRY CONSULTANT
I want the truth.

MLS EXEC
You can’t handle the truth!

And nobody moves.

MLS EXEC 1

MLS EXEC

(continuing)

Son, we live in a country that has an MLS. And that MLS is more than just managing a database. Who’s gonna do it? The Seller? You, Mr. Big Broker? You, Mr. Industry Consultant? I have a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom. You weep that listings are now everywhere and curse the MLS. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know: The genie is out of the bottle. Your old gatekeeper days aren’t coming back. Upstream and BPP are DOA. And my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, helps you do more business.

(beat)

You don’t want the truth. Because deep down, in places you don’t talk about at Inman Connect, Realty Alliance or Gathering of Eagles, you want the MLS. You need the MLS!

(boasting)

We use words like cooperation, compensation, accuracy… we use these words as the backbone to a life spent building something. You use ’em as a punchline.

(beat)

I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very piece of mind I provide, then questions the manner in which I provide it. I’d prefer you just said thank you and went on your way. Otherwise, I suggest you move to Australia. I don’t give a damn what you think you’re entitled to.

INDUSTRY CONSULTANT
(quietly)

Did you do a deal with Zillow?

MLS EXEC
(beat)

I did the job my members sent me to do.

INDUSTRY CONSULTANT

Industry Consultant 2

Did you do a deal with Zillow?!!

MLS EXEC

(pause)

MLS EXEC 2

You’re goddamn right I did!!

What does the modem say?

Love this super geeky post about what the sounds mean during a modem handshake.

The sound of the dialup, pictured

“As many already know, what you’re hearing is often called a handshake, the start of a telephone conversation between two modems. The modems are trying to find a common language and determine the weaknesses of the telephone channel originally meant for human speech. Below is a spectrogram of the handshake audio. I’ve labeled some signals according to which party transmitted them, and also put a concise explanation…

Remember when a 57K modem was the shit??

Syndication Shitstorm

FMFU

Yesterday MOVE slapped the newly formed Zillow Group with the news that as of next week they won’t be providing listing to Trulia any longer. This seemed to be in response to Zillow’s earlier rebuke of continuing the ListHub agreement past the contract date.

Now it appears that Zillow is seeking a restraining order to keep listings flowing to Zillow.

Oy Vey!

A few observations:

Welcome to the team!
Tough first week for Paul Levine, newly appointed president of Trulia.

The Velvet Glove
I’m going to start calling Celeste Starchild, “the velvet glove”, because she always seems to be delivering the bad (good?) news, but tries to downplay the consquences.

Shit Sandwich
And going back to Zillow’s earlier refusal to re-sign with ListHub, can you really blame them? ListHub was basically forcing them to use a data feed their very own company won’t use on its own site (realtor.com). Zillow take is that ListHub was was serving them a shit sandwich, telling them to eat, and that they better like it.

Lobby bars
Good thing the Clareity’s MLS Executive Workshop next week is serving great popcorn, because the show has just begun!

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