Where Real Estate Gets Its Dirt

From Fashion to PropTech: Lauren Martin on Housing and Community

The Listing Bits Podcast is now available on your favorite podcast player!

Overview

Greg Robertson is joined by Lauren Martin (RentSpree) for a wide-ranging conversation covering her unconventional path from fashion design to PropTech, the growing importance of rentals within the MLS ecosystem, and the evolution of her initiative, Renew (Real Estate Network of Empowered Women). The discussion highlights how rentals are becoming central to real estate workflows, how community-building is shaping the industry, and how Renew has scaled from a podcast idea into a multi-day retreat with strong industry engagement. 

Key Takeaways

  • Nonlinear career path into PropTech: Lauren transitioned from fashion to business and sales, eventually entering real estate through Remine and later joining RentSpree. 
  • Rentals are now essential for MLSs: Industry focus is shifting from purely home purchases to broader “housing,” with rentals playing a key role in agent-client lifecycle and long-term relationships. 
  • MLS as the “source of truth” for rentals: Standardizing rental data inside MLS systems is a major opportunity compared to fragmented platforms like Facebook, Craigslist, and Zillow. 
  • RentSpree product expansion: The new RentEdge suite adds tools to fill gaps between for-sale and rental workflows, keeping agents داخل the MLS ecosystem. 
  • Renew’s growth and impact: What started as a podcast has grown into a large community with thousands of members and events, including a 70-person retreat focused on leadership, confidence, and networking. 
  • Industry community matters: Conferences and organizations like Renew help professionals build meaningful relationships, which are key to career growth in real estate. 
  • Authenticity attracts community: Lauren emphasizes that being yourself leads to stronger, more meaningful professional and personal connections. 

Links

  • Rent the Runway (mentioned for conference attire)
  • Renew (Real Estate Network of Empowered Women) – upcoming events and information

Sponsors

Aligned Showings — MLS-owned showing software built to simplify scheduling, improve communication, and keep MLS data where it belongs.

Giant Steps Job Board – Built for organized real estate and PropTech, not generic tech bros and recruiters who don’t know what an MLS is.

Production and editing services by:

Sunbound Studios

35 is the new 40

First-time homebuyers, rejoice!

“There’s just one problem: The death of the thirtysomething homebuyer may have been greatly exaggerated. A new analysis from Redfin, shared exclusively with Business Insider, found that the median age of the first-time buyer last year was 35 — a slight decrease from the year prior. It adds to the growing pile of evidence that the new median of 40 was a mirage. While millennials, now 29 to 45, generally lag behind boomers on the homeownership front, the purchasing milestone hasn’t shifted nearly as much as the NAR report suggests.”

Fascinating reporting by James Rodriguez of Business Insider based on new data from Redfin and other sources. James, to me, is one of the rare writers outside the ORE bubble who seems to really get our business.

There is a bit of quibbling between NAR and other organizations that conduct surveys. But it seems the narrative might need adjusting.

“Because no data source is perfect, what you really want to do is say, What is the bulk of the evidence showing me?” Zhao tells me. “When we compare our results to analyses that other people have done looking at credit bureau data or mortgage data, it seems to support the idea that the age of the first-time buyer has not increased all that much.”

This is important because national policy is being shaped by these narratives getting out. Worth the read.

CRMLS Goes Rental

CRMLS Expands RentSpree Partnership, Bringing RentEdge to the Nation’s Most Recognized MLS

“Rentals play a vital role in the California housing landscape, and our users need tools that reflect that reality. RentEdge gives our agents modern rental capabilities that align with how they already work, while reinforcing the MLS as the trusted foundation for all types of housing activity, not just for-sale listings.”

That last line is the one that matters. Housing. For years, rentals have been the orphan child of the MLS — technically allowed, rarely prioritized. Agents do rental deals. Landlords operate in these markets. But the infrastructure has mostly lived outside the MLS, scattered across consumer portals and one-off tools that don’t talk to each other.

RentSpree’s pitch with RentEdge is to bring that activity back inside the MLS where the data, the compliance, and the agent relationships already live. Seven MLSs have now signed on.

Renters make up more than a third of U.S. households. In California, it’s closer to half. If the MLS wants to be the “trusted foundation for all types of housing activity,” rental infrastructure isn’t optional — it’s overdue.

RentSpree goes “all-in-one” with banking services

RentSpree Expands Landlord Platform With Interest-Earning Accounts and Automated Money Management

“This is more than a banking feature; it’s the realization of a truly integrated rental lifecycle,” said Michael Lucarelli, CEO and Co-Founder of RentSpree. “No longer do mom-and-pop landlords have to juggle complex systems. We take them from the crucial first step, finding a qualified tenant, to the final step of effortlessly managing their money, making the entire process easier and more profitable.”

Plenty of companies talk about “end-to-end” or “all-in-one” solutions. Most of the time, they fail because they don’t actually have access to the right customers.

RentSpree does.

Mom-and-pop landlords still make up the majority of the rental market, which makes this move feel genuinely smart—not just a feature grab. A dedicated bank account for rental income is exactly how many accountants want landlords to operate, largely because it keeps everything clean and defensible at tax time.

This isn’t flashy fintech. It’s practical. And for new landlords especially, I wouldn’t be surprised if this becomes one of RentSpree’s stickiest additions yet.

A history lesson on the American Dream

Hat tip to Rob Hahn for surfacing this video. Don’t let the title fool you, while the context is relating to the recent chatter about the a 50 year mortgage option, it’s really a history of housing in America. On the same note, don’t let the length scare you off (its about 55 minutes), would won’t be disappointed.

Sponsored By MLS Reset