Where Real Estate Gets Its Dirt

Inman Connect New York – Vendor Alley Recap

GRReporting Live From Brooklyn:

Inman Connect NYC ended yesterday. I’m staying until next week due to a few Cloud CMA presos I’m doing with MLSLI on Tuesday and Wednesday. I decided to stay in Brooklyn to change it up a bit. So far, I love this place. A great mix of people, sights and sounds.

RECAP

Reviews were mixed on the new venue. While there was a lot to like about the new hotel I think people missed being in Times Square. And a tweet about the elevators being too slow got a lot of comments.

I was only to able to see the first day of sessions, including Brad Inman’s keynote. Brad looked pumped up and energetic when he held up what looked like a 7 inch thick stack of real estate forms, contracts and transaction documents bound by paper and binder clips, and rubber bands. “This is what we are going to war with for the next few days” and then dropped the bundle of paper with a big thump on the stage. Great stagecraft. Even better was the naming, regardless of whether you agree with the premise I must of heard the phrase “latte vision” about a hundred times during the conference.

There were a lot of presenters that first day I enjoyed but If I had to pick one/two it would be the father and son team Jon Steinberg (President & COO, BuzzFeed) and his dad Richard Steinberg, (Executive Managing Director, Wurburg Realty Partnership & “Selling New York” HGTV star.) Richard talked a bit about being a salesperson, and how that it is a necessary and a profession he was proud of, my favorite quote, “It’s possible to be an ethical salesperson and still be successful”. True dat.

The other presenter I thought was very strong was Reshama Saujani, founder & chair of “Girls Who Code“. She was inspiring and a bit controversial, once stating “If you teach one girl to code, she will teach four, If you teach one boy, he will teach zero.”

I also met a lot of new people while moderating the Technology Panel on Thursday. One thing I am super impressed with is how smart these new batch of entrepreneurs really are. Especially the ones coming from incubator programs. Tony Cappaert from Contactually and Caren Maio from Nestio come to mind. They are so fresh and filled with optimism, I felt like a jaded old man. I wish all of them good luck, success and a strong liver.

Another trend from my panels was a new sense of transparency. Many of the vendors shared (with a little prodding) their sales practices, churn rates and other best practices. This is something that I a big believer in and was great to see live.

Unfortunately I missed a lot of parties due to conflicts with other parties, or plans. I did make the party we sponsored with John Heithaus and his “Superstar Factory All-Stars”. I love a live band and these guys brought it. Great fun.

I did hear a lot of rumors and a bit of gossip but I’ve run out of time, I’ve got tickets to go see Glengarry Glenn Ross on Broadway tonight (Al Pacino is playing Jack Lemmon’s role in the film), so I gotta go. And remember…

“COFFEE IS FOR CLOSERS!”

Speaking of NYC….

I also wanted to invite anyone who is attending Inman’s Real Estate Connect to join us at The Culture Club on Thursday night. The event will be hosted by our industry’s very own, John Heithaus and his Superstar Factory All-Stars. My company, W&R Studios, is co-sponsoring this event (along with RED-Real Estate Digital, Instanet Solutions, BuyerMLS and MRIS.) this year and would love you guys to come. Live music and dancing, what more could you want. So consider this your VIP invitation.

More details can be found here: Thursday Night Live feature the Superstar Factory ALL-STARS

Vendor Jam!

Last night at the Lucky Leprachaun.


Mike Audet, Morgan Carey, and Ira Luntz on stage. Good times….

CMLS 2011 Recap – Killer Clowns and Killer Content.

CMLS 2011 – What a week!

It’s taking me a little longer to recover from CMLS last week. I think it mostly had to do with one of the best lobby bars I been to in recent blurry memory (open till 2AM!). You have all heard by now that is was the largest CMLS ever with over 500 people in attendance. Which is very impressive since it was a bit of the beaten path. Wes Wiggins had originally committed to hosting the conference prior to him taking the top spot at RMLS- Florida. Phil Tedesco is a class act and he and his team did an excellent job of putting together a great conference along with Sarah Carlton and the CMLS board of directors.

A few highlights:

I enjoyed the “What keeps me awake at night” segments. The lights dimmed, and a single spotlight shown upon the speaker. My favs were Curt Beardsley and Mark Lesswing. If anyone has video of either please forward to me so I can post. Just great stuff.

The send off of Peter Shuttleworth (who is retiring) was also fun and Peter is a good sport.

Congrats to Jim Harrison who was elected in to the CMLS Board of Directors.

I also enjoyed the videos shot of non-industry people who were asked questions like “What is an MLS?”

Brian Boero , of 1000watt Consulting gave a talk about implementing what he called an MLS “data socket”. This concept has been talked about before, but Brian put the idea in to focus.

The booth placement for vendors made for lively conversations and a few bumps as people made the gauntlet down “vendor alley”. Which brings me to my announcement of “Best Booth of CMLS 2011”. The honor goes to 10K Research. Great signage, marketing materials and spot on messaging made it my favorite. Great job to the 10K team!

10K Research-Best Booth of CMLS 2011
10K Research-Best Booth of CMLS 2011

I wasn’t too thrilled at the Old Tucson Studios “Hootenanny'”. After a 50 minutes bus ride you were treated to a park full of “killer clowns with chainsaws” sneaking up on you. But I digess…

The last session was also fun. Executive Trainer Brian Taylor asked for a “Lone Nut” to come up on stage and ask the audience to follow him on a big bold idea. It was no big surprise when Russ Bergeron stood up to applause and took the stage committing to supporting RESO‘s effort for real estate data standards. He then asked everyone to join him in this pledge. I have a video of what happened next below (sorry for the screen orientation issues):

You should also check out Matt Cohen’s blog post on the event here.

I’ve lost count on how many CMLS conferences I’ve attended ( I think it’s 12) and they just keep getting better. It’s the perfect blend of education, networking and a good time.

I took a few photos which you can check out at the Vendor Alley Flickr Photostream by clicking this link

Next stop Boston, where MLSPIN will be our host of CMLS 2012. See you there!

Inman Anticipation…

Like many of you I’m heading up to San Francisco next week for the Data Summit and Real Estate Connect conference, both hosted by Inman News. So here’s a prelude to some of the things I’m looking forward to and thinking about:

I will be attending Inman’s Data Summit. The event will be hosted by Gahlord DeWald and Rob Hahn. I always enjoy getting together with Gahlord, he is a smart guy and I always learn something so it will be interesting to hear he perspective on the data issues plaguing the MLS/Real Estate Industry. Rob Hahn, aka “The Bard of the Long Form Post”, will be hosting too. Rob is always good at making me re-think my current assumptions or at least giving an interesting perspective.

Dan Woolley will be moderating the “Connect Tech” session once again this year and I’m sure he won’t disappoint. Traditionally a geek fest Dan always seems to bring together great minds for interesting conversation about XML and whatnot. The Connect Tech sessions are scheduled for Wednesday, July 27 and start at 8:30AM and end at 12:00PM.

This year Mike Wurzer takes a break from moderating The MLS Innovation Track (Brian Boero will ably take on the task) on Thursday July 28th, starting at 2:00PM. I’ll be on a panel entitled “Managing Your Distribution Channel and Vendor Relationships Profitably and Responsibly”. On the panel with me will be Curt Beardsley of Move, Inc. So please join me as I try not to look stupid sitting next to Curt.

I’m also a big fan of Brad Inman‘s Welcome Address. This year he will be speaking of “The Post-PC World”. But a lot of the hosting duties appear to be taken over by Chris Smith, Inman’s newly hired “Chief Evangelist”. I’ve seen Chris speak at an Agent Reboot Conference and just sat in on a webinar he hosted yesterday. Chris is the real deal, and a very talented speaker who really knows his stuff. The question remains can he go deeper to the the larger issues involving the real estate industry and not just do a presentation on “The Top 10…..”, I think he can, but as an “evangelist” does he even have to?

I’m also look forward to hearing from Joe Bebbia of Airbnb, which for some reason really fascinates me. It will be good to get Ron Conway’s perspective on things and I think David Pogue will be a good draw as well.

But the “Belle of the Ball” might just be Zillow. After a being valued at just about a Billion dollars these guys have to be pumped, and what a perfect conference to strut their stuff. But don’t think the other guys will be sitting still, word on the street is that there will be at least 1 big announcement next week ( I know, I’m a big tease).

Plus doesn’t it seem like there is a lot more parties this year? Almost every night there are one or two parties to go to. I sure hope my liver is ready.

Parties aside to me the next big issue, which we are already having to face, is the advent of these patent lawsuits. As an independent software developer I can tell you that its a big issue that I’m afraid is only going to get worse. It’s not just a real estate issue, this post by Craig Hockenberry spells it out best.

I arrive Sunday evening. I hope to catch up with everyone. And remember Vendor Alley’s first rule of conferences….Never, And I Mean Never, Go Big On The First Night!

See you there!!

MLS Cloud Conference 2011 Recap

I wanted to put down a few thoughts and observations about last week’s MLS Cloud Conference hosted by Bob Hale and the Houston Association of REALTORS.

Additionally I uploaded a bunch of photos from the event. You can see them at the Vendor Alley Flickr Photo Stream

When I first got there I did hear a few of the attendees muttering if they would gain anything by attending a conference held so closely to NAR Midyear meetings in Washington D.C. That combined with it being held the week after Memorial Day seemed to heighten the crowds expectations. But from what I could tell those expectations were soon met.

NAMLS
Bob Hale came up first to set the tone. Bob does a great job of honing in on the important issues and serving up some plausible solutions to these issues. He spoke about giving consumers what they want and about how the MLS needs to engage with NAR and others. But I can’t confirm or deny I heard him speak about forming a “National Association of MLS.” : )
To me a key measurement of a good speaker is how many other speakers reference them in future talks and in the hallways of the ballrooms. By that measure Bob was king.

This business would be great if it weren’t for the damn customers.

Brad Inman was the first keynote and talked about the “post PC” world we are living in. He told us to all get an iPad and kiss our towers and notebook computers goodbye. He had some interesting observations about the employees of his new company, Vook. Apparently nobody at his company likes to sit at a desk anymore, they like to stand, and not eat meat apparently. Although I thought one of the funniest moments (unintentionally) was when Brad made a remark of how he didn’t like the way that some NAR staff talked down about their membership. To me was pretty ironic since MLS execs (and vendors) behave in the same way, if not worse!

I D Mess

I think a lot of people thought the conference would only focus on MLS public facing websites but the topics were much broader in scope. I was kind of hoping for a throwdown between Alex Perriello, CEO of Realogy and Joe Horring of Realty Alliance. Joe was more bombastic but sadly no pile drivers or fisticuffs.

Vendor Love

Another thing that I enjoyed was that they had a lot of vendor love going on. Bob freely put up a lot of vendors to showcase their products and services. Some of the vendors did a great job of talking about a broader message and weaving their products in to that message, but sadly most were just doing a 15 minute long commercial.

Schmooze and booze

On the hospitality side things were great. The hotel was centrally located so you could walk to a lot of restaruants. The HAR staff was very helpful and any hosted bar that serves Tanqueray Ten is number one in my book! Here’s a quick tip if the event is held at the same hotel next year. Mo’s, walking distance from the hotel, has bar doesn’t close until 1AM. Just sayin….

Errol’s Comet

Other highlights were presentations by Errol Samuelson and Curt Beardsley from MOVE. Really great presenters. Errol used this insane picture of a view from a beach with fireworks, a comet and lightning storm to symbolize the state of the industry (You had to be there.) I heard more than one comment on John Heithaus’s presentation and his ability to use a Glengarry Glen Ross clip without swear words.

Lust

Some other random stuff I thought was cool. Channing Dawson of HGTV used the term “Home Lust” or “House Lust” a lot (can’t remember which one of these terms he used). A really great piece of jargon I had never heard before. It appears that someone else was paying attention because Robert Drummer of iMapp when he heard the term immediately went online to check to see if the domain was available. It was. And now HomeLust.com belongs to him! Classic.

Best Audience Question

The best question asked at the conference came from David Charron during Ann Bailey’s update on the CIVIX settlement.

David Charron: Is RPR going to help pay for the CIVIX settlement?

Ann Bailey: MLS providers should contact their RPR reps directly to work out details.

and so without further delay…
Vendor Alley Public Service Announcement

I think its great that RPR is willing to help out with this effort so in the interest of public service here are the names and contact information of all RPR reps that MLS providers should call and request cash assistance with CIVIX:

Ohan Antebian
Email: ohan@narrpr.com
 Phone: 949.910.6285

Ernie Bottom -East
Email: ernie@narrpr.com
 Phone: 262.785.0633

Kristen Carr – Southeast
Email: kcarr@narrpr.com
 Phone: 561.441.9494

Ron France
Email: ron@narrpr.com 
Phone 315.559.5238

Kristen Hernandez – West
Email: kristen@narrpr.com
Phone: 214.471.3795

A full list can be found at http://blog.narrpr.com/about/industry-relations. You’re welcome.

Compelling content, great speakers make this event a must attend. My congrats to Bob Hale and his team plus a special thanks goes out to Sam Scott, Rene Galvan and Shawn Dauphine for their wonderful Texas hospitality See you next year!

[Cupcake Photo Credit: Lisa Herrin]

Clareity 2011 MLS Executive Workshop Recap

Gregg Larson and crew have certainly come up with a winning formula for Clareity’s annual MLS Executive Workshop.  Last week was Clareity’s 10th anniversary for holding the event and it was sold out almost as quickly as the announcement was made.  I’m sure they have 10 more years ahead, here’s why:

1.  Location.  While most of the country is freezing, the event is held in Scottsdale and the weather was absolutely perfect this past week, just beautiful.

2.  Don’t skimp.  They are great hosts.  Premium booze.  No drink tickets, and good food.  ‘Nuff said.

3.  Prizes.  Gregg is very generous with the prizes too.  I don’t think you will ever find an event where so many high tech prizes are given away.

4.  Inclusion.  Vendors and MLS executives are both featured in panels.

5.  Good content.  Matt Cohen keeps the sessions relevanat and topical to today’s issues.

6.  Audience participation.  Seems like you get more Q&A than other meetings I’ve attended.

7.  MLS Satisfaction Survey.  They announce the results at this event.  Pure genius.

Highlights for me include the listing syndication discussions.  Feels like there is a change in the air on this topic.  Also every year it seems like Gregg puts two industry vets on stage who may be on opposite ends of a topic.  This year it was Sami Inkinen from Trulia and Errol Samuelson from MOVE.  It’s great theatre to watch both participants answer questions and be cordial to one another.  Even though you might sense they would rather the other one not exist.

The theme of the event was innovation.  Two of my favorite presentation were the one given by Mike Wurzer, CEO of FBS and another by John Heithaus of MRIS.  Mike has been talking a lot about the concept of an “MLS App Store” and the possibilities are very exciting to a 3rd party vendor like myself.  John Heithaus is relatively new to this crowd but not real estate, his fun quirky presentation was informative, provoking and entertaining.  Tough mix.

But my favorite presentation was by Art Carter.  Art spoke of the need for standards and how everyone in the room was responsible for helping this effort.  Yes I know this is a old topic, but somehow Art made it fresh.  Part of it was the message he was delivering, most of it was the fact that he was something to you don’t see a lot of nowadays; Genuine.

My thanks to Gregg and Matt and the rest of the Clareity crew for a truly awesome event.  See you next year!

Check out the Vendor Alley Flickr Photostream for photos from the event:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/vendoralley/sets/72157626202301528/

Inman RE Connect NYC-Top 5 sessions I’m looking forward to.

I was taking a look at this years agenda for Inman’s Real Estate Connect in New York City and I must say this year has a lot of great sessions. But with so many sessions I thought I would put together my Top 5.

1. ConnectTech Wednesday, January 12. 8:30AM to 12:25PM
Moderated by Dan Woolley.
Interested in APIs? Will Flash make it? Tablets? UX/UI? Yes. No. Yes. Yes. Dan and Joel have put together some of the best tech minds in one place. If you are interested in real estate technology than this is the place to be.

2. Welcome Address from Brad Inman. Wednesday, January 12 at 2:15 to 2:40PM
I’m a sucker for these. I’m always curious to see what’s Brad and his team come up with, it sets the vibe of the conference for me.

3. New kids on the block: Meet six new companies you may not have heard of – but should know. Thursday 9:30AM to 10:00AM.
I’m a sucker for these too! Great to see what fresh ideas and faces are coming in to the industry.

4. Innovation Track: The MLS. Moderated by Mike Wurzer 2:00PM to 5:00PM
Gahlord Dewald is moderating the media and technology track at the same time but since I’m an MLS geek I’m going to the The MLS session. Mike Wurzer does such a good job moderating these sessions its a hard one to miss. One session that really has me intrigued is the “Trends in media and technology with Curt Beardsley from Realtor.com. Curt always has a an interesting take on things.

5. Data, traffic and profits. Friday, January 14, 2011 9:25AM to 10:00AM
Ever since we launched Dwellicious I’ve been keeping track of all the major portals. This session has some big names, Pete Flint, Ian Morris (good to see him back in the mix), Spencer Rascoff and Errol Samuelson.

There’s lots and lots and lots of sessions. You can see the full agenda here. The conference starts on Wednesday the 12th, so come to New York and buy me a drink!

A tale of three parties

Over the years the N.A.R. Annual Conference has a been THE place for holding parties for their customers and prospects. This year one company held their first, another is starting to hit their stride, and the other was still going strong.

Jake?First up is Tarasoft. This year Tarasoft held their party at the House of Blues. The place was jumping! In fact I mistook John Mosey for one of the Blues Brothers (which one I’m not at liberty to say). Looks like John and many others were taking advantage of the open bar of beer, wine and anything else. Who could forget last years Tarasoft party and the long walk up the stairs escorted by some of what California is most famous for. Not to disappoint this year many Louisiana gals dressed up in Marti Gras gear floating around the party and took pictures with guests. The vibe of this party was “inclusive”. I saw MLS providers, MLS vendors (even “competitors”), software companies, leadership, you name it everyone together having a good time. Nice way to start a Saturday night!

The first thing you need to know about Marketlinx, is they know how to throw a party. Kim McLean did not disappoint this year as well. The vibe was great and the music fun. But unlike the Tarasoft party this party was decidedly “exclusive”. Which is fine, why should you pay for drinks for anyone else but customers and prospects? But since I only had one ticket I didn’t stay very long because I was with a larger group who did not have any tickets to get in. I heard this from others but I’m sure as hell their customers had a great time!

Nick at the keysNext up is Rapattoni. Rapattoni you say?? They never throw a party! Well this year was decidedly different as they celebrated their 40 years in business. I was lucky enough to be invited. Dan and I were greeted by the very gracious Niki Rapattoni at the door. They had a live piano player playing some jazz and a few standards. After we got a drink at the open bar I noticed that I recognized the piano player, it was Nick Rapattoni himself! That was a first, how many parties have you gone to where the president of the company is also the entertainment!

Thanks for the invites! Good to see everyone!

A gentle reminder…

On the cusp of NAR EXPO New Orleans aka “NARDIGras” I caution you with this gentle reminder…

Never, and I mean NEVER, go big on the first night!

Don't let this be you!

We land tomorrow, see you on Bourbon Street!

Sponsored By Paragon Connect