My son Toby attended Apple Camp at an Apple Store as a kid. Now he works at an Apple Store and teaches Apple Camp himself.
Time Flies
250
I made this super nerdy thing
Have you ever tried to find an MLS number on a real estate portal? Maybe I’m the only one who has this problem. But I do. So I thought I would put my vibe-coding skills to work. I call it MLS Number Copier. It’s a free Chrome extension that you install on your browser and if you are at a listing detail page on Realtor.com, Zillow, Homes.com, Trulia or Redfin you just press the cool little logo (see above) and it will find the MLS Number of the listing so you can copy it in to your clipboard. Simple.
The extension is only compatible with Chrome (for now). Click here to check it out.
And to the 5 people in the industry who this solves a problem. You’re welcome! And don’t forget to give it a 5 Star Rating. : )
Brad
Brad Inman on LinkedIn yesterday…
“After decades on stage, I’m hanging up my public speaking spurs.
It started badly. On a panel in my 20s, I was a nervous California journalist completely outshone by a Sacramento Bee reporter who owned the room.
So I spent the years that followed studying how to do it better — determined never to feel that way again.
I didn’t and I had a lot of fun doing it and teaching others to do it well.
But this cowboy is done.”
The “Latte Vision.” Interviewing Rupert Murdoch, sparring with Gary Keller, and trading quips with Barbara Corcoran. Brad taking the stage to a roar of applause the year a snowstorm (2015?) almost cancelled ICNY.
We made it to New York because, Mother Nature or not, that’s where we wanted to be!
There are certain songs that have been the soundtrack of my life. Brad’s keynotes, interviews, and articles have been the soundtrack of my career. The optimism, the vision, the insights, the prodding for all of us to aim high, try harder, and be good to each other. That’s the soundtrack that keeps rolling in my head.
I started in this industry in the mid-nineties, and I had a front-row seat to watch Brad build one of the most inclusive and incredible communities any business has ever seen. His friendship and mentorship won’t be forgotten, and they continue.
It’s strange he won’t be up on that stage this July. But here’s the thing about a great soundtrack, once it’s in your head, it never really stops playing. Love you pal!
The Last Court of Honor of Troop 319
A couple of weeks ago the message came through. Despite continued efforts, Troop 319 was shutting down and merging with Troop 568. There were various reasons. Four of the feeder packs had disbanded, even Pack 210 where Toby started. Fewer kids, aging demographics, COVID, etc.
Toby wanted to know if we should go to their last meeting. It was a “court of honor,” where Scouts would be recognized, medals handed out and Eagles announced. Since Toby had aged out, neither of us had been to a troop meeting in a couple of years. “Of course,” I said, glad to have a free day between airport visits.
We walked into the cafeteria of the middle school where the troop meetings were held. A few Eagle Scouts from when the troop was formed came. The honor guard was called, the Pledge of Allegiance was recited, hugs were given and received, touching speeches were given, and fathers tried to dry their eyes without anyone noticing. I’d forgotten how much I missed the “civic” nature of these meetings. The laughter, the endless applause, and the inside jokes carried on since 1986, when the troop was formed.
When Toby went on the Philmont trip, a 12-day hike that really is the pinnacle of the Scouting experience, he came back different. More confident, and a bit more sure of himself. He still wears his Philmont belt buckle with pride. At the event he took a photo with a bunch of his friends and the volunteer parents who chaperoned the trip. Good memories.
The Scoutmaster, Todd Jardine, was Toby’s Den leader too, back when he started in kindergarten. A nice bookend.
I was never a Boy Scout myself growing up, but I learned to appreciate the mottos and traditions through the eyes of my son.
One classic slogan is “Do a Good Turn Daily.”
In honor of Troop 319, I’m asking anyone reading this post to try to help someone out today. Big or small, it doesn’t matter.
Troops may fold. Good turns don’t.
#realscoutswearbackpacks
The Doctor Is In
I was in Chicago last week at NAR Headquarters for the NAR Influencer Summit. My kids got a kick out of me being an “influencer.” I feel so Gen Z! Rob Hahn was there, as was Keith Robinson from NextHome/Real Estate Insider’s Podcast, Katie Lance, and a few other podcasters/bloggers/etc. I heard there were more invited but couldn’t make it due to scheduling.
The meeting was held at the top of the NAR building on Michigan Ave. Very cool. I hadn’t been inside the building since pre-pandemic, and never to the top, so that was kind of a treat.
What struck me initially was who from NAR was present: basically Nykia Wright, CEO of NAR, and her entire executive team. Some of them, based in Washington DC, had flown in to attend the event. And they were there for the entire meeting, which lasted from 12 PM to about 6 PM. We were told nothing was off limits, but to be respectful. A lot of the executive team gave brief presentations and then we could ask questions.
Nykia was the first to present. She basically went over NAR’s new strategic plan. I had already read it, so a lot of it was repetitive. Some of the team were brand new to NAR; others had already been there a while, like Lawrence Yun, Shannon McGahn, Mark Birschbach, and Jonathan Waclawski.
Nykia spoke about roughly a 20% reduction in NAR staff, which was higher than the 14% number I had read previously. Based on the tenor of the conversations, budget pressures were clearly a big driver across many departments.
This ain’t your old NAR.
I asked a lot of questions. When I thought I was getting corporate gobbledygook, I pushed back and asked for clarification—which, most of the time, I got. There were some myths I had about NAR that were busted. Some answers I thought were incomplete. But overall I have to say I was impressed with the effort and thought that Nykia and her executive team put into it. Honestly, really impressed.
At one point Nykia described herself as a “business doctor.” I thought that was apt. She described her patient, NAR. By NAR she meant the entire ecosystem: staff, leadership, brokers, and agents. She laid out what the patient needed to do to survive. As a pragmatic doctor, there was no need to dwell on the past. The past was done. Her focus is making sure the patient survives going forward. Her beside manner? All business.
The prescription was pretty clear.
The patient needs to get sober.
Change its diet. Lose some weight.
Eat healthier foods. More greens. Fewer carbs.
And one by one, members of her executive team came up and explained how the patient would start exercising again—new routines, new disciplines, new habits meant to produce a healthier organization.
Maybe even stop hanging around with a few bad influences.
Everyone in the room seemed to agree with the diagnosis.
But agreeing with the doctor and following the doctor’s orders are two very different things.
So the real question isn’t whether NAR has a plan.
The question is whether the patient will actually follow it.
We’ll see.
But at least the doctor has arrived.
My thanks to Bennett Richardson for the invite and Nykia for her hospitality.
Signal by 1000watt – Be there!
Have you bought your tickets to 1000watt’s Signal conference yet? I’ll be there. I went last year too, when it was held at Gilley’s in Dallas, TX. Great content, great people. This year’s Signal conference will be held June 2-4 in Denver, CO. I think for any MLS organization that wants to fire up a creative spark, or to do some professional development for their marketing and training departments, it would be money well spent.
I also hear they are also going to add a special breakout session for MLS. I’ll report more on that as we get closer to the conference.
In the meantime, they are holding a live webinar tomorrow that’s an exclusive preview of the event, hosted by Brian Boero, Marc Davison, and Jessica Swesey. They will walk through:
- What this year’s program is designed to do (and why it matters now)
- A look at the speaker lineup and the talks they’re most excited about
- The hotels they recommend (and why proximity matters)
- How to make the most of your time in Denver
That’s live tomorrow, March 6th, 12PM PT. Register for the webinar here. Buy tickets to the event here.
Martin
Martin Luther King jr.
“Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal.”
Merry Christmas!
Vendor Alley 2025 Holiday Gift Guide
It’s that time of year again, and normally I’d give you a whole list of gifts guaranteed to put a smile on anyone’s face.
But this year I have only one recommendation.
Time.
And the way you gift yourself time is simple, hire an assistant.
After selling W+R Studios and starting Giant Steps Advisors, I knew I still wanted to contribute to the industry by doing “meaningful work.” I’m still sorting out exactly what “meaningful” means, but I knew I had a lot I wanted to build and explore. What I didn’t have was the bandwidth to do it all alone.
I first heard about Athena on a podcast. They pitch themselves as a service where you can hire elite assistants.
Some of you already have executive assistants and know how truly impactful they are for your time and productivity. I’d never had one, and honestly, the idea of hiring one felt a little pretentious. That was something I had to get over…and I’m glad I did.
The magic with Athena is you can get an incredible executive assistant for $3,000 a month.
If you want a deeper look, check out a recent episode of the a16z Podcast where they interview Jonathan Swanson, Athena’s founder. The host, a16z General Partner Erik Torenberg, uses an Athena assistant himself. My thinking was pretty simple: if it’s good enough for a GP at one of the best VC firms on the planet, it’s probably good enough for me.
My assistant’s name is Tabby, and she’s had a huge impact on my life this past year. Now, like any new hire, you need to ramp them up. Tabby didn’t instantly know my business, my industry, or my preferences. And if you’ve never had an assistant, you’re also going to have to learn how to delegate effectively. I’m still learning, and Athena has tools to help both of us get better.
Here’s a link if you want to give them a try. I think you get a pretty good discount.
Happy Holidays everyone!
