Where Real Estate Gets Its Dirt

A requiem for REALTOR Magazine

Unveiling the Digital Evolution of REALTOR® Magazine Media

“This week, REALTOR® Magazine continues its digital transformation, with all its content moving 100% online under the digital hub “REALTOR® Magazine Media.”

The winter 2025 issue will be the last print edition.”

I know it’s been a month since this news broke but I wanted to say a couple things about this announcement. There was a time where being on the back cover of REALTOR Magazine was a thing. I’m talking about the late 90s. This was before “the web”. In fact we still had registration cards in the boxes of the software we sold that users would mail (as in using a pen and licking a stamp) in to get notified of any updates/upgrades. You sold software in person, or via an “800” number.

At that time I had co-founded my first real estate software company, IRIS, and we had a product called Lightning CMA Plus. The biggest third party software company at the time was Top Producer Systems. Their product, Top Producer, was by far the biggest third party software company in the space. They typically were the main company that advertised on the back of REALTOR Magazine.

As a young entrepreneur my aspiration was to have a company large enough to be able to afford the back cover of Realtor Magazine. In my eyes, that would mean, “we made it.”

We also advertised inside the magazine itself, I seem to remember of buying the “IBC”, Inside Back Cover in the parlance of the magazine ad salesman, a few times. And like the old saying goes, “Half the money, I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don’t know which half.”

We eventually did be able to buy the back cover. And I remember specifically being in a broker office at a meeting with their CTO and him asking about who we were. Seeing a REALTOR Magazine on the conference table I flipped that magazine around pointed at our ad, and said “that’s us”.

Later at another company we launched an ad campaign where we bought a centerfold ad in the magazine, which featured Fabio. But I’ve written about that story before.

I used to keep some of those old copies of REALTOR Magazine around in my garage, but somewhere in one of my moves I lost them or threw them out.

All this reminds me of a song…

“wanna see our pictures on the cover
(Stone) wanna buy five copies for our mothers (yeah)
(Stone) wanna see my smiling face
On the cover of the Rolling Stone”
-The Cover of the Rolling Stone by Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show

Listing Bits Podcast: A floor plan with every listing

In this episode of Listing Bits, Greg Robertson is joined by Megan McFarlane from New Mexico MLS and Jeff Allen from CubiCasa to discuss the growing importance of floor plans in real estate listings. They dive into why New Mexico MLS has taken the bold step of requiring floor plans on every listing, how technology like CubiCasa is making this easier, and the industry-wide momentum pushing for more complete and transparent listing content.

Key Takeaways

• New Mexico MLS’s Bold Move: Why they made floor plans mandatory and how it enhances listing accuracy and consumer experience.

• The Tech That’s Changing the Game: How CubiCasa and other solutions make floor plans more accessible for agents and MLSs.

• Overcoming Pushback: Addressing concerns about liability, data privacy, and adoption challenges.

• Consumer Demand is Clear: NAR research shows floor plans are the #1 most requested listing feature.

• Global Trends in Real Estate: Why countries like Finland and Australia have already made floor plans standard—and why the U.S. is catching up.

• The Future of MLS Compliance: How MLSs are using AI and automation to enforce floor plan requirements.

Links & Resources

New Mexico MLS to require floor plans on all listings

MLS Floor Plan Requirement Programs: FAQ 2025

CMLS Presentation Clip

Our Sponsors

Trackxi – Real Estate’s #1 Deal Tracking Software

Giant Steps Job Board – Where Proptech gets hired

Production and editing services by:

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Gino says no deal!

Looks like the WSJ got it wrong. So far I haven’t seen any sort of retraction from them.

Warren Buffet wants out of real estate

Compass negotiating to buy Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices

“News of the negotiations between the companies was notable because it would represent a shift in strategy from Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway conglomeration. HomeServices is a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Energy, a company silo that otherwise exclusively includes energy production and transmission companies. Berkshire Hathaway, Inc. also holds other ancillary real estate services and the insurance company GEICO.”

I could make the case of Stone Point Capital buying Keller Williams and Rocket buying Redfin as an optimistic view for the industry. Meaning, “big money” thinks real estate is going to pretty much operate as it has in the past. Which is good for organized real estate

I don’t know why, but this news hits different.

RentSpree [Sponsor]

My thanks again to RentSpree for sponsoring this month’s Vendor Alley. I just grabbed this latest image from their Instagram feed. Super impressive. To learn more how RentSpree can fit in your business just ask Lauren! And congrats on the nine year anniversary!

Industry Relations Podcast LIVE! Tomorrow (3/7) at 10AM PT

Join Rob and I live this Friday- TOMORROW (3/7/25) just click on this link => Industry Relations LIVE

CubiCasa’s MLS Partnership Program reaches 100 MLS organizations

CubiCasa’s MLS Partnership Program Reaches 100 MLSs, Highlighting Industry Momentum Around Floor Plans

“This achievement underscores the growing recognition among MLSs that floor plans are essential to a better home search experience for consumers. By making floor plans easily accessible through their MLS, these 100 organizations are helping homebuyers make more informed decisions by providing a clearer picture of a property’s size, layout, and flow-critical details that photos alone often fail to convey.

Additionally, MLSs that join CubiCasa’s Partnership Program gain access to CubiCasa’s nationwide directory of real estate photographers who include floor plans as part of their shoots. This resource makes it easier than ever for agents to integrate floor plans into their listings, leveraging the growing trend of photographers offering floor plan creation services alongside traditional listing photography.”

If you are a Vendor Alley reader you know I’m a big supporter of floorpans being a mandatory requirement on the MLS. Great to see this progress happening.

REX gets vexed by Ninth Circuit Court

From Inman News: REX loses appeal in long-running lawsuit against NAR, Zillow

“A three-judge panel on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled against REX Real Estate, affirming lower court rulings that threw out its antitrust claims against the National Association of Realtors and Zillow and denied the now-defunct real estate brokerage a new trial against Zillow.”

Even the DOJ couldn’t help…

“On Feb. 13, the Ninth Circuit held oral arguments in the case, with each side and the U.S. Department of Justice getting a chance to speak. Alice A. Wang, counsel to the assistant attorney general at the DOJ’’s Antitrust Division, asked that the case be sent back to the district court, arguing that “an optional rule could be mandatory in practice,” “the adoption of an optional rule can itself be concerted action,” and “an optional rule can serve as an invitation for others to join in a common plan.”

But the three-judge panel disagreed.”

I’ve never fully understood REX. Always seemed like they had ulterior motives. 🤷‍♂️

Housing IS everything

The housing theory of everything

“But whether this or another approach is the best solution is not the key question. What matters is that housing shortages may be thebiggest problem facing our era, and solving it needs to become everyone’s highest priority. And as important as it is, we should be wary of letting it become politically tribalised: the disastrous politicisation of Covid vaccines in the United States highlights the danger of that. Some kind of creative, below-the-radar solution that turns this zero-sum game into a positive-sum one is likely to have a better chance.”

Long read but really does a great job of highlighting just how important housing is to society. If you were able to attend MLS Reset you got to hear Prof. Bryan Caplan speak about similar themes and how increasing housing might just be a true panacea this country needs. Which he also wrote about in his book, Build, Baby, Build: The Science and Ethics of Housing Regulation.

RentSpree [Sponsor]

My thanks to RentSpree for sponsoring this month’s Vendor Alley.

I’ve written about how the industry should broaden its focus beyond just home purchases. In this tough market, we need to consider all aspects of housing. With integrations across all the top MLS vendors and suppliers, Michael and his team have made it incredibly easy to get started.

Follow this link to check out their white paper, “The Untapped Money Potential of the Rental Market.”

Or better yet schedule a demo with Lauren Martin.

Thanks again to RentSpree for their support!

Sponsored By RentSpree