Where Real Estate Gets Its Dirt

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.

Brokers, your real estate super app is here

Rechat and Canva Unveil New Integration

By integrating with Rechat, we are empowering agents to turn live property data into polished, on-brand marketing materials in minutes.

Smart move. But the Canva deal isn’t really the story here.

The story is what Rechat has quietly become. They’ve hit 100% year-over-year revenue growth, grown their customer base by 220%, and expanded their team to 85 people across 18 countries. Their CRM adoption rate sits at 75% — which, if you’ve spent any time in this industry, you know is borderline miraculous.

I think two things are at work here to qualify that success.

Number One: Integrations. Figma last August. SkySlope. Follow Up Boss. Now Canva. Rechat CEO Shayan Hamidi says it’s about “removing friction from the creative process and meeting agents where they want to work.” This feels different than an “all-in-one” or “end to end” strategy that a lot of vendors are shooting for — they started by knowing that integrations would be part of their solution.

Number Two: Knowing who their customer is: Independent Brokers. The content that Rechat creates is of high quality and good design. Something that gives independent brokers a way of competing with Compass’ tech stack, but without all the restrictions.

Rechat isn’t trying to be everything to everyone — they’re building the platform that independent brokers didn’t know they were waiting for, and the numbers say it’s working.

Godspeed

FBS joins ROAM on its journey to form statewide marketplace

Press Release: ROAM MLS Selects FBS and the Flexmls® Platform to Support Statewide Marketplace

“Our newly established partnership with FBS will provide our members with an MLS platform that preserves many of the features and familiarity of their current native system while offering access to updated technology. This decision eliminates the need for duplicative add-ons, consolidates data into a single source, and provides our members with the opportunity for greater cost savings,” said Rhonda Reap-Curiel, ROAM MLS President”

Significant win for FBS. See below from ROAM’s website:

“What is changing

  • ROAM will launch a unified MLS platform, built specifically for ROAM by Flex MLS.
  • ROAM will retire the existing Matrix, Paragon, and legacy Flex platforms.
  • Members will be converted to the new platform with their listings, contacts, and saved searches.
  • The Clareity dashboard will be retired.

What is not changing

  • All ancillary services will remain in place, including Cloud CMA, ShowingTime, lockboxes, RentSpree, RPR, and other current tools.
  • Local support remains local.
  • Association-specific fees are unchanged as part of this announcement.”

Nice to see Cloud CMA didn’t get kicked off the island.  😅

Looking for a new gig?

Association Executive – Huntsville Area Association of REALTORS(r)

“The Huntsville Area Association of REALTORS® (HAAR) is beginning a leadership search at a moment of extraordinary growth for both the organization and the region it serves. HAAR is seeking a progressive, forward-thinking Association Executive who brings fresh ideas, proven leadership experience, and a genuine passion for elevating the value of the REALTOR® community across North Alabama.”

Chief Executive Officer – Women’s Council of REALTORS(r)

“The Women’s Council of REALTORS® is seeking its next Chief Executive Officer at a pivotal time in the organization’s history. With a mission to advance women as business leaders in the real estate industry, the Council has built one of the most respected leadership networks in real estate, serving thousands of members through a nationwide collection of state and local networks. For decades, it has played a measurable role in elevating leadership pathways, strengthening brokerages, and increasing professional opportunity across the industry.”

To find out about these jobs and more please visit the Giant Steps Job Board.

A New MLS Vendor Enters the Chat

The New Mexico Multiple Listing Service Selects reData MLS as the New MLS Software Platform for its Members

“After evaluating multiple MLS software platforms, we found reData MLS to be the fastest, most innovative, and technologically advanced.” -Crystal McCaslin, NMMLS Board Chair

I guess it was just a matter of time. UtahRealEstate.com has had their own homegrown MLS system for a while now. And just like other MLS organizations (think TheMLS/CLAW – VESTAPlus) they have decided to enter the vendor game.

I think New Mexico MLS (NMMLS) is a good start. With about 1,200 members is will be a perfect proving ground. NMMLS has already adopted the AlignedShowings property showing solution via UtahRealEstate.com’s ownership of MLSAligned.

I spoke to Brad Bjelke, CEO of UtahRealEstate.com briefly about the shift, and he told me that their goal isn’t to take over the world, but they think their MLS system could be a good solution for many MLS organizations. If you’re an MLS organization and want to find out more they have a pretty cool URL, https://realestatedata.com.

I secretly love when MLS organizations get in to the vendor game. As we all know, it’s a lot harder than it looks.

Homes.com new AI voice search is legit!

COSTAR GROUP LAUNCHES TRANSFORMATIVE AI EXPERIENCE ON HOMES.COM, REDEFINING THE FUTURE OF HOME SHOPPING

“For the first time on a major real estate portal, consumers can engage in natural, real-time, two-way conversations – by voice or text – to search, refine, and explore homes in an interactive experience that feels less like navigating a website and more like being guided by a deeply knowledgeable, trusted real estate advisor. Homes AI draws from Homes.com’s unmatched depth of property data, Matterport 3D digital twin technology, images, proprietary school data, neighborhood insights, and market intelligence to deliver bespoke guidance that empowers shoppers with the resources and confidence they need to find the perfect home.”

Growing up I remember watching Star Trek. I was always fascinated by the way Captain Kirk and others crew members of the starship Enterprise would talk so effortlessly to computers.

“Computer, activate shields!”
“Computer, make me a sandwich.”

Many AI tools I use have that capability now but I’m still a little too self conscious to use AI that way. I suspect that will change soon enough. When I read about Homes.com new AI search interface that had voice integration I had to try it out. I had previously been impressed by MetroList’s implementation of voice and seen stories about other real estate portals/apps.

After giving the homes.com permission for my location and use of my computer’s microphone I was up and running. A few things stood out. Number one is that it was so seamless. I didn’t have to click any buttons to start or end recording my voice commands. Number two was the quality of the AI voice, it sounded natural…human. Number three was the speed. There was almost no latency in giving my commands and the site responding.

But what really impressed me is the way it understood and could act on my questions/commands.

“Show me homes in the 92646 zip code”
“Can you sort the houses from highest to lowest price?”
“Can I see the one on ‘Vacation Lane’?”
“Can you make the photos bigger?”
“Can you show me the next photo?”
“Next. Next. Next.”
“Can you go back to the search results page?”
“Let me see the home on ‘Pollack Drive”
“How many days has this been on the market?”

All of these commands the site understood perfectly. Don’t believe me? Check out this video I recorded.

I’m sure all of this will be commonplace shortly. And I don’t think I even scratched the surface of what this feature of Homes.com can do.

Big kudos to the engineers and designers at Homes.com. Well done!

TK Is Hanging It Up

Real Estate Icon Teresa King Kinney Announces Retirement Plans; MIAMI Association of Realtors’ CEO of 33 Years to Pass the Torch at Year End

“I will be leaving one of the largest, most innovative and successful organizations in the best shape ever to move forward.”

When TK took over in 1993, MIAMI had 5,000 members and one office. Today it’s 60,000 members, the largest local Realtor association in the country, larger than 44 state associations, with nearly 300 international partnerships across 77 countries. She also steered the ship through 2008, COVID, and the NAR settlement — the hat trick of industry gut-checks.

33 years is a long time to do anything. To do it at that level, at that scale, is something else entirely.

My hat’s off to you, TK. Enjoy whatever you and John want to do, whenever you want to do it. You’ve earned it.

MLS Execs Are Ready for Local Autonomy — But the Safety Net Is Gone

Most MLS, association execs back NAR’s strategy — with caveats

“A growing acceptance that the ‘all-in’ membership model is under threat.”

A new T3 Sixty survey offers a candid look at where MLS and association executives stand heading into 2026, and the results are interesting. On the surface, more than 8 in 10 organized real estate leaders say they’re aligned with NAR’s three-year strategic plan. But dig a little deeper and there’s a lot of nuance underneath that headline number.

The membership picture is stabilizing, sort of. While heading into 2025 over 70% of execs expected membership declines, only 25% actually saw them. Which is good news. About 35% saw membership tick up — the rest were flat. Those predictions had influenced budgeting so I’m glad that some of the gloom and doom around membership is thawing.

The bigger story for 2026 is what happens to membership models themselves. A full 70% of respondents think new membership structures are likely to emerge this year, with agents increasingly prioritizing MLS access while dropping secondary memberships. The “all-in” model that has defined organized real estate for decades is under real pressure.

On local autonomy, there’s broad support — 68% of all respondents favor more local policy discretion, and among MLS-only executives that jumps to 85%. That aligns pretty well with the sweeping MLS Handbook changes NAR pushed through late last year. But support for autonomy and comfort with autonomy are two different things. As NAR steps back from its traditional rulemaking role, local organizations are navigating uncertain legal territory without much of a safety net. One exec put it plainly: every policy is now under careful review “to ensure we aren’t the next target.”

The organizations that thrive will be the ones that treat this new autonomy as an opportunity rather than a burden.

Bewitching Bungalow!

Zillow Launches a Home Search Site for World of Warcraft

“Zillow exists at the center of how people think and talk about home, and gaming has become another powerful expression of that.”

File this under: #nowIveseeneverything

Looks like Zillow has partnered with Blizzard Entertainment to launch Zillow for Warcraft, a microsite where players can browse in-game homes from Azeroth as World of Warcraft finally introduces player housing after nearly two decades of fan demand. From Beverly W. Jackson, Zillow’s VP of Brand and Product Marketing.

The microsite features 3D Home tours and SkyTour-style visuals of curated player-built and Blizzard-designed homes — Stormwind townhouses, Horde bungalows, the whole fantasy real estate portfolio. No Zestimates, no transactions. Just vibes.

And I don’t think this is just for the virtual eXp crowd.

This is a brand play, not a product play, and it’s a smart one. The tie-in is part of Zillow’s new “Someday Starts Today” campaign that debuted during the Grammys earlier this month. But the real genius is the audience match: WoW players have been begging for housing since the mid-2000s (I can’t believe I just wrote that sentence.) Zillow showing up the moment that dream finally ships is the kind of cultural timing that earns attention you can’t buy with a media plan.

It’s also a reminder of something I keep reminding the industry: Zillow isn’t just a portal. It’s a consumer brand with cultural gravity — the kind that can partner with Blizzard and have it make sense. Love them or hate them, nobody else in real estate is playing this game.

Your move Homes.com.

Sponsored By VESTAPLUS