“Real estate leads are among the most expensive leads generated across all American business, often leading to real estate professionals paying as high as 40% of their commission for a sale generated from a lead. Many leads generated at online shopping websites are sold over and over again, causing consumers to be inundated with spam-y text messages and robo-calls that seem to have no end. Now, there must be a clear opt-in by consumers to this form of communication. The FCC wants the consumer to opt in on a 1-to-1 basis to each company that will receive their contact information. “
Victor Lund, WAV Group
As Rob and I discussed on a recent Industry Relations podcast we think this is going to have a bigger impact than any one realizes.
The industry owes the folks at T3 Sixty a lot of gratitude for putting this information together. Whether you are a vendor, MLS organization or Association this data is gold when it comes to planning.
“REBNY and its technology vendor Perchwell were the first companies to be certified for implementing full-listing Add/Edit. NYC brokers and their vendors have their own listing interfaces that integrate with REBNY’s Residential Listing Service (RLS).
Companies like RESO members Lofty, RealPlus and RESoft send their brokers’ listings directly into the Add/Edit-equipped RLS. Allowing brokers to use whichever apps or systems work best for them to update RLS data greatly enhances product choice and competition.”
RESO
I’m a bit late to this but, if this can go mainstream it would be huge for the industry.
Watching the Grammy’s last night I caught an ad for Homes.com.
The ad features Lil’ Wayne and Dan Levy with the tag line, “Home Shopping goes back to school” and then the date “2.11.24”, which is the date to the Super Bowl.
There are also two other ads on their YouTube channel. The one above features Dan Levy again and Heidi Gardner riffing on new Homes.com slogans.
The last video appears to have CoStar’s CEO Andy Florance in a cameo board room scene (:15). Both of them teasing the “2.11.24” Super Bowl date.
We are already know that Mr. Florance likes to go big with their promotion, and nothing is bigger than a Super Bowl ad. Should be fun to watch!
“If approved by the court, the settlement means Keller Williams will pay substantially less than it could have to resolve Sitzer | Burnett. On Oct. 31, in a historic verdict, a jury found that Keller Williams, RE/MAX, Anywhere, the National Association of Realtors, HomeServices of America and two of its subsidiaries, BHH Affiliates and HSF Affiliates, conspired to inflate broker commission rates paid by homesellers. The jury awarded $1.78 billion in damages to a class of approximately 500,000 Missouri homeowners. If that award stands, it would be trebled by law to more than $5.3 billion.
The deals leave NAR, HomeServices of America and two of its subsidiaries, BHH Affiliates and HSF Affiliates, as the remaining defendants in the case.”
I’ve been thinking about this for the last week and a couple things stand out. I guess you could say it was shrewd of KW to see if the case was won before settling (interesting to think of NAR and BHH/HSF through that lens). Hard to say if the settlement would have been lower if they had settled earlier. But $70M feels about right. BHH/HSF are probably talking longer due to their corporate structure.
That would leave NAR standing alone. People who would know tell me that their case for appeal is pretty strong based on upon the documents being filed by NAR. That may be true, but the genie is out of the bottle. More and more of people I meet and hear I’m “in real estate” ask me about being “over-charged” for commissions. I still think settling (and sooner than later) is the right move.
“Following Hale’s announcement, the HAR board of directors unanimously approved current HAR Executive Vice President René Galvan to succeed Hale as HAR president and CEO in 2026. Galvan has served as a critical member of HAR’s management team since 1996 when he was hired as Director of Business Development. In 1999, Galvan was recruited away as CEO of the Realtor Association of Greater Fort Lauderdale, but he returned to HAR as EVP two years later and has held that post ever since.
Asked about his accomplishments during his tenure at HAR, Galvan said, “I am most proud of building a team of incredible professionals, keeping focused on our mission of helping members achieve success, and working closely with staff and leadership to improve service to members while keeping a watchful eye on expenses resulting in no dues increase during the past 21 years.”
“This journey has been one that I will cherish for the rest of my life,” said Hale. “I could not think of anyone more qualified and driven than René Galvan to lead HAR through the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for the real estate industry.”
HAR.com
What a journey! 52 years in the arena, fighting the good fight, planning, innovating, leading, teaching, and sharing. Bob’s generosity is unmatched and what he has contributed to this industry can’t be overstated. And what a class act announcing René as his successor at the same time as his retirement.
I know he doesn’t retire till February 2026 but I just want to be the first to say thank you Bob.
“Expressing gratitude for his journey with MARIS, Price said, “I am immensely proud of the accomplishments we have achieved together at MARIS. It has been an honor to lead such a talented team and I am confident in the bright future that lies ahead for the organization. Cameron has earned a well-deserved reputation as an innovator and I can’t think of anyone better suited than he is to lead MARIS into the future.”
MARIS
Nice quote about Cameron from David. David was always a class act. Also great to see Cameron back on the saddle again. Congrats Cameron and Happy Trails to David.
A little birdie told me that Costar CEO, Andy Florance dropped the name of the celebrity spokesperson for Homes.com. The news dropped while Andy was being interviewed by Brad Inman at Inman Connect NYC. And who is it? Dan Levy. I think Dan Levy is a great choice, although I think his father, Eugene Levy, would have been awesome too. There will be other celebrities featured too but it sounds like Dan is the man.
The first commercials start dropping February 11th.
[UPDATE: Clarification, Mr. Florance said there were 4 new actors and Dan Levy one of them and the only one he disclosed.]
Brand building and marketing are everything in any business. They are especially important in fragile times when survival and growth require sharp claws, tenacity, and a plan.
Winners rise out of markets like this. It’s trite, but true. We want to help them — you — be out ahead. So we’re bringing together some of the brightest brand and marketing minds from both inside and outside of real estate to exchange ideas, strategies, and action items for what to do and what to say, right now.”
-1000watt
This is going to be good. Who better to put on a conference about brand and marketing than 1000watt? 1000watt has been delivering the goods on high quality marketing, branding, design and content for way over a decade. If you aren’t reading their Friday Flash and newsletters you’re missing some of the smartest takes and analysis in real estate. Also excited about one of their speakers, April Dunford, her book on positioning, titled “Obviously Awesome” is a must read.
My advice, bring a few people from your company that need to get recharged and inspired. It’s time. I’m sure tickets will go fast. Get Yours => 1000watt Brand & Marketing Summit
