Where Real Estate Gets Its Dirt

Introducing the MLS Channel Field Guide from Giant Steps

We Built the Field Guide We Wish We Had 20 Years Ago

If you’re a proptech company trying to sell into the MLS channel, you already know the basics: it’s complex, it’s slow, and nobody picks up the phone.

What you might not know is exactly how complex, how slow, and why nobody picks up the phone. That’s the part that takes years to figure out. We know, because we spent decades figuring it out ourselves.

Today we’re announcing something we’ve been working on for a while: The MLS Channel Field Guide.

I spend a lot of time speaking to new vendors and other vendors who may have been selling directly to brokers or agents who were curious about partnering with the MLS channel as a way for distributing their product. I’ve distilled all those conversations in to a presentation which I think does a great job of informing anyone new to the space. If you interested please go read the full blog post on the Giant Steps Advisors website and Let’s Talk.

From Pixels to Property Intelligence with Dominik Pogorzelski

The Listing Bits Podcast is now available on your favorite podcast player!

Overview

Greg Robertson is joined by Dominik Pogorzelski from Restb.ai to discuss the evolution of AI in real estate—from early photo tagging to large-scale property intelligence. They cover how AI is now embedded in MLS workflows, powering listing input, compliance, and valuation, while also exploring the challenges of scale, accuracy, and the future of AI in the industry. 

Key Takeaways

  • Restb.ai has been AI-first from the start, building on early computer vision models before the current AI boom. 
  • Their tech automatically tags listing photos, generates captions, and flags compliance issues during listing input. 
  • AI is deeply integrated into MLS workflows, improving listing data quality and agent efficiency. 
  • Scale matters: they process ~1.5B real estate images per month, making speed, accuracy, and cost critical. 
  • Specialized computer vision models outperform general LLMs for image tasks at scale. 
  • Compliance is a key use case—detecting prohibited elements and AI-manipulated images in listings. 
  • New regulations around altered images are increasing the need for detection and transparency tools. 
  • Expansion areas include valuation, appraisal workflows, insurance, and broader property intelligence. 

Links

Sponsors

Aligned Showings — MLS-owned showing software built to simplify scheduling, improve communication, and keep MLS data where it belongs.

Giant Steps Job Board – Built for organized real estate and PropTech, not generic tech bros and recruiters who don’t know what an MLS is.

Production and editing services by:

Sunbound Studios

GEM Soirée at Greg & Dan’s studio in Orange County, January 12th

Drew Meyers reached out and asked if we were willing to host another GEM Soirée at our studio in Orange County. We happily obliged. See below for details.

“The GEM Soirée series continues in Orange County, this edition co-hosted with Coleton Boyer, Greg Robertson and Dan Woolley. An evening to mingle and celebrate the industry’s progress with real estate tech founders, execs, VCs & angels, and practitioners. Hang with the cool kids of proptech and organized real estate at Greg Robertson’s and Dan Woolley’s studio (aka mancave) in Costa Mesa, CA. A proper mingling of the sharpest mind in real estate tech with great food, cocktails, and a soundtrack that doesn’t suck. Alcohol and o’dourves will be provided.”

Hope to see you there! Great way to find out more about GEM and meet others in the proptech space.

Please follow this link to register for the event = > GEM Soirée in Orange County

All in

From Vegas to venture capital: Navigating the uncertain path of the proptech founder

“I think as a founder, what I have found through this journey is almost every couple of months I have to be a different CEO,” Reddy said. “Like I have to be a completely different person because what was needed from me for the company a few months ago isn’t what we need today because we’re inherently shifting, evolving, scaling as the industry goes.”

A great read from Craig Rowe at Inman News. Really captures the struggles of being a founder in this space. I know a lot of the people and companies he is talking about.

Hat tip to Vanessa, Scott, Terrance, Malte, Vijay, Andy, Greg, Alex, Dan, Audie, Shelia, and many others You guys all inspire me. And a special shout out to Cole Boyer with Tuesday. LFG!

Proptech Pre-Party was a huge success!

We had some old friends show up and made some new friends. Thanks to all that came including: Cole Boyer, of Tuesday, Micheal Alladawi from Revive, Alex Gustafson from Oppy, Devin Dvorak from Jointly, Cesar Macias of RPR, Daniel Ortega from ICE, Alisher Akhmetkaliyev and Kanatbek Sagitzhan also from Tuesday Jeremy Henley from TheQwikFix and many more!

See you in San Diego!

Lone Wolf partners with Follow Up Boss (FUB)

Lone Wolf Technologies Partners with Follow Up Boss to streamline workflows

“Real estate agents and teams often face inefficiencies caused by disconnected tools and processes. By integrating Follow Up Boss with Foundation—including solutions like Boost, Cloud CMA, Transact, and Back Office—agents can now manage their businesses more efficiently, while maintaining a strong focus on customer experience.

“Our mission has always been to empower real estate professionals by providing tools that simplify their daily operations and allow them to focus on what they do best,” said Jimmy Kelly, CEO at Lone Wolf Technologies. “This partnership represents our commitment to open, collaborative solutions that bring value to all agents, brokers, and teams.”

Even companies like Lone Wolf, which are aiming for an end-to-end solution, know they are not going to get everyone to use all their tools. This is especially true when it comes to a CRM. CRM adoption is tough, and once people get used to one, they tend to stick with it.

So I think it is both pragmatic and smart for Lone Wolf to take this path. I know other software vendors take a different approach, trying to lock you into their entire ecosystem or forcing you to use tools like Zapier to integrate.

Kudos to Lone Wolf and Follow Up Boss for making it easier for agents to integrate the tools they already love.

Styldod [Sponsor]

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

Wanna go down an AI rabbit hole for a while? Check out REimagineHome. You simply upload an image of a room you want to redecorate or the exterior of a home you want to re-landscape, and REimagineHome will magically render different layouts and design options using their AI technology.

I uploaded a photo of a room at our studio, and it completely reimagined the space with a whole new vibe. It’s mind-blowing.

Styldod’s tech powers REimagineHome, and it’s easy to see how powerful it is. You can also imagine how this kind of technology could be used proactively to help with compliance issues before they happen.

Check out their AI Media Module for Listing Creation: Styldod

And once again, big thanks to Styldod for sponsoring this month’s Vendor Alley.

Rechat and new AI kids

Rechat Doubles Revenue, Triples Customer Base, Grows Team and Introduces New Tools

“Celebrating its 10th year in business, Rechat is redefining how real estate professionals work by integrating AI across every part of the transaction. The platform offers a fully connected experience from lead to close, combining CRM, marketing automation, design, digital advertising, and smart transaction management into one single interface. With over 16,000 users, 75% average CRM adoption and expanding partnerships with top national brokerages, Rechat is setting a new standard for how agents engage with clients and grow their business.”

I see two (maybe three) camps forming:

  1. Existing software vendors/solutions adding AI into their products
  2. Native AI solutions—those built with AI first and foremost in mind
  3. And recent vendors who have either scrapped their existing products or gone all in on AI.

Rechat looks like they’re getting a few things right. I’m especially impressed with their team. I’ve chatted with Rechat founder and CEO Shayan Hamidi and seen him speak. I also worked with Shaun Harkley at Lone Wolf, he’s a solid sales leader. And of course, newly added Audie Chamberlain is one of my favorite people in the industry.

The new kids seem to be chasing the same things the old kids were chasing: the elusive “all-in-one” product. Maybe Rechat’s “Super App” is a better path. And I wonder if AI is the key to actually making that happen?

Lundy partners with RECore to bring Navigator AI to MLSs

REcore and Lundy Partner to Bring Navigator AI to MLSs Nationwide

“REcore already serves MLSs with tools that simplify compliance, track member issues, and streamline operations. Navigator fits naturally into this ecosystem—helping staff and members get the answers they need, when they need them. As an exclusive reseller, REcore will bring Navigator to a broader market faster, while Lundy continues to focus on building and evolving the product.”

Navigator AI is a great product. Justin and his team have been in this space of awhile and know the pain points that MLS and association have regarding support, rules, and data. Like a lot of AI tools it seems like magic. I think the possibilities are endless. I’m sure Katie Smithson of RECore would love to give you a demo.

Afordal, from RatePlug lets anyone get in to the all-in-one game

RatePlug launches Afordal, the first integration of home search, mortgage rates, pre-approval and special financing options.

RatePlug Launches Afordal: First Integration of Home Search, Mortgage Rates, Pre-approval and Special Financing Options

“Afordal solves one of the biggest pain points in residential real estate: aligning what homebuyers want with what they can afford,” said Brad Springer, Co-President of RatePlug.

He adds, “Afordal unites home search and financing to give buyers a clear path forward, allowing professionals to engage their customers more effectively.”

With Rocket buying Redfin and Mr. Cooper and Lower acquiring Movoto, the trend is clearly toward an “all-in-one” platform driven by mortgage. From what I gather, Afordal lets agents, brokers, and loan professionals create an IDX website based on affordability (see what they did there?). It also comes with a CRM, a Homebot-style drip nurturing campaign, and some social media campaign management.

Brad Springer has been in the industry for a while, and it’s great to see that he and his team are still innovating

Sponsored By Cotality