A quick shout-out to MLS RESET for sponsoring Vendor Alley this August.
If you spend any time in the MLS world, you know there’s no shortage of things to talk about right now. MLS RESET is getting a bunch of those people in the same room to do exactly that.
Should be some good conversations.
If you haven’t registered yet, take a look.
And thanks again to MLS RESET for supporting Vendor Alley.
A quick thank you to MLS Reset for sponsoring Vendor Alley this month.
MLS Reset has become one of the places where MLS leaders, brokers, and technology companies come together to have honest conversations about where organized real estate is headed. The agenda isn’t about looking back. It’s about tackling the challenges and opportunities facing the industry today.
If you’re involved in the MLS space, it’s worth taking a look. Learn more here:
MLS Reset
Thanks again to the MLS Reset team for supporting Vendor Alley.
The Thrive Broker Summit is a broker-focused event created by CRMLS to bring together brokerage leaders, MLS executives, and industry experts for conversations about where real estate is headed. The agenda covers everything from AI and technology to brokerage strategy, MLS data, and the future of organized real estate.
If your company builds products or services for brokers, it’s also an opportunity to be part of those conversations.
Sponsorships are available for companies that want to support the event and connect with the people helping shape the industry.
You can learn more about the sponsorship opportunities here:
Selling to brokers isn’t easy.
It’s not because they aren’t interested. It’s because they’re busy.
Every company serving brokers is competing for the same inbox, the same calendar, and the same thirty minutes of attention.
That’s why I’ve always thought the value of a good event isn’t the booth or the banner. It’s the conversations that happen because everyone is in the same place.
You learn what brokers are actually worried about. You hear what they’re trying to solve. And sometimes you leave with a relationship that turns into business six months later.
That’s hard to replicate over email.
If your company serves the brokerage community, I’d encourage you to look at Thrive Broker Summit. You’ll certainly get visibility, but more importantly, you’ll have the opportunity to spend time with the people you’re ultimately trying to serve.
Relationships still matter in this business. They always will.
Sponsorship opportunities:
https://thrivebrokersummit.com/sponsorship-package/
If brokers are part of your business, this one is worth a look.
The Thrive Broker Summit, powered by CRMLS, takes place August 31 – September 1 at the Paséa Hotel in Huntington Beach, California. If you’re looking for an opportunity to put your brand in front of brokerage leaders, there are still sponsorship opportunities available.
You can learn more about the sponsorship packages here:
Many thanks to Thrive Broker Summit team for sponsoring Vendor Alley this month.
The world envies our MLS system. Let’s remember why.
In April, Lucie Fortier wrote a blog that, at the time, felt like a measured observation. Now it reads like a prescient warning.
Her argument was simple. The MLS is the engine room of American real estate. Portals, AI tools, and PropTech platforms run on MLS data. Agents, brokers, loan officers, appraisers and more operate within an ecosystem the MLS makes possible. Without comprehensive cooperation, none of it works.
Anyone following industry news this spring knows that argument was just put through the wringer.
Why the system is worth protecting
The American MLS system is rare. In most countries, real estate data is fragmented, unreliable or unavailable to the average consumer. What exists here is the result of decades of cooperation among professionals who understand that a shared system serves everyone better than a fragmented one.
That’s not a small thing. It’s the foundation that everything else is built on. And it doesn’t maintain itself.
What this moment is about
New tools and platforms are only as good as the data powering them. That data lives in the MLS — and the organizations investing in it are the ones that will matter on the other side of whatever comes next.
Lucie’s full piece is worth your time. Read it here.
The ICE MLS Conference: what we heard, what we learned, and what’s next
On May 4-5, ICE brought the MLS community together in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. for two days of sessions, hands-on training and candid industry conversation.
Here’s what stood out.
Some assumptions got challenged
I presented a session called What If We’re Wrong? Five Assumptions that Could Break the MLS and it didn’t offer tidy answers. It offered better questions.
I also moderated the Ask Me Anything session with ICE leadership. An open, off-the-cuff discussion where attendees could ask anything about product vision, upcoming enhancements and what’s next for the platform.
Amy Gorce and Lucie Fortier kept that energy going during their fireside chat about the evolving role of the MLS, where data accessibility is headed and what organizations need to be thinking about right now.
Paragon Connect: the real-world view
We spent a lot of time at the conference deep diving into Paragon Connect, specifically what it looks like to evaluate, transition, train and get your membership to use it.
Stacy Herbel, Briana Therrien and Shaina Kelly shared what a successful transition looks like from the inside, including back-end evaluation, change management, cross-MLS documentation and training rollout. Their message was simple: the MLSs that do the preparation work don’t regret it.
Sara Fogg, Brian Alford and Denise Ware took a more hands-on approach, detailing admin tips, field rules and custom reporting. The kind of session where notetaking was essential.
There was also a Train-the-Trainer track covering property search, the Collaboration Center, LIM and EasyCMA. Attendees who completed both sessions walked away with a Train-the-Trainer certificate.
ICE also shared what’s coming on their roadmap, plus a look at features from 2025 that a lot of users still haven’t discovered.
The energy in the room was hard to put into words, so we’ll let the video do the talking.
Watch the ICE MLS Customer Conference recap — you might spot yourself.
What the numbers say
The post-conference survey results saw 82% of respondents rating the conference “Extremely Satisfied” and 98% giving it a 4 or 5 out of 5. Every single respondent said they’re likely or very likely to attend next year.
The survey comments said it best:
“This was the best conference I have attended in 15 years.”
“The quality of the content and agenda scheduling at the conference was excellent.”
“I have been excited to partner with ICE since the start, but this conference got us even more excited to see what the future holds.”
If Paragon Connect has been sitting on your to-do list, this conference was a good reminder that it’s worth moving up.
Trust, But Verify: What Homebuyers Really Want from AI
According to Cotality’s recent “Trust, but verify” report, 75% of homebuyers already assume AI is working behind the scenes—whether they’re browsing listings or applying for a mortgage. But just because it’s there doesn’t mean they fully trust it.
There’s actually a growing gap between using AI and trusting it. In the U.S., confidence in AI to help find a home has taken a sharp dip. Instead, buyers are increasingly turning back to human experts to double-check those make-or-break decisions.
Buyers want speed—but not at the expense of certainty
AI is clearly helping. It makes things faster and surfaces information quickly. But when it really counts, buyers want to know the information is accurate—and they still want a human “second look”. That’s where tools like Cotality’s Realist® property intelligence platform come in, helping real estate professionals confirm the details. That human layer—verifying and applying information—is what turns uncertainty into confidence.
The takeaway for the industry
AI isn’t going anywhere, but it’s not the whole answer either. The future of real estate is a mix of both—smart technology paired with trusted data and real human expertise.
AI is opening up new possibilities in real estate—and at Cotality, it’s built directly into everyday workflows to improve listing quality, strengthen marketing, and give agents more time back.
Cotality’s new CorePlans™ is a great example. It lets agents automatically generate detailed floor plans, room dimensions, and descriptions directly from their iPhone Pro.
Leveraging LiDAR technology and Cotality’s proprietary CoreAI, agents can create ANSI-compliant floor plans in minutes—eliminating the traditional 24–48 hour processing turnaround— with 99.96% accuracy. Fully integrated into Matrix™, everything uploads with one tap, with room dimensions and descriptions automatically added to the listing.
According to a 2025 WAV Group study, 85% of buyers find floor plans extremely valuable. They are the new essential marketing standard that buyers expect.
There’s a clear gap between what buyers want and what most listings deliver. CorePlans help close that gap.
Available first to MLSs with the new Matrix Listing Manager, then rolling out to additional providers that meet requirements. Want to learn more? For more information, reach out to your Cotality rep to schedule a demo or visit cotality.com.
Camp Cotality 2026 is heading to Montréal!
” At Cotality, we’re more than just a technology provider—we’re your partner in navigating the ever-evolving MLS landscape. Our goal is simple: helping multiple listing organizations deliver more value to their members and tackling the market’s biggest challenges with you.
Our MLS partnerships and collaborations truly come to life at Camp Cotality, our annual user conference, coming in June!
Join us in Montréal | June 21–24
Camp Cotality promises three days of insight, innovation, and connection. Here’s what you can expect:
Who should attend?
Camp Cotality is an invitation-only event for our Real Estate Solutions clients, including MLS and association staff, committee members, and leadership.
Reach out to your Cotality representative to learn more.
We look forward to seeing you in Montréal! “
