Where Real Estate Gets Its Dirt

Denee Evans steps down as CMLS CEO, Amy Gorce takes Interim CEO role

My Final Day at CMLS and What Comes Next

“Last year, I shared my plan to step down as CEO of CMLS. After 11.5 years in this role, I am writing to share that my final day will be May 31.

It is hard to fully capture what this organization and this community have meant to me. This adventure has been filled with growth, challenge, and opportunity, but more than anything, it has been defined by the people. Working alongside individuals who are willing to collaborate, challenge one another, and continue pushing forward has been the greatest privilege. “

This news came out on Friday, May 1st, via email. I haven’t seen it posted anywhere else. A few people I talked to this week still hadn’t heard the news.

Denee’s tenure has covered some of the biggest challenges our industry has faced: a worldwide pandemic, the NAR settlement, consolidation, the destruction of compensation and erosion of part of the MLS value proposition, and now a fight to erode cooperation as well.

CMLS today is unrecognizable from its Northwest Council of MLS roots, with conferences routinely surpassing 1,000 attendees. CMLS has continued to grow and evolve under Denee, and that is a strong testament to her leadership. I’m sure it hasn’t been easy, and I’m 100% certain she has a lot of battle scars to prove it.

More from the email:

“That is why finding the right next CEO is so important. CMLS has begun the search and expects to identify a leader this summer who will carry this work forward and guide the organization into its next chapter, building on a strong foundation already in place. 

As we move through this transition, it is important that we continue to show up for you in the same way you expect from CMLS. To support that, I’m excited to share that the CMLS Board has engaged Amy Gorce to serve as Interim CEO.”

I joked with Amy that I’m going to have to call her “Elon” due to the number of companies she is running now. But, I think we all know Amy is the perfect choice to lead the organization in the interim so Denee can move on and pursue her new goals.

For me, and a lot of other people in the industry, CMLS is very special. We are at a very critical time in our industry. If I had one trait I would put at the top of my list for the new CEO to have, it would be Courage.

Thank you Denee for your dedication, optimism, and sense of humor to let a smart ass like me poke fun at an industry we both love.

Omni Bar Kickoff Party – Sunday, June 14

NAR Midyear (RLM?) is starting a little late this year but tradition is tradition! I can’t believe we are at year four of doing this quasi-event that seems to get bigger every year we do it.

I’m inviting everyone to meet up at the Omni Hotel’s Marquee Lounge, Sunday night (6/14/26). Anywhere from 9 PM on, just get there before last call (midnight), and let’s all raise a glass together in a place we have enjoyed each other’s company for so long!

This year Zillow has stepped up and will pick up a few rounds of drinks, so get there early.

See you in Florida!

ICE [Sponsor]

ICE Is Bringing Paragon MLSs Together This May — And You’re Invited

If your MLS runs on Paragon, clear your calendar for May 4–5.

ICE is hosting the ICE MLS Customer Conference at the Sawgrass Marriott in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL — an invite-only gathering built exclusively for Paragon MLS professionals. No fluff, no filler. Just two days of real conversations, hands-on training, and the kind of peer networking that actually moves the needle.

The speaker lineup alone is worth the trip:

  • James Dwiggins, CEO of NextHome, sits down with Lucie Fortier for a candid fireside chat
  • Greg Robertson What If We’re Wrong? Five Assumptions that Could Break the MLS
  • Amy Gorce of REDistribute breaks down the complexities of data licensing and distribution

Add in live product demos, evening social events at one of Florida’s most iconic resorts, and a room full of your MLS peers — and this one’s a no-brainer.

This event is exclusive to MLSs on the Paragon platform, so spots are limited to your community.

👉 Register here: https://mortgagetech.ice.com/event/ice-mls-customer-conference#overview

See you in Ponte Vedra Beach. 🌴

My thanks to ICE for sponsoring this month’s Vendor Alley

See you in Tucson

#clareity

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.

See you there!

Download a flat image to make your own graphic here.

MLS Reset Update Video!

CMLS 2025 Recap – Hot and sticky

I needed the whole weekend to recover from a long week and long flight to Toronto and back. It was great to see so many friends in the same place. The conference itself was CMLS’ largest attendance. We’re back baby! Overall my “hot” take away was the venue itself was probably the worst ever. Which is unfortunate for the CMLS crew to deal with. Between limited air conditioning, muggy rooms, slow and non working elevators and a maze like venue layout that included a lot of stairs and a bridge, things couldn’t have been worse. Every one on the stage had a light sheen of sweat from the humidity of the room, and I don’t think anyone’s hair behaved except maybe for Adrese from Zillow. 😉

I will say however I did love the lobby bar layout, so there’s that. But where did all the bourbon go??

My “sticky” take is on the VERY positive side, I think the content of the conference was probably the best in a long time! The panels and talks were very relevant and actionable. Craig Cheatham made another appearance, with another long list of grievances, including what restaurants MLS execs choose to go to dinner. At least he didn’t have a deadline or countdown this time. With it being Denée’s last year, I thought it was a lost opportunity to really push back on Craig. But Denée has a lot more tact than I do.

Loved seeing AnneMarie DeCatsye get the 2025 Shuttleworth MLS Executive of the Year. Also great was Merri Jo Cowen entering the CMLS Hall of Fame. Well deserved Merri Jo! She has truly been a fountainhead of leaders in the industry.

I also had a blast at the RETechnology party, “Turn It Up Toronto! “ Great to have live music, a super fun Photo Booth and a great crowd. Everybody was there. Many thanks to Victor and Marilyn and all the sponsors! If you see any videos of me on the dance floor delete them immediately.

Wrapping up I think the elephant in the room is, what happens next? With Denée’s departure and rumors of a merger with RESO the future is a bit muggy as well. Time will tell, but I’ll keep my dancing shoes ready.

See you in Houston.

FBS [Sponsor]

My thanks to FBS for their sponsorship of Vendor Alley.

FBS has had a lot of exciting news recently. They recently announced a new partnership with Northwest Ohio Real Estate Information System (NORIS).

Here’s what NORIS CEO had to say…

“After a thorough evaluation of MLS platforms, Flexmls stood out as the one that will allow us to elevate our service to members,” said Megan Foos, CEO of NORIS. “Its seamless integration across devices, ease of use and customization options are exactly what our members need to better serve their clients and stay ahead in a fast-paced market.”

They also announced a pretty slick integration with Zillow...

“This integration introduces innovative functionality that simplifies and enhances the process of importing high-value, critical listing media into the MLS. This collaboration represents a shared vision between FBS and Zillow: to improve the agent experience and showcase the value of the MLS.”

FBS will have a full crew next week at the CMLS conference, be sure to look out for Michael, Dave, Matty, Kim, plus Allie and Tom.

My thanks again to FBS for sponsoring Vendor Alley this month!

Sponsored By ICE