Listing Bits

I hope you enjoy this great conversation with the co-founders of HŌM, Jeff Zakrzewski and Nhan Vo. In a wide ranging conversation we discuss their orgin story. Where they came up for the idea of their app and the struggles of going to market with a real estate software solution. If you are new vendor getting in to the space, an MLS exec, or franchisor professional its worth a listen. HŌM is a well designed app that is doing a lot of interesting things with data and collaboration with some great people behind it. Join us! Find out more about the HŌM experience homagent.com | myhom.ai Reach Out: Connect with Jeff Connect with Vo Our Sponsor: Trackxi - Real Estate's #1 Deal Tracker Production and editing services by: Sunbound Studios

"Hotel California", is one of the phrases people attribute to the organized real estate industry, "you can can check-out any time you like, but you can never leave". Kelly Robinson is an industry pioneer in that she co-founded a software company, Realty Plus Online, that created one of the first web-based MLS systems. In my conversation with Kelly we talked about the old days, her journey, and what brings her back to organized real estate game. It's a fun conversation between old friends and talks about the challenges of the MLS vendor business.

The verdict against NAR in the Sitzer lawsuit has organized real estate up in arms. But Michael Lissack thinks the decision is the best thing to happen to the industry in 100 years. In fact, he sees the trade association as a criminal enterprise with little value beyond MLS access. Michael is Managing Broker for The Virtual Realty Group, a 100% commission brokerage that operates in 12 states. On this episode of Listing Bits, Michael joins Greg to discuss the real issue behind the lawsuits against NAR and describe what he would do to make buyer's agent commission negotiable. Michael explains why it's necessary to decouple the MLS from NAR membership and how that would likely lead to bankruptcy for the trade association. Listen in for Michael's provocative take on why associations don't deserve a way forward in a world where MLS access is open to anyone with a real estate license. What's Discussed: The real issue behind the lawsuits against NAR and several real estate brokerages What Michael would do to make buyer's agent commission negotiable Why the DOJ takes issue with mandatory membership in NAR for MLS access How decoupling the MLS from NAR would impact everyday REALTORS What decoupling the MLS from NAR membership would do to the trade association (and what NAR might do to demonstrate its value and rebuild) What it would take to decouple local, state and NAR membership Why Michael believes a real estate license should be the only requirement for MLS access Running MLSs as not-for-profit organizations vs. for-profit entities Greg's thoughts on providing a way forward for associations by compensating them for the work of building the MLS Why bankruptcy might be apt for associations who don't provide value beyond MLS access Connect with Michael Lissack: Michael.Travel Michael on LinkedIn Resources: Sitzer v. NAR Michael's LinkedIn Post Our Sponsors: Trackxi

In 2020 Ben knew they needed to make a change. So he went to the Black Knight board and made a pitch, "give me the resources to build a modern MLS system". To his surprise, they said yes. Now, 3 years later, that dream has been realized. His dream was a mobile-first MLS platform that understands the history of how MLS platforms operate but offers a modern user experience. That's exactly what Ben Graboske and Lucie Fortier are working on, and their new product, Paragon Connect, is ready for its close up. Ben is President of Data & Analytics and Lucie is Executive Vice President of MLS Solutions at Intercontinental Exchange or ICE, the financial services firm that bought Black Knight in September 2023. On this episode of Listing Bits, Ben and Lucie join Greg to discuss ICE's history of digitizing complex transactions and explain why its acquisition of Black Knight makes sense. Lucie shares her motivation for joining the team at Intercontinental Exchange, and Ben describes how ICE's resources benefit his department in the development of Paragon Connect. Listen in to understand what differentiates Paragon Connect from other MLS vendors and learn how it simplifies the agent experience by providing an entire MLS platform on both a responsive and native app. What's Discussed: ICE's history of digitizing complicated transactions and why its acquisition of Black Knight makes sense How being an MLS vendor supports ICE's vision for making mortgages easier Lucie's journey to joining the ICE team and how technology drives her career decisions What features differentiate Paragon Connect from other MLS vendors Why Ben's team decided not to change Paragon's name (despite offering an entirely new experience) How Paragon Connect provides an entire MLS platform in a native app experience The talented team of designers behind Paragon Connect How Ben's team benefits from ICE's data assets and information security Lucie's approach to transitioning existing users to Paragon Connect How Paragon is introducing a consumer app in Q1 of 2024 Why the rules around marketing to members need to change in an MLS system-of-choice model What makes Paragon Connect 'the MLS platform of the future' Connect with Ben Graboske & Lucie Fortier: Intercontinental Exchange Ben on LinkedIn Lucie on LinkedIn Email lucie.fortier@bkfs.com Resources: ICE Acquisition of Black Knight Paragon Connect Demo Damien Huze on Listing Bits EP85 Paragon Connect on Vendor Alley Our Sponsors: Trackxi

Listing Bits EP085: A Less, But Better Approach to Real Estate Software Design – with Damien Huze of Lone Wolf Technologies Among Dieter Rams' Ten Principles of Design is the idea that good design is as little design as possible. Less, but better. And Damien Huze believes that the next evolution of real estate software will apply this concept, offering fewer high-quality apps that work together in a fluid system. Damien is Senior Design Manager and Principal Designer at Lone Wolf Technologies, a software company working to build an end-to-end solution for real estate. Damien served as Chief Design Officer at W+R studios before the Lone Wolf acquisition, and he is responsible for the design of Cloud CMA, one of the most popular apps in real estate. On this episode of Listing Bits, Damien explains how making design a priority benefits companies building web-based apps and why he defines design as a skill aimed at problem-solving. Damien describes how Lone Wolf is working to combine the tools of proptech into a single streamlined experience and shares his team's user-centric approach to the problem of simplifying real estate. Listen in for insight on the power of relentless focus and learn about Damien's vision for designing real estate software that delivers more with less. What's Discussed: What Damien learned from growing up with creative parents who immigrated to the US How making design a priority benefits companies building web-based apps (and why so few do it) How Damien thinks about design as a skill aimed at problem-solving What Lone Wolf is doing to bring several real estate apps together in a single end-to-end solution Why Damien believes the next evolution in real estate software is 'less but better' Lone Wolf's upcoming announcement at the T3 Technology Summit What it means for good software to have an opinion vs. being too flexible or customizable How Damien's team brings a user-centric, design thinking approach to simplifying real estate Greg and Damien's take on the advantage of simple tools that get the job done The well-designed product that's had the biggest impact on Damien's life Why relentless focus boosts productivity and how Damien applies that tenet to design Connect with Damien Huze: Lone Wolf Technologies Damien on X Damien on LinkedIn Resources: Dieter Rams' 10 Principles of Good Design T3 Technology Summit Starlink FaceTime on Apple TV Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson Our Sponsors: Trackxi

In 2021, Vijay Gopalswamy's real estate business was growing like gangbusters. And at one point, he had 32 active transactions. Which meant Vijay was spending every morning with his team, going over each transaction and asking, 'Did you send this? Did you follow up with that? Did this contract get signed?' But when he looked at the "transaction management" software on the market, Vijay realized that it was built for brokerages, not agents. So, he set out to solve his own problem. Vijay is Cofounder and CEO of Trackxi, a deal tracking software platform that helps agents visualize the next step in each transaction and provides full transparency for the consumer. On this episode of Listing Bits, Vijay discusses his successful career in mechanical engineering and explains how he became an accidental real estate agent. Vijay describes what differentiates Trackxi from other transaction management solutions and how it serves teams, transaction coordinators and new agents. Listen in for insight around the visual nature of Trackxi's tracking system and find out how the app can help you demonstrate your value prop with clients and grow your real estate business! What's Discussed: How Vijay moved to the US to pursue his Master's in mechanical engineering Vijay's successful 20-year career in engineering, finance and sales with Daimler How Vijay became an accidental real estate agent How the challenge of managing 32 open transactions inspired Vijay to build Trackxi The advantage of a dedicated app that does one or two things well Why Trackxi is a deal tracking software platform (vs. transaction management tool) What differentiates Trackxi from other transaction management tools How Trackxi serves teams, transaction coordinators and new agents How Trackxi's tracking system provides transparency around the agent's value How Trackxi's visual dashboard delivers a State of the Union of an agent's business What to expect from Trackxi's hands-on onboarding process Connect with Vijay Gopalswamy: Trackxi Email vijay@trackxi.com Vijay on LinkedIn Resources: Trackxi Review in Inman The Close Picks for Best Transaction Management Software for 2023 Our Sponsors: Trackxi

MLSs and associations face an issue Nick Gough refers to as RDR, an acronym for REALTORS don't read. So, what can these organizations do to communicate more effectively with the members they serve? Nick is Founder and CEO at NoteRouter, the all-in-one email and texting platform designed to help organized real estate achieve record-high member engagement. On this episode of Listing Bits, Nick shares his experience in leadership of associations and MLSs, explaining how it drove him to build NoteRouter. Nick describes how NoteRouter helps users write content that connects with REALTORS individually and discusses why the presentation of your message matters as much as the value you provide. Listen in for Nick's insight on leveraging influencer marketing to reach more REALTORS and learn how to humanize your outreach by focusing on the real pains your members face. What's Discussed: Why Nick dropped out of college and became a real estate agent at 18 Nick's experience in leadership of associations and MLSs and how it drove him to build NoteRouter How NoteRouter solves the problem of member engagement Using email and text outreach to help associations and MLSs connect with the people they serve How NoteRouter helps users write content that connects with REALTORS individually Why presentation matters just as much as the value you provide NoteRouter's expertise in outbound communication through email service and telecom providers Why NoteRouter is designed around the principle of permission-based marketing Why it's crucial for MLSs and associations to learn influencer marketing The relationship between email open rates and subject lines The benefit of humanizing your outreach and focusing on real pains members face How the latest MLS outage impacted Nick and the team at NoteRouter Connect with Nick Gough: NoteRouter Nick on LinkedIn Email nick@noterouter.com Resources: Seth Godin The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcom Gladwell Our Sponsor: Cloud CMA for Brokers

Teams are the future of real estate. And one proptech vendor is capitalizing on this trend by helping team leaders run an effective business. What's more, most of the teams on his platform double their business every year—even in the current market. Brian Charlesworth is Founder and CEO of Sisu, an end-to-end real estate platform for teams that streamlines the transaction process, bringing all REALTORS, vendors and clients together. On this episode of Listing Bits, Brian shares his background in technology and explains how helping his wife build her real estate team inspired the creation of Sisu. Brian discusses the coaching Sisu offers to help team leaders scale their business and describes how the platform changes the culture of a real estate team. Listen in to understand how the Sisu client portal works like a 'pizza tracker' and get Brian's advice for other proptech vendors on building for real estate teams. What's Discussed: Sisu's function as an end-to-end real estate platform for teams How Brian's commitment to help his wife build her real estate team inspired the creation of Sisu The coaching Sisu offers to help team leaders run an effective business Why Brian believes teams are the future of real estate What proptech vendors should consider in building for teams Using the Sisu dashboard to track a team's progress (e.g.: sales, potential revenue, etc.) How Sisu integrates with CRMs and other platforms to streamline and automate real estate transactions How Sisu changes the culture of a real estate team Why most teams on Sisu double their business every year—even in the current market How the Sisu client portal works like a 'pizza tracker' What Sisu is doing to make sure clients work with the same real estate professionals for years to come Brian's advice to proptech vendors on understanding how agents think What real estate companies can do to solve for agent retention Connect with Brian Charlesworth: Sisu Brian on Instagram Resources: Sisu Mastery Side PLACE Our Sponsor: Cloud CMA for Brokers