Listing Bits

Two years ago, NAR policy was updated to give brokers and agents attribution rights, meaning they get to decide how they appear in listings. But Homes.com employs a 'your listing, your lead' model, displaying the listing agent's contact information. So, does this comply with NAR's attribution policy? And what else do we need to think about as companies like Zillow and Homes.com switch to IDX? On this episode of Listing Bits, Michael Wurzer, CEO of real estate software company FBS, Greg Fischer, Owner of indie brokerage West + Main, and Andy Woolley, VP of Industry Development at Homes.com, join us to consider how 'your listing, your lead' jives with NAR's IDX attribution policy. Andy explains how 'your listing, your lead' differs from the referral model used on other sites, and Greg asks what is changing at Homes.com now that it's a participant in the MLS. Listen in for Michael's insight on the repercussions on policy that come with mixing different use cases for data feeds and find out why it's important for MLSs to develop a standard way for national portals like Homes.com to license data. What's Discussed: How NAR IDX policy changed to give brokers and agents attribution rights Whether Homes.com's 'your listing, your lead' model complies with NAR's attribution policy Why most brokers aren't using the 'attribution source' field in RESO's data dictionary Homes.com's decision to display the listing agent's contact information Why Homes.com made the switch from its original MLS feeds to IDX What is changing at Homes.com now that it's a participant in the MLS vs. a media publisher The potential repercussions on policy that come with mixing use cases for data feeds What differentiates Homes.com's 'your listing, your lead' from the referral model used on other sites How Homes.com allows buyer's agents to protect their relationships on the site How showing a listing agent on a lead placard compares to seeing their name on a yard sign The challenge Homes.com faces when it comes to agent responsiveness Why it's crucial for MLSs to create a standard way for national portals to license data Connect with Michael Wurzer: Michael at FBS Michael on Twitter Connect with Greg Fischer: West + Main Greg on Twitter Connect with Andy Woolley: Homes.com Andy on Twitter Resources: Greg's Twitter Thread on Your Listing, Your Lead NAR's IDX Policy RESO Data Dictionary Homesnap Pro Our Sponsor: Cloud CMA for Brokers

Lauren Martin began her career in the fashion industry to be among powerful women. But when she transitioned to proptech, she realized that real estate is the true pinnacle of girl power. And yet, women are not always represented in leadership. So, when she landed her current role as Senior Account Director of Partnerships at RentSpree, Lauren approached her CEO about creating RENEW, the Real Estate Network for Empowered Women, an initiative that seeks to connect and champion female professionals across all sectors of the industry nationwide. On this episode of Listing Bits, Lauren shares her journey from the fashion industry to proptech, describing how what she learned in fashion translates to real estate. Lauren discusses her role at RentSpree, explaining how the platform partners with MLSs and other proptech companies to streamline the rental process—in a way that serves real estate agents and renters. Listen in for insight on what inspired Lauren to build RENEW and learn how you can get involved in her initiative to elevate women in real estate! What's Discussed: How Lauren was poached from a catering company to work in sales at Remine What Lauren learned in the fashion industry that translates to real estate and proptech Lauren's insight on approaching uncomfortable conversations with humor Lauren's experiences working with MLS professionals who champion each other How RentSpree partners with MLSs and proptech companies to streamline the rental process The revenue sharing model at RentSpree and how MLSs benefit from it How REALTORS benefit from building relationships with renters early in their housing journey Lauren's role handling both MLS and proptech partnerships at RentSpree Lauren's best travel hacks for real estate professionals What inspired Lauren to start the RENEW initiative to elevate women in real estate Connect with Lauren: RentSpree Lauren on LinkedIn Email laurenm@rentspree.com RENEW Initiative The RENEW Podcast by RentSpree Resources: Remine Project Runway Vendor Alley SentriLock Rent the Runway Teresa King Kinney & Liz Sturrock on The RENEW Podcast EP001 Betsy Hanson of Markt on Listing Bits EP078 Our Sponsor: Cloud CMA for Brokers

From a vendor's perspective, small MLSs are the most challenging to work with. And that's no surprise, seeing as how they have fewer resources than the big players in the space. So, how do we support MLSs with fewer than 400 members in keeping up with NAR rules, for example? Is there a way MLSs might share marketing, support and compliance services in a way that makes the market work better for all involved? Betsy Hanson is General Manager and General Counsel at Markt, a multi-MLS service organization focused on pooling resources and expertise to serve MLSs, brokers and agents. On this episode of Listing Bits, Betsy shares her journey from executive assistant at a small association to her current role at Markt, describing how she avoids the attorney's reputation as the Department of No. Betsy offers her take on what organized real estate is missing about the life and times of an ordinary REALTOR, why the average agent doesn't understand the lawsuits facing the industry, and how those lawsuits might change the way we do things moving forward. Listen in to understand how Markt works as an MLS back-office provider and learn how Betsy and her team are uniquely positioned to help MLSs of all sizes with local market delivery. What's Discussed: Betsy's journey from executive assistant at a small association to General Counsel at Markt What differentiates the role of executive assistant from that of chief of staff How Betsy avoids the attorney's reputation as the Department of No Betsy's experience teaching English in China between undergrad and law school What organized real estate is missing about the life and times of an ordinary REALTOR Why the average REALTOR-on-the-street doesn't know about the lawsuits facing the industry How public perception of REALTORS remains positive despite lawsuits around compensation Betsy's predictions re: how the lawsuits facing organized real estate might play out How Markt began as a way for MLSs to pool support resources and create efficiencies Markt's potential to solve the challenge small MLSs face in keeping up with NAR rules Connect with Betsy: Markt Email betsy@themarkt.com Resources: Notorious ROB Industry Relations Podcast Turn On by 1000watt Our Sponsor: Cloud CMA for Brokers

Most showing management software aggregates data. But how useful is it to get a report at the end of the month? What if the data was presented in a way that helped agents answer seller questions in real time and make informed choices based on the numbers? Wes Hartman is CEO of Showingly, a showing management solution that uses data and analytics to guide better decision-making. On this episode of Listing Bits, Wes walks us through the key metrics Showingly looks at to drive pricing decisions and marketing strategy for a property. Wes explains how Showingly is aggregating showing, offer and closed data to determine the best day and time to list a home and explores what simple things a seller can adjust to secure more showings. Listen in to understand how the desire for choice might impact the future of showing management software and find out if Showingly's approach is right for your brokerage or MLS. What's Discussed: Wes' background as an aspiring fighter pilot, professional cyclist, real estate agent and tech vendor How Showingly's use of data to guide decision-making differentiates it from other showing management solutions The key metrics Showingly looks at to drive pricing decisions and marketing strategy for a property What Wes' team is doing to get honest feedback on a property (and why that's such a challenge) How Showingly uses showing, offer and closed data to determine the best day and time to list a home How sellers might adjust pricing and Open House hours to get more showings Wes' take on the future of showing management software Showing Hub's solution to the demand for choice in showing management software Why Wes is focused on building relationships with brokerages, MLSs and other showing management providers How Wes thinks about MLSs building their own showing solutions and why competition drives innovation Connect with Wes: Showingly Email wes@showingly.com Resources: ShowingTime Showing Hub TourZazz Our Sponsor: Cloud CMA for Brokers

A solid fan base is what makes a rock band successful, and it's no different for real estate professionals. But most of us focus on the individual transaction and miss an opportunity to build long-term relationships with our existing clients and turn them into raving fans. And that means missed opportunities for referrals and repeat business. Rivers Pearce is CMO of Milestones, a homeowner management platform that helps agents and lenders turn single transactions into forever clients. On this episode of Listing Bits, Rivers shares his background as a touring musician and transition to proptech, discussing how he built the lead generation department at BoomTown. Rivers explains why agents should market themselves as a trusted advisor for all things home and explores how real estate professionals benefit from referring business to home service professionals and other local businesses. Listen in for Rivers' insight on nurturing relationships with your existing database and learn how Milestones can help you provide the kind of value that turns one-off clients into lifelong fans! What's Discussed: Rivers' background as a touring musician and how he transitioned to proptech How the skills Rivers developed as a performer translate to real estate and proptech Rivers' experience in building the lead gen department at BoomTown How the way proptech supports real estate agents with lead gen has evolved over time How Rivers thinks about using sphere of influence vs. portal aggregation to generate business The opportunity to build relationships with homeowners that most REALTORS miss Why agents should market themselves as a trusted advisor for all things home The benefit of referring business to home service professionals and other local businesses How Milestones functions as a homeowner management platform for agents How Milestones creates a custom maintenance plan for homeowners How Milestones helps REALTORS nurture relationships with their existing database Connect with Rivers: Milestones Rivers on LinkedIn Rivers on Twitter Rivers on Instagram Email rivers@milestones.ai or ashley@milestones.ai for a 3-month free trial Resources: BoomTown Mark Davison on Listing Bits EP042 Curaytor CallAction Agent Legend Drew Meyers of Geek Estate Tom Ferry Our Sponsor: Cloud CMA for Brokers

Listing Bits is back! If your role in real estate involves sales demos or any kind of training, you're likely familiar with the frustration of delivering the same webinar over and over again. Or worse, preparing a webinar that is either poorly attended or no one shows up. But what if you could do 100 or even 1,000 webinars a month—without getting in front of a camera? Melissa Kwan is Cofounder and CEO of eWebinar, a platform that saves people from repeatedly delivering the same webinar by turning videos into automated, interactive webinars. Prior to eWebinar, Melissa founded and successfully exited the real estate tech startup Spacio, a check-in app for open houses. On this episode of Listing Bits, Melissa shares her journey as a proptech entrepreneur, describing how she developed her mad sales skills and why she was ready for a new challenge after Spacio. Melissa discusses how her experience with onboarding and training for Spacio inspired the creation of eWebinar and explains what differentiates the platform from Zoom, YouTube videos and webinar replays. Listen in for insight around Melissa's intentional approach to life and learn how your real estate business might leverage eWebinar to get your time back and spend it on things you enjoy! What's Discussed: The initial idea for Spacio and how it evolved into a check-in app for open houses How Melissa developed her hustle and sales ability out of necessity Melissa's successful exit from Spacio after 4 years of running the business The real estate leadership dinner that launched Melissa's career as an entrepreneur What differentiates eWebinar from YouTube, Zoom and webinar replays How Melissa's experience with training for Spacio inspired the creation of eWebinar How brokerages and real estate teams are using eWebinar to qualify leads The benefit of using eWebinar in terms of video quality and availability of content eWebinar's use cases for sales demos, onboarding and training How Melissa runs eWebinar to reflect her work less, enjoy more philosophy of life Connect with Melissa: eWebinar Melissa on LinkedIn ProfitLed Podcast Resources: Spacio Inman Connect Greg's Post on Melissa in Vendor Alley Pocket SAP HomeSpotter The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss Our Sponsor: Cloud CMA for Brokers

NAR's MLS Policy Statement 8.6 goes into effect on September 1, 2022. So, what tools are available to make the implementation of the new One Data Source Policy easier for MLSs? Katie Smithson is Director of MLS Relations at Zillow Group, where she leads the team building their MLS data licensing and distribution platform, Bridge Interactive. Prior to joining Zillow, she spent eight years with W+R Studios as Director of Enterprise Sales and Director of MLS Services. On this episode of Listing Bits, Katie walks us through Policy Statement 8.6, explaining what problems the mandate does solve and why it's a problem to provide vendors and brokers with data in a single feed. Katie discusses the Bridge platform's current functionality and describes the new feature her team is developing to help MLSs implement 8.6, the One Data Source Solution. Listen in to understand how MLSs can use Bridge to auto-approve certain vendor agreements and find out if the One Data Source Solution is right for you. What's Discussed: How MLS Policy Statement 8.6 requires that MLSs offer participants data in a single feed The security issue with leaving it up to brokers and vendors to know what data can be used in a VOW, IDX or back-office feed What problems the new One Data Source Policy does solve How the Bridge platform alleviates pain points around data distribution for MLSs What differentiates the Bridge platform from CoreLogic's Trestle How Katie thinks about asking MLS boards to give Zillow their data (and pay for the service) How Bridge gives MLSs a simple way to combine existing data feeds for members The benefit of adding field-specific tags to MLS metadata via the Bridge One Data Source Solution How MLSs can use Bridge to auto-approve certain vendors or certain types of data access agreements Connect with Katie: Bridge Interactive Katie on Twitter Katie on LinkedIn Email: katiesm [at] zillowgroup [dot] com Resources: MLS Policy Statement 8.6 CMLS Implementation Guide—One Data Source Policy 8.6 Lone Wolf Technologies Trestle by CoreLogic Marilyn Wilson's TSA Pre-Check Concept Inman Connect Las Vegas 2022 Our Sponsor: Cloud CMA for Brokers

What if it was easy for an MLS to raise money to develop the data services it needs and run the software its customers use? Colette Stevenson is CEO of REsides, the premier MLS in South Carolina. Formerly known as Hilton Head MLS, REsides serves REALTORS who represent properties in both South Carolina and Georgia, maintaining the most dependable and powerful data in the marketplace. On this episode of Listing Bits, Colette shares the story of the rebrand from Hilton Head MLS to REsides, explaining what differentiates her team's vision from that of the average MLS. Colette describes how REsides is developing a new business model to address the challenge of raising capital for software development and discusses why she's open to collaborating with MLSs anywhere in the US. Listen in to understand Colette's disciplined way of thinking about potential changes to cooperation and compensation—and learn how REsides is empowering agents and brokers with data in a way that keeps the industry at the center of the real estate transaction. What's Discussed: How Colette's background in the ticketing industry informs her work at REsides What REsides is doing to keep the industry at the center of the real estate transaction The story of the rebrand from Hilton Head MLS to REsides What differentiates REsides' vision from that of the average MLS (and how being small benefits Colette's team) Where buyers in the Hilton Head market come from and why Colette is open to collaborating with MLSs anywhere in the US How REsides is developing a new business model to address the challenge of raising capital for software development Colette's take on what keeps MLSs from making bold moves (and how REsides is overcoming it) Colette's disciplined way of thinking about potential changes to cooperation and compensation REsides' mission to empower agents and brokers with data Connect with Colette: REsides Colette on LinkedIn Resources: 'Atlanta's No. 1 Broker Bought Homes for Big Investors From 600 Miles Away' in The Wall Street Journal Our Sponsor: Cloud CMA for Brokers

Approximately 8 million appraisals were conducted in the US last year. By contrast, there are only 40,000 active real estate appraisers. So, it's no surprise that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are exploring appraisal modernization initiatives like the desktop appraisal option. But to make these alternatives to the traditional appraisal work, we need data in the form of an accurate floor plan. And we need it at scale. Jeff Allen is EVP of Innovation Labs Clear Capital, a leading property valuation tech company, and President of CubiCasa, an easy-to-use app for automating the creation of real estate floor plans. On this episode of Listing Bits, Jeff explains how the barrier to entry to become an appraiser has sparked a total transformation of the industry. He discusses his work helping GSEs test alternatives to the traditional appraisal, describing why floor plans are an essential part of 'bringing the house to the appraiser' and how he discovered the CubiCasa technology that automates the process. Listen in for Jeff's insight on the copyright dispute over real estate floor plans and learn how to support the creative partnerships necessary for CubiCasa to scale. What's Discussed: How Clear Capital serves large financial institutions in the realm of property valuation How the barrier to entry to become an appraiser has sparked a total transformation of the industry Jeff's work helping GSEs test alternatives to the full traditional appraisal Why floor plans are essential in 'bringing the house to the appraiser' How Jeff discovered the CubiCasa tech for automating floor plans and how it works The creative partnerships necessary for CubiCasa to achieve scale (e.g.: real estate photographers) How the desktop appraisal option supports CubiCasa's efforts to scale The other major appraisal modernization initiatives coming from Fannie and Freddie Jeff's take on the current copyright dispute over real estate floor plans Connect with Jeff: CubiCasa Email: jeff [at] cubicasa [dot] com Jeff on LinkedIn Clear Capital Resources: 10K Research and Marketing Appraisal Subcommittee Dodd-Frank Desktop Appraisals Vendor Alley FloPlan App Greg's Post on FloPlan Copyright Dispute Over Real Estate Floor Plans Designworks Homes v. Columbia House of Brokers Realty CMLS's Amicus Brief on the Floor Plan Copyright Dispute NAR's Amicus Brief on the Floor Plan Copyright Dispute Our Sponsor: Cloud CMA for Brokers

We're baaaaaack! I spend a lot of time at conferences explaining why MLSs, brokers, and franchisors should let the 'professionals' build their technology. And yet, there are real reasons why these stakeholders might want to design their own. So, when is it appropriate for an MLS to create its own tech stack rather than relying on a vendor? And what does the development process look like? Faith Geronimo and Colleen Yasuhara are the CEO and COO, respectively, of Hawaii Information Service (HIS), the MLS provider for the islands of Hawaii and Kauai. On this episode of Listing Bits, Faith and Colleen explore HIS's history of building its own technology and explain their decision to spend the last four years creating a new MLS system. Faith and Colleen discuss the transition from their initial system, REsearch, to the new HIMLS, describing HIS's partnership with software developer MEV and their experience working with a team of Ukrainian developers. Listen in to understand why the Russia-Ukraine conflict hasn't disrupted the development process and learn how HIS leveraged research and user testing to inform the design of HIMLS. What's Discussed: HIS's role as MLS provider for the islands of Hawaii and Kauai HIS's history of building its own technology How Faith & Colleen's decision to build a new system on their own was influenced by their ability to integrate public records and MLS data Faith's take on why Hawaii needs 3 MLS providers What Faith & Colleen learned in their research on MLS systems and how it informed the design of HIMLS How the pandemic influenced the development process and allowed for rigorous user acceptance testing The timeline for the transition from REsearch to HIMLS from 2018 to present HIS's partnership with MEV and how they built the portal and web API together before tackling the MLS Faith & Colleen's experience working with developers in the Ukraine and why they flew the team to Hawaii early in the process How Ukrainian developers continue to work on HIMLS despite the Russian invasion and how they're handling the conflict Connect with Faith & Colleen: The Story of HIMLS Hawaii Information Service Hawaii Information Service on YouTube Faith on LinkedIn Colleen on LinkedIn Resources: HIMLS Update on YouTube Inman Connect New York CMLS Conferences Craig Pennington Paragon Matrix Realist RESO Web API MEV Alex Natskovich Our Sponsor: Cloud Agent Suite