Where Real Estate Gets Its Dirt

C.A.R. closes the loop

California Association of Realtors® (C.A.R.) Standard Forms Now Available Directly Within Dotloop – No Uploading Required

“This is an important addition to dotloop’s transaction management platform and one that will provide enhanced value for both current and future California-based users,” says Marnie Blanco, dotloop VP, Industry Relations. “With direct access to C.A.R.’s Standard Forms, California-based agents, transaction coordinators, teams and brokers can now ensure their transactions close in the most seamless and efficient means possible.”
California agents will no longer need to download and import forms into the dotloop platform, thereby saving them valuable time.”

Great win for Zillow and their dotloop users. No mention of any financial terms. I still remember being there when Austin Allison was on stage with Joel Singer debating the use of these copyrighted forms on dotloop. Austin thought it was perfectly okay to use these copyrighted forms in dotloop without permission or license. When I asked Austin how many songs he had on his iPod that he actually paid for, I got a few laughs from the audience but Austin looked confused.

Hard to believe this all went down seven years ago. I wonder if he is going to crack open a Cab tonight and pour one out in celebration.

CRMLS first MLS Provider to break 100,000+ members

CRMLS to Begin 2020 As First MLS Serving 100,000+ As Ventura, Pasadena, and Palm Springs Vote to Participate

“CRMLS will offer its listing data, technology products, services including compliance and licensing, training, and 7-days-a-week customer support to members of each new Association.

These benefits are the same as those offered currently to CRMLS’s 98,000 users across the state of California. With the January 2020 addition of members from these Associations, CRMLS will reach over 100,000 real estate professional users.

“This is an unprecedented day for CRMLS,” said CRMLS CEO Art Carter. “It’s a huge honor to serve the nation’s largest MLS constituent of real estate professionals. I know everyone here is excited to start working with our new users in Ventura, Pasadena, and Palm Springs.”

Boom! This is huge news. Congrats to Art, Adrese, Sarah, Ed and Rob and the rest of CRMLS for this huge accomplishment! Nice way to end a decade.

It’s hard out there being a pimp

Via HousingWire

California Assoc. of Realtors sues PDFfiller.com for $136M for ‘unlawful copyright violations’

“C.A.R’s complaint also alleges that PDFfiller.com engaged in the “willful infringement” of C.A.R.’s copyrighted forms and its registered trademarks.

The suit also alleges that PDFfiller.com purchased web search terms that lead the public to its site when they search for C.A.R. documents, rather than C.A.R.’s website, and then sells access to its website.

“PDFfiller.com has charged users for access to counterfeit C.A.R. documents bearing C.A.R.’s registered tradename and logo which they have no right to do,” C.A.R. said in a statement.

C.A.R.’s lawsuit seeks more than $136 million in monetary compensation, including statutory penalties, and attorneys’ fees, as well as a permanent injunction on PDFfiller.com to prohibit “future infringing activity.”

2015 “Brass Balls” list

Lists, lists, and more lists. I’ve read a lot of lists in the past couple weeks. So, in honor of our site mascot, a picture of Alec Baldwin playing “Blake” in the film Glengarry Glen Ross holding two brass balls, I thought I’d kick off 2016 with a list of my own. These go individuals who made the news last year that have displayed that they have a pair, for better or worse.

Art Carter – California Statewide MLS
The day CRMLS launched the itsmybusiness.me site it showed that Art wasn’t afraid to stir things up.

David Charron and Tom Phillips – MLS Evolved
The narrative has always been that the egos of MLS executives would mean consolidation at any meaningful level would be impossible. David and Tom proved them all wrong by changing the game.

Chris Crocker – The Zillow “Whistleblower” letter
You can argue about his motives but the guy knew the possibility his identity would be revealed.

Dale Stinton and Dale Ross – Upstream and AMP
The relationship between NAR and MLS providers has never been great (or even good.) The launch of RPR (Realtor Property Resource) only served to increase the acrimony. But when NAR announced that RPR would be funding Upstream and AMP (both initiatives aimed directly to disrupt MLS providers) it took the more than brass, but maybe titanium balls to say “our members told us to do it”.

Kevin Tomlinson and “The Jills”
South Florida. Those two words can cause a involuntary eye roll in most. I don’t know which took more balls, “The Jills” who appear to have knowingly manipulated MLS data to protect their “1 percent” clients, or Kevin Tomlinson who looks to be caught on recording “blackmailing” both of them, (and subsequently being forcible arrested by the cops) and later declaring its all a “misunderstanding”.

Deep dive into Dotloop vs CAR saga

Not sure how I missed this article on Inman News last week. Paul Hagey does an excellent job of reporting. I love the use of video in the article too. It features two interviews, one with Joel Singer, CEO of the California Associaiton of REALTORS (CAR) and Austin Allison, CEO of Dotloop. But the premise of the article remains unclear.

ZipLogix competitors never had a shot at licensing CAR forms

At the beginning the article states:

“Brokers and agents who want to fill out the California Association of Realtors’ (CAR) electronic forms in software other than the solutions offered by its for-profit subsidiary are out of luck, because of a long-term exclusive license the subsidiary granted its own software firm, zipLogix LLC, when it acquired the firm more than a decade ago.”

But later…

“CAR declined to provide details about which “authoritative bodies” approved its agreement with zipLogix to exclusively license its electronic forms, or exactly when they did so.

Although Singer says CAR’s 150,000-plus members have the power to authorize other firms to license the association’s electronic forms, some members say it’s unclear how the decision-making process works.”

My guess is CAR can do anything it wants, and it doesn’t want to play ball with Dotloop.

Dotloop is on the hunt for leaker as another association cancels its service.

Screen Shot 2013-09-11 at 3.19.29 PMThe Arizona Association of REALTORS (AAR) has issued DotLoop a “Notice of Cancellation” today with concerns of protections from “improper use” of AAR forms.

This come off the heels of a story on Inman News; Dotloop probes prominent industry player for identity of alleged hacker.

The Inman story is fascinating. On one hand Dotloop is pissed that someone outed them on the use of unlicensed forms. Which they have since corrected. But it doesn’t end there. Now it seems they are looking for the identity of the person/company that hacked (according to the title of the Inman article) their system.

I have to say I agree with Dotloop on this one. While the circumstance are somewhat ironic, it is in Dotloop’s best interest to find out who has behind this attack(?) and make sure it doesn’t happen again.

And here’s where it gets real interesting. Apparently the hacker (leaker?) used the account to demonstrate to the California Association of REALTORS (CAR) and others about the unauthorized use of forms. Which I mentioned earlier Dotloop has since corrected. So you have to ask yourself who would benefit from outing Dotloop? The answer to me is pretty simple, a competitor. If you start going down that rabbit hole then you come up with this scenario. A Dotloop competitor met with CAR and others and as a result of that meeting the competitor forced Dotloop out of the market. Doesn’t sound too pretty from a legal perspective does it?

I hope I’m wrong about this. I hope that it wasn’t a Dotloop competitor that participated in the hacking and distribution of this information. That’s just plain wrong. And two wrongs don’t make a right.

That being said it doesn’t put CAR is good light.

Exhibit A: CAR met with Dotloop competitor
Exhibit B: Due to the results of that meeting CAR forced Dotloop out of market.
Exhibit C: Dotloop begins to lose business (AAR) in part due to these actions.

Sounds like Dotloop might have grounds for a lawsuit against CAR. And if that happens you might have a guess at the settlement.

CAR licenses its forms to Dotloop. Or in other words, “Checkmate.” Dotloop wins.

It makes me think that this was the whole reason for this lawsuit in the first place.

Fucking brilliant.

C.A.R. protects its form turf from dotloop

US’s largest Realtor association to dotloop: ‘Hands off our forms’

The California Association of Realtors (CAR), the largest state Realtor association in the U.S. and owner of forms software provider zipLogix, has told the transaction management software provider dotloop that users cannot fill out the association’s copyrighted forms using dotloop’s software. – See more at: http://www.inman.com/2013/06/06/uss-largest-realtor-association-to-dotloop-other-competitors-hands-off-our-forms/#sthash.0vdahjH7.dpuf

A bit of background from a previous post and more good reporting from Paul Hagey at Inman News. This is a massive speed bump for dotloop. As to the question of whether or not this move stifles innovation, obviously it does.

But without massive pressure from their members it seems unlikely C.A.R. will license their forms anytime soon. I’ve heard some suggest that dotloop might take legal action, but at their current burn rate I would seriously doubt it.

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