Where Real Estate Gets Its Dirt

Listing Bits Episode 87: Ben Graboske’s Big Bet

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 Episode 86: A Deal Tracker Built for Agents – with Vijay Gopalswamy of 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

Listing Bits Episode 85: 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

Listing Bits Episode 84: Enabling Collaboration in the Home Buying Experience – with Tom MacLeod of ZenList

In preparation for a move, Tom MacLeod and his wife were looking at properties in the Bay Area. Tom was on Redfin. His wife was on Zillow. And they were receiving listings via email from their agent.

But none of the applications talked to each other. So, Tom was making a spreadsheet when he thought, “There’s got to be a better way.”

Tom is Cofounder of Zenlist, an agent-to-client home search that enables efficient collaboration by putting everyone in the same space. 

On this episode of Listing Bits, Tom describes how @properties helped him develop Zenlist and what differentiates his app from Homespotter, RealScout and other competitors in the space.

Tom shares Zenlist’s initial growth strategy, explaining why it didn’t include targeting MLS customers and how that’s changed.

Listen in to understand how Tom’s team gets consumers to download an app and learn how Zenlist is facilitating collaboration in the homebuying experience.

What’s Discussed:  

How Tom’s experience with moving inspired him to build Zenlist

Why Tom made the decision to bootstrap Zenlist over taking venture money

How Zenlist facilitates collaboration in the homebuying experience

Tom’s experience of developing Zenlist with the help of @properties

Zenlist’s initial growth strategy and why it didn’t include targeting MLS customers

What differentiates Zenlist from Homespotter, RealScout and other competitors in the space

Tom’s ambition to serve both real estate agents and consumers

Zenlist’s mobile capabilities and how it was called into action during the Rapattoni outage

How Zenlist is overcoming the challenge of getting consumers to download an app 

How consumers benefit from using Zenlist vs. Zillow or Redfin

Connect with Tom MacLeod:

Zenlist

Email tom@zenlist.com 

Resources:

SNL Skit on Zillow

Leo Pareja at eXp

Trackxi

Our Sponsor:

Cloud CMA for Brokers

Listing Bits Episode 83: Revolutionizing Member Engagement for MLSs + Associations – with Nick Gough of NoteRouter

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

Listing Bits Episode 82: Jeremy Henley of QuikFix

Dealing with things that come up during a home inspection is a challenge for all involved in a real estate transaction. 

But what if there was a way to get an accurate quote for home repairs in seconds? And then connect with licensed contractors who are available to do the work now?

Jeremy Henley is Founder and CEO at TheQwikFix, a proptech platform that leverages AI and predictive modeling to generate a quote for repairs based on the home inspection report.

On this episode of Listing Bits, Jeremy explains how his experience as a real estate investor inspired the creation of TheQwikFix and why contractors love getting work from its marketplace.

Jeremy describes who manages the process of using the platform to do home repairs, discussing how buyers can leverage TheQwikFix quote to negotiate—and then follow through on the repairs they care about after closing.

Listen in to understand why TheQwikFix doesn’t have issues with contractor availability and learn how Jeremy’s service makes life easier for contractors, buyers, sellers and real estate agents!

What’s Discussed:  

How Jeremy’s background in sales and cybersecurity led to founding a proptech startup

Jeremy’s experience as a real estate investor and how it inspired the creation of TheQwikFix

How TheQwikFix software generates a quote based on the home inspection report

Why contractors love getting work from TheQwikFix marketplace

The combination of AI and human confirmation TheQwikFix uses to generate a quote

Who manages the process of using TheQwikFix to do home repairs

Why contractors are willing to accept TheQwikFix’s binding quotes

How TheQwikFix does most of its business in SoCal but its service is available nationwide

How buyers can leverage TheQwikFix to negotiate and then complete repairs after closing

Why TheQwikFix doesn’t have issues with contractor availability

What Jeremy’s team is doing to help TheQwikFix stay top-of-mind with agents

The potential for TheQwikFix to handle ongoing home maintenance/repairs or remodels

Connect with Jeremy Henley:

TheQwikFix

Jeremy on LinkedIn

Jeremy on X

Resources:

TripIt

Expensify

1000watt

Listing Bits EP081: Building Proptech for Real Estate Teams – with Brian Charlesworth of Sisu

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

Does “Your Listing, Your Lead” Jive with IDX Attribution Policy? – with Mike Wurzer, Greg Fischer & Andy Woolley

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 comes 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

Listing Bits Podcast: Elevating Women in Real Estate – with Lauren Martin of RentSpree

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

Listing Bits Podcast: Pooling Resources & Expertise Among MLSs – with Betsy Hanson of Markt

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 an 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 an executive assistant at a small association to General Counsel at Markt

What differentiates the role of executive assistant from that of the 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

Sponsored By MLS Reset