Where Real Estate Gets Its Dirt

MetroList adds voice search to popular MLS portal, MetroList.com

MetroList Unveils Revolutionary Voice-Activated Real Estate Search Platform for Consumers

“MetroList CEO Dave Howe highlighted the significance of this launch: “This isn’t just an enhancement—it’s a transformative leap forward in real estate technology. We are thrilled to offer the convenience of voice-enabled commands, setting a new standard for property search in the real estate industry.”

Heath Craig, Co-Founder of SaleCore, echoed this sentiment: “Partnering with Lundy on this project has been a natural fit. MetroList’s commitment to innovation aligns perfectly with our vision for the future of real estate technology. We’re excited to see the industry embrace this powerful new property-search tool.”

Pretty rad. When I just asked for a zip code, the experience was super fast and kind of magical. Pretty cutting-edge if you ask me, and it’s great to see an MLS organization like MetroList launch this type of innovation. It shows what good partnerships with vendors can create.

Minor quibbles:

Search requests beyond zip codes with more criteria (beds, baths, price range) take a bit longer.

I couldn’t get it to work on my Safari browser, but it did work on Google Chrome.

When I click the microphone button to start talking, the icon does change color, but I think the button state needs to more clearly indicate that it is in the “on” mode.

Similarly, when you click the microphone to turn it off and start searching, there is no status message to indicate that it is processing your search request. This can feel a bit odd, especially if the search results are not immediate.

Also, in every search I did with a price range, it asked me to repeat the price range.

Open or Closed?

Clearing the air on Clear Cooperation

“this is about what kind of industry we want to be, and what kind of housing market we want to create: open or closed.

It is that simple. It is that important.“

Brian Boero, 1000watt

Brian writes so well it almost makes me want to give up writing myself. In his “Friday Flash” he breaks down the posturing and rhetoric surrounding CCP and gets down to the real issues. It’s about whether we as an industry want an open or closed market.

I’m with Brian. “I want open.”

This a must read. Especially if you are at the Department of Justice.

Realtracs expands access to 1.9M listings

Realtracs Expands Access to 1.9 Million+ Listings Through Southeast MLS Alliance

“Realtracs, the technology company providing the largest multiple listing service (MLS) in Tennessee, announced today the data from a recent MLS alliance is available for subscribers. The Southeast MLS Alliance was created in 2023 to allow cross-regional data sharing among agents and brokers in Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia and North Carolina. “

Realtracs

I’ve been on the road awhile so I’m catching up on some the recent news and his caught my eye. Users of Realtracs, Canopy MLS, Georgia MLS and Charleston Regional MLS now have a full feed of more than 1.9 million additional listings across the southeast.  Boom!

Live Stream the “Pitch Battle” today at the iOi Summit

I’m in Chicago at the iOi Summit.

NAR is going to stream the Pitch Battle live on their LinkedIn feed at 12:45PM PT. Below is list of the participants.

I’m a little biased but check out Tuesday. The founder Cole Boyer is second on the lineup. Each presenter will only have 4 minutes to pitch their product. Should be fun!

FAFO MLS Edition

MLS’ ain’t playin’

New bidder emerges in REcolorado sale

The plot thickens!

I just learned via an email that MRI Software, a private equity firm a privately held company, is putting a bid in to buy REcolorado. Here’s the excerpt from the email’s “Official Statement”.

“MRI Software, the parent company of CTM eContracts, has submitted an Indication of Interest (IOI) for the purchase of REColorado.

We decided to take this action after learning of the potential sale of REColorado, when it was reported publicly.

Many of you are already familiar with MRI Software, but for those who are not, here is some background: MRI provides the CTM eContracts to nearly 40,000 subscribers in Colorado.  The software was first introduced in 2003.  MRI, a U.S.-based leader in real estate technology, has been in business since 1971. You can learn more more about MRI and about our open-and-connected approach to software integrations here.”

MRI Software

You can read the full statement here.

Just to catch everyone up, it was first reported that a single person, Joseph Burks, was buying the MLS organization. Under the name of MAZL, LLC. From my research Joesph Burks is, “one of the largest shareholders in the early creation of CTM eContracts, a widely used contract software for real estate transactions.’ was a large shareholder in CTM eContracts, which was sold to MRI Software in 2019.

Denver Metro Associaiton of REALTORS (DMAR) wrote an “FAQ” on their blog back in June 30th stating,

“MAZL is not a private equity firm, nor is a private equity firm a funding partner in the proposed sale.”

DMAR

Now it appears that a private equity firm has offered to purchase REcolorado MLS. Rob and I went over in detail on our Industry Relations podcast how a private equity firm might approach running an MLS organization.

I also posted a thread on Twitter (X) titled, “So you are a PE firm and wanna get in to the multiple listing services (MLS) game? Here a thread of how I would do it. A thread.“

So far no word from DMAR or SMDAR.

***THIS POST HAS BEEN UPDATED AT 7:57AM 7/25/24. MRI Software is not a private equity firm, but a privately held company. I also clarified information regarding Joesph Burks (previous) ownership stake in CTM eContracts.***

The Queen’s Gambit

Annie Ives, CEO of VestaPlus

San Diego MLS Selects VestaPlus to Increase Data Integrity and Add AI Compliance with Checkmate

“The removal of offers of compensation from MLS represents a watershed moment of change for our industry,” Annie Ives, the CEO of VestaPlus, said in a statement. “As an MLS operator and vendor, it is vitally important that we implement new compliance tools that will enable the transition for real estate agents and brokers in the best possible way. We are anxious to partner with our MLS peers to implement these services for the benefit of our industry professionals.”

Annie Ives, CEO of VestaPlus

I’ve been working with a lot of MLS organizations that have been branching out into the vendor space. It can be humbling. You build a solution that really helps your MLS solve a big problem. The natural thing to think is, “I bet other MLS orgs have this same problem.” So you go to market. And that’s where the fun begins.

It’s hard to find a way to win. You need to have the right pieces in place. For Annie Ives, I think a key part is having a timely solution, and the addition of some key talent. Enter Kelly Robinson. It’s great to see their continued success together. The recent announcements of Staten Island and SDAR switching to Checkmate are good wins, and I’m hearing there are several other announcements ahead. It’s great to see Annie’s persistence pay off.

Looking for a new gig?

Member Service Specialist I – PrimeMLS

“As a Member Service Specialist at PrimeMLS, you will play a critical role in supporting our mission by ensuring our members receive optimal support with our systems. This role requires a proactive approach to effectively manage inquiries, provide membership and billing support, and handle routine administrative tasks.”

Prime MLS

To find out about this job and more please visit the Vendor Alley Job Board.

What does the “Z” in MAZL, LLC stand for?

Update on the Pending Sale of REcolorado to MAZL, LLC

“Firstly, as noted in our public FAQ, MAZL, LLC, is a private company formed specifically to acquire the MLS service. Joseph E. Burks is the sole and only purchaser of REcolorado. He created MAZL, LLC specifically to execute the Letter of Intent (LOI) and complete the business transaction. There are no other investors.”

Denver Metro Association of REALTORS(r)

Okay, I’m just having a little fun with the title of this post. I don’t think Zillow has anything to do with the sale of REcolorado MLS. But I do want to point something out, and it may be obvious already to some but I don’t know why more people are not talking about it.

One person, in this case Joseph Burks, is about to own the 16th largest MLS organization (by agent count) in the country. I don’t think anyone really understands what the second order consequences of this decision could be. 🍿

Did a forms vendor just buy REcolorado MLS?

I’m off-site this week without my “Murder Board“. So sans my red string and push pins I’m still putting the pieces together. But here’s what I’m finding out.

In October 2020 a software company filed for an LLC under the name of Hana Software.

The directors of the LLC were Si Hyung Park (male), John Park, and Matthew Wissinger.

Si Hyung Park is a technologist and worked for many tech and consulting companies (https://www.linkedin.com/in/si-hyung-p-b03834/)

John Park is an owner of MetroBrokers Elite (https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-park-1b7b777/_).  I don’t know if they are related. Couldn’t find any information on Matthew Wissinger.

In June 2023 they amended the LLC and Matthew Wissinger was dropped and Joesph E Burks was added.  According the LinkedIn Joseph Burks is the President of Equity Title of Colorado (https://www.linkedin.com/in/joseph-e-burks-a7533a23/)

In January of 2024 a name change was filed. Hana Software is now RE-Sure (https://resure.realestate).  According to LinkedIn Si Hyung Park is listed as the CEO of RE-Sure. That same month Joesph Burks also registered MAZL, LLC.  Which is the entity that is listed that acquired REColorado MLS. Also some of these companies are listed at the same street address.

I had heard from a source that RE-Sure was making the round earlier this year (maybe last year) trying to get their forms solution adopted.  As you may know the Colorado forms software market is pretty much locked up with CTMe (https://www.ctmecontracts.com/eContracts/wp/indexbottom.asp)

One of the MLS orgs RE-Sure was pitching to described them as “very full of themselves”.

Somewhat telling is the RE-Sure website lists SMDRA (one of the REcolorado shareholders), Equity Title, MetroBrokers Elite and Colorado Professional Title as “Our Client & Partners”.

Obviously these guys ( or maybe just Joesph Burks) had a relationship with South Metro Denver REALTORS association (SMDRA) for some time.

Not sure what all of this points too. I guess at the surface level maybe these guys think they can move the needle on the adoption of their forms solution by buying an MLS?  But I doubt there’s enough revenue in forms software to justify this acquisition cost.

Sponsored By Paragon Suite from ICE