Where Real Estate Gets Its Dirt

RIP Richard Simmons

While not the biggest news this past week the passing of Richard Simmons got me a bit nostalgic. I hired Richard Simmons to do a meet and greet at our booth at the 2004 NAR Annual Convention. This was on the heels of the NAR Annual Conference in 2003 where we had hired Fabio. But that’s another story. Fabio was a huge success and drew a huge crowd at the eNeighborhoods booth. So naturally we thought, let’s get another celebrity! After some brain-storming we settled on Richard Simmons. You can see page one of the agreement we did with the company repping him below and an ad we ran in REALTOR Magazine:

He was a lot of fun. I remember him calling our wives for a prank, “Hi Honey, guess who’s with your husband right now?!” He would also record voice mail greetings for our cell phones. “Hi this is Richard Simmons and you’ve reached Shane’s voice mail!”

Another thing I remember was how a lot of conference attendees came up and told stories about how he had motivated them to live a more healthy life. When I saw him having these conversations (sometimes he would pull them aside) you could see something in his eyes…he truly cared. Such a great legacy.

VestaPlus’s Checkmate adds new partner

VestaPlus™ and Staten Island Board of REALTORS® Collaborate to Propel Real Estate Data Compliance with Checkmate™

“Sandy Krueger, CEO of Staten Island MLS, said “Data integrity is the key to the service we provide to our subscribers and the consumers they serve. We look forward to enhancing our services using Checkmate™ and we are pleased with the working relationship we have already established with VestaPlus™.”

Annie Ives, CEO of VestaPlus™, shared, “We are excited to support Staten Island MLS with their goals of enhancing MLS data accuracy and streamlining internal processes.”

SIBOR and VestaPlus

VestaPlus is making some moves!

Industry Relations Podcast: Industry Soup: Why the Human Touch Still Matters

What happens when industry news is quiet? Industry soup. In this episode, Rob and Greg discuss various topics with an effort to draw parallels to real estate. From their weight loss strategies and detailed plan for a 60-day weight loss regimen to Tesla cars and the emotional connection people have with their vehicles. This conversation covers a lot. 

Touching on simplicity in design and analog experiences in a tech-driven world. Rob and Greg explore the potential future of technology and the importance of human interaction in both real estate and tech companies.

Connect with Rob and Greg: 

Rob’s Website

Greg’s Website

Our Sponsors: 

CoreLogic

Notorious VIP

This podcast is produced by Two Brothers Creative 2024.

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.

MLS data share daisy chains Florida’s Upper East Coast

Four MLSs in Florida Launch New Coast 2 Coast MLS Data Share.

“Coast 2 Coast MLS Data Share launches to over 20K agents in Florida. A group of 4 innovative MLSs – realMLS, St. Augustine and St. Johns County Board of Realtors, Space Coast Association of Realtors and Daytona Beach Area Association of Realtors have come together to make the marketplace healthier and stronger. MLS members of these organizations now have access to listings of all four MLSs from within their native MLS system.”

Coast 2 Coast MLS Data Share

Make sense.

MoxiWorks layoffs

MoxiWorks laying off employees 1 month after replacing CEO

“Real estate marketing and technology company MoxiWorks is laying employees off, just a month after hiring AI startup executive Eric Elfman to replace founder York Baur as CEO.”

Matt Carter, Inman News

Tough market. Brutal for some vendors. The article names a few people affected by the layoffs, good people, check ’em out.

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. 🍿

Polyglot listings arrive in Staten Island MLS

Staten Island Multiple Listing Service Partners With DirectOffer, Inc. to Give Subscribers a New Way to Enhance Their Property Listings

“At SIMLS, our subscribers serve a diverse set of clients, and we are committed to providing innovative tools that empower them to make homeownership a possibility for more people,” said Sandy Krueger, President and CEO of Staten Island Multiple Listing Service. “We couldn’t be more excited about our partnership with DirectOffer. DO AudioTour’s multi-language and closed captioning capabilities ensure that our subscribers’ property listings are reaching the broadest audience, while supporting our ADA and DEI initiatives.”

Sandy Krueger, President and CEO of Staten Island Multiple Listing Service

Chéri(e), arrête la voiture !

Industry Relations Podcast: Real Estate Forms: Consumer-Friendly or Industry-Driven?

Are real estate forms truly consumer-friendly or are they just industry-driven? In this episode, Doug Miller and Wendy Gilch, Directors of CAARE (Consumer Advocates in American Real Estate), expose what they believe are the flaws in the current buyer agency agreements. From undisclosed dual agency to lack of cancellation clauses, these forms often prioritize the interests of industry competitors over consumers. 

Rob, Greg, Doug and Wendy explore potential solutions such as creating consumer-friendly templates and implementing amendments. They dive into the complexities of fiduciary responsibility and touch on hot-button topics like compensation and collusion. 

Plus, they address the importance of clear disclosure in real estate transactions, education for consumers, and informed consent. Don’t miss this crucial conversation also covering NAR settlement, state forms vs eXp’s form, unauthorized practice of law, referral fees, and negotiation tactics.

Watch us on YouTube

Learn more about CAARE at caare.org.

Connect with Doug Miller on – LinkedIn.

Connect with Wendy on – LinkedIn

Connect with Rob and Greg: 

Rob’s Website

Greg’s Website

Our Sponsors: 

CoreLogic

Notorious VIP

This podcast is produced by Two Brothers Creative 2024.

Lone Wolf Foundation

Lone Wolf Technologies officially introduces Lone Wolf Foundation and the new generation of real estate software.

The future of real estate has arrived: Lone Wolf launches Lone Wolf Foundation, new generation of software

“This is the end result of that extensive research; a platform that goes beyond integrations, beyond connections, beyond a rebrand to create a real solution. From a single login to a modular design that allows real estate professionals to pick and choose the solutions they need, with shared data workflows that keep information consistent from lead to close and the latest in digital security, there’s nothing like this in the industry today—and it will transform the way real estate professionals work, now and into the future.”

Sean Wheeler, CTO of Lone Wolf Technologies

This has been a huge project and I’m loving what Lone Wolf has pulled off. Having acquired some of the most popular and widely adopted software in the real estate space, they have taken a fresh approach on how to create an end-to-end platform. Am I biased? Of course! It’s all because I know the team there is made up some of the most creative and talented people in the industry, people from HomeSpotter, Instanet, zipForm, Terradatum and W+R Studios.

I hear some of you say, “But, Greg, I thought you didn’t like all-in-one solutions?” I think that Lone Wolf’s CEO Jimmy Kelly said it best, “Real Estate Doesn’t Need More Software“. In a nutshell what he is saying real estate has a lot of point solutions; it needs what it already has to pull more weight. The industry wants its existing software to work together, and be more automated. What Lone Wolf is doing is creating a foundation (see what I did there) for their software (and also giving the flexibility to add other solutions) to let brokers and agents create the experience they want. Experience I believe is the key word here.

Congrats to everyone at Lone Wolf!

Sponsored By MLS Reset