Where Real Estate Gets Its Dirt

Rosemary Scardina joins Constellation

Just got forwarded this news last week…

Former MLS Executive Rosemary Scardina joins C Data Labs
Constellation Software Inc. to restructure its Residential Real Estate Group creating a wholly owned subsidiary, C Data Labs.

“We recognize how critical MLS organizations, RESO standards, and their data guidance are to shaping the future of real estate technology. That’s why we created our Industry Relations function – to build stronger bridges between C Data Labs, MLSs, and the broader industry ecosystem, ensuring alignment, collaboration and transparency in how Data powers innovation.
Leading this effort is Rosemary Scardina, whose deep MLS experience, strategic mindset and passion for partnership make her the perfect fit to champion this initiative and strengthen our industry relationships” says VP of Ops of CDL

Now you know who to call.

Industry Relations Podcast – ICYMI

Rob Hahn and I have been stepping up our podcast game this year. We have been pretty consistent uploading one episode a week since the first week of January. If you haven’t checked out our latest episodes you find them on your favorite podcast player.

I mentioned recently that we also launched a YouTube channel as well. Here are some of my favorites recently:

Marge vs. Brenda
Rob and I discuss how agents are still undefeated in the proptech wars.

When the asteroid hits
What will it take for CoStar (Homes.com and Homesnap) to win? Turns out it might be something catastrophic.

Wall Streets take on Online Real Estate with John Campbell
John Campbell is a super smart guy, with Stephens, a research company focused on covering real estate for Wall Street. Great discussion about why proptech/real estate stocks are down, and why he thinks the acquisitions of Homes.com and Homesnap are Andy Florance’s side bet against the MLS industry as we know it.

BIG FAVOR TO ASK:

We are trying to get our own branded YouTube channel, but we need 1,000 subscribers. So if you could go to our YouTube channel and hit the Subscribe button and click the bell it would really help! Tell your friends!

Hope you enjoy the conversations!

See you at the Thrive Broker Summit

I’m really excited to be attending and speaking at CRMLS’ Thrive Broker Summit, in my home town of Huntington Beach! It kicks off this Sunday, with the main event starting on Monday the 9th. I’ll be joined on stage by Keith Robinson of NextHome and co-host of the popular Real Estate Insiders Unfiltered podcast.

This will be the first time Keith and I break free from the shackles of our podcast co-hosts—Rob Hahn for me (Industry Relations), and James Dwiggins for him.

Our session is titled ‘Three BIG Questions, Answered.’

We’re bringing the heat, the honesty, and a whole lot of fun!

A Little Chat About ChatGPT and the Recent CoStar Move

Why is Andy Florance not acquiring Realtor.com? Could ChatGPT help us finally determine what the value of an MLS is? Just what is and isn’t copyrightable when it comes to real estate data? This episode of Industry Relations dives into recent Co-Star moves, how AI is infiltrating real estate, and whether Rob and Greg are just making a big deal out of nothing. Toward the end of this episode, Rob and Greg dive into Sam DeBord’s recent article “The Value of MLS: ChatGPT, Commissions and the Other 4Cs,” which you can read here!

Watch us on YouTube!

Connect with Rob and Greg: 

Rob’s Website

Greg’s Website

 This podcast is produced by Two Brothers Creative 2023.

Industry Relations Podcast: Who is the next Gary Keller

Will the next Gary Keller please stand up?! Rob and Greg discuss who has the potential to be the next Gary Keller? What does it take to establish yourself as a powerhouse in real estate? What qualities does Gary Keller have that upcoming leaders of the industry are lacking? 

From narrowing down the next real estate superstar to discussing Compass’ implosion to examining the rise in inflation and profits compared to the stagnation of income, Rob and Greg get heated on the topic of: “Why should a company pay its employees more if they’re not being more productive?”

And thank you to our sponsors NoteRouter and Earnnest!

Listen to us on your favorite podcast player, watch us on YouTube or click the graphic below:

Connect with Rob and Greg: 

Rob’s Website

https://notorious-rob.com/

Greg’s Website

https://www.vendoralley.com/

Our Sponsors: 

NoteRouter – Members not hearing you? We do.

https://www.noterouter.com/

Earnnest – How money moves in real estate

https://earnnest.com/

Redfin hires new Industry Relations rep, Joe Rath

Meet Redfin’s Head of Industry Relations

“Joe comes from a real estate family and understands the day-to-day challenges that brokers and agents face and the complicated dynamics of this industry,” said Jason Aleem, Redfin’s senior vice president of real estate sales. “He’s a clear communicator, effective relationship builder and strategic leader who will be a strong advocate for policies that improve the agent experience and help us all better serve our clients.”

Welcome to the jungle Joe!

BeachesMLS partners with PropStream

PropStream Joins Forces with BeachesMLS to Streamline Lead Generation

“Dionna Hall, CEO of BeachesMLS, stated: “At BeachesMLS, we are committed to providing our members with innovative solutions that enhance their business success. Partnering with PropStream allows us to offer a powerful lead generation tool that complements our existing resources, empowering agents to find more opportunities in today’s competitive market.”

Good to see Brian Tepfer continue to get traction with PropSteam. I think it’s a great way for MLS organizations to offer their members choice in generating more business. I got a demo from, Jessica Richardson, PropStream’s Head of Industry Relations, and was impressed with their platform.

Industry Relations Podcast: Adam Neumann, Flow and REALTOR Numbers

Big news! Adam Neumann is back and lands a huge $350 million deal with Andreessen Horowitz. Is this the beginning of the disruption Rob and Greg have been talking about? When companies are laying people off what is the impact of this deal? 

Rob and Greg explore these questions and what the big vision is for Adam Neumann’s company, Flow. We revisit last episode’s Opendoor and Zillow conversation and why Greg believes Rob is still wrong about it all. 

Also, Rob dug up 10 years of REALTOR numbers and the scale of success for the real estate industry will surprise you!

It’s a jam-packed episode you can not miss!

Program Note: Rob and Greg are going to bring the show live to Las Vegas this Friday! So if you are in Vegas, join us!
 
Listen to us on your favorite podcast player, watch us on YouTube or click the graphic below:

Connect with Rob and Greg: 

Rob’s Website

https://notorious-rob.com/

Greg’s Website

https://www.vendoralley.com/

Our Sponsors: 

NoteRouter – The easy way to communicate with your members

https://www.noterouter.com/

Earnnest – How Money Moves Real Estate

https://earnnest.com

Industry Relations Podcast: Macro, Housing, and Authenticity with Keith Robinson

Greg was out on vacation so Rob brings in guest host Keith Robinson, Chief Strategic Officer for NextHome.

How much does the economy affect the housing market? Or do we buy and sell homes based on what’s happening in our individual lives more than what’s happening on Wall Street? In this episode, Rob Hahn and guest host Keith Robinson talk about the rollercoaster that is real estate if there ever was a stable housing market, and how authenticity can be the deciding factor in whether or not an agent has long-term success. 

Industry Relations welcomes our new sponsor, NoteRouter

Listen to the Industry Relations Podcast, available on all podcast platforms:

Listen to the podcast on Apple

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/industry-relations/id1204450450

Listen to the podcast on Stitcher

https://www.stitcher.com/show/industry-relations

Connect with Rob and Greg: 

Rob’s Website

https://notorious-rob.com/

Greg’s Website

https://www.vendoralley.com/

Our Sponsors: 

NoteRouter

https://www.noterouter.com/

Cloud MLX

https://cloudagentsuite.com/tools/mlx

Notorious VIP

https://notoriousrob.com/notoriious-vip

About Me


Hola!

Welcome! I’m Greg Robertson, and I like to write about the intersection of real estate and technology. This is my blog, Vendor Alley – Where Real Estate Gets Its Dirt. I started it back in 2007.

I use this “About Me” page as sorta a Linktree site.

Links

Read my latest blog post on Vendor Alley
Hire me as an advisor at Giant Steps
Check out real estate’s best job board at Giant Steps Job Board.
Buy my book, The Art of the CMA
Listen to my podcasts, Industry Relations with Rob Hahn, and Listing Bits.
Email me at gregrobertson@gmail.com
Follow me on Twitter (X)
Follow me on Instagram (Where I mostly post about my vintage VWs obsession)
My LinkedIn profile
My YouTube Channel

I co-founded my first real estate software company back in 1992.  My recent company, W+R Studios, was acquired by Lone Wolf Technologies in December 2020.  

W+R Studios are the creators of the Cloud CMA and the rest of the Cloud Agent Suite.  Cloud CMA has over 500,000 subscribers across North America.

Cloud MLX (also part of the Cloud Agent Suite) won Inman News’ “Most Innovative Technology” award in 2016.

I have invested in a few startups which I may write and comment about:

eWebinar, which is a great tool for automated webinars.
Tuesday, and social networking app for MLS organizations and real estate agents.
Lundy an inclusive property search app.
okood a real estate inventing app.

I’m also on the board of REcore.

I started a consulting company called Giant Steps

I started Giant Steps to give back to the industry I love. Are you a new or existing vendor looking to scale? Or an MLS organization/ Association looking for guidance on the way forward in the every changing industry. Or maybe just want someone to bounce some ideas off of?

Do you have an event or meeting where you want to entertain and educate your audience? Need an emcee? I can give your board of directors an “Industry Update”, or inspire your agents with my “Listing Presentation Magic” presentation. Live or on Zoom, just email me.

We also co-host an industry conference with PRESTA Team called MLS Reset, which started in January of 2025 (and was a big hit!). MLS Reset 2026 will be held at the Scottsdale Plaza from February 9th to 11th.

Giant Steps works with many vendors and MLS organizations including MLS Aligned/ Aligned Showings

I wrote a book, The Art of the CMA

The book is for real estate agents and brokers about using Comparative Market Analysis reports (CMAs) in innovative ways to increase business.  You can order a personalized copy of the book here, or on Amazon.

Oh yeah, I have a couple of podcasts

I started two podcasts about real estate, the first one is Listing Bits, where I interview different people in the real estate technology industry. The second podcast, Industry Relations, I co-host with The Notorious ROB (a.k.a. Rob Hahn) where we discuss current topics in the organized real estate industry.

You can watch Rob and me on the Industry Relations YouTube Channel.

Buzz

From Amazon:

About “The Art of the CMA”

“Best Actionable Real Estate Book I’ve Read – Read this in it’s entirety over two days. Quick read, very informative, and I highly recommend. Not your usual (and typical) real estate book. I was already a huge fan of CloudCMA and the positive impact it had on my business.”

From Apple iTunes:

About “The Industry Relations podcast”

“Excellent source of industry trends – Really learning a lot from Greg and guests about industry trends. Greg has a tremendous amount of real estate technology experience and generously shares his insights.”

Intelligent – Binge listened to just about every episode! Love the interviews, nerdy humor & thought-provoking dialogue. Hands down one of the best real estate podcasts.”

Want to sponsor this site?

If you are looking to reach anyone in organized real estate then you’ve come to the right place. My readers are some of the most influential in real estate. From veteran MLS Executives, Franchisor CEOs, Association leadership, brokers, and agents. Find out more here.

Don’t forget the Giant Steps Job Board

One of the most rewarding things to happen due to the popularity of this site is my Job Board.  I love it when people approach me at trade shows and conferences and tell me that they found a new job via the Giant Steps Job Board, so please check it out.

Updates

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Thanks again for visiting!

-gr

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