Communication Strategy for Real Estate

One of the fundamental core values of the MLS (beyond offers of compensation) is the organization and communication of property information database. The role of the MLS as a communicator is a hotly debated topic, because the communicator becomes the identity and spokesperson to a wide range of agents and consumers alike. The MLS as a communicator is largely predicated by the governance of the MLS, its bylaws, and the standards set by the MLS shareholders and board of directors. Today, most MLSs have one or more REALTOR Associations as their shareholders. The board of directors is typically appointed by [...]

Melanie Blakeney Selected as MAAR’s New Leader

MEMPHIS, Tenn., August 25, 2011 – Today the Memphis Area Association of REALTORS® Board of Directors named Melanie Blakeney as its Executive Vice President, effective Dec. 1, 2011. She succeeds long-time Executive Vice President Jules Wade, who will be retiring this fall. Blakeney currently is Executive Vice President over MAAR’s Commercial Council and MLS. She came to MAAR in 1999 from the Lafayette Board of REALTORS® in Louisiana, where for a decade she served as President/CEO. Previously, she was Executive Officer over the Norman Board of REALTORS® in Oklahoma. She is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma in Norman. [...]

By |2018-05-03T21:25:30-07:00August 29th, 2011|Main category, MLS Insights, Press Releases|0 Comments

Dot MLS is the right side of the dot

Dot MLS Domains I was provided with a couple of previews of articles written by Judith Lindenau of the .MLS DomainAssociation today. Judith is a key member of the team volunteering their energy to pursue a top level domain name for the real estate industry called .MLS. You will see them on RE Technology next week (email me if you need an account). A Top Level Domain is what happens on the “right side of the dot.” a metaphor that I really like. On today’s internet, .com or .net are pretty meaningless. The concept of the new [...]

By |2018-05-03T21:25:30-07:00August 26th, 2011|Main category, MLS Insights|0 Comments

Technology Needs You

I took my car in for service today, it gave me a chance to spend some time furthering my understanding of a new technology tool – RPR.  I was looking at training videos and reports for a broker who is studying how agents will use it to devise an integration plan for their business. This broker takes a very serious approach to data licensing and an even more serious approach to the tools that company agents use to work with clients. This broker wants to leverage the product in the best possible way – or not at all. Sitting next [...]

By |2018-05-03T21:25:31-07:00August 23rd, 2011|Main category|5 Comments

RPR Solution Is Not Difficult

Having read Dale Ross’s recent post that noted RPR was “hitting a wall of entrenched attitudes…” etc., that was keeping them from meeting their goals I was a bit surprised.  I was surprised because in many ways I thought RPR had a pretty good year with the addition of some of the big boy MLSs that had been standing on the sidelines, while this post seemed to highlight what isn’t working. My take on RPR, before the post, was that now was the time for RPR to ride their recent signings and begin […]

By |2018-05-03T21:25:31-07:00August 22nd, 2011|Main category|0 Comments

Hunt Real Estate joins the NFL

Imagine the marketing boost that your real estate brokerage would have in your market place if you became the exclusive relocation partner to the leading professional sports team in your town. That is exactly what Hunt Real Estate Company and the Buffalo Bills announced in a press release yesterday. This exclusive arrangement is part of a significant investment by both companies. Some of the marketing features include in-stadium marketing and radio sponsorship of the Hunt by the Numbers statistics. The team is also supporting the relationship with an official NFL brand license for the Buffalo Bills to be used in [...]

By |2018-05-03T21:25:31-07:00August 19th, 2011|Broker Technology Research, Main category|0 Comments

The new Homes.com

Homes.com launches a game changer If you look around the real estate industry, there is always a quiet giant tending to its business and moving along steadily without rocking the boat too much. Unless you were on vacation this week, you saw a flurry of press releases, blog posts, twitter posts, facebook messages, and Linkedin message about the release of Homes Connect and the demise of the AdvancedAccess brands. As a consultant, I watched in yearning as Dominion acquired nearly a dozen real estate technology brands. From the beginning, it seemed logical. Dominion was a publishing company, the biggest in [...]

By |2018-05-03T21:25:31-07:00August 18th, 2011|Broker Technology Research, Main category|2 Comments

RE: AOL-MOVE go turn it on

By the way... If you are a broker and you would like your listings to appear on AOL, you need to login to your ListHub dashboard and turn it on. Syndication to listing sites is under your control. So if you checked for your listings on AOL today, and they did not appear - it is because you have not selected that channel. Thanks for the many calls and emails regarding this.

By |2018-05-03T21:25:31-07:00August 17th, 2011|Broker Technology Research, Main category|0 Comments

Marty Reed Promoted at LPS

WAV Group would like to extend a sincere congratulations to our friend, Marty Reed of LPS. LPS Executive Rich Lull announced today that Marty Reed has accepted a new position expanding her role with LPS Real Estate Group’s MLS business. “Marty and team has done an incredible job with the development and launch of Paragon 5, currently being deployed by LPS’s 200+ Paragon accounts, and being presented to a number of MLS’s for consideration for conversion,” says Lull. Effective immediately, Ms. Reed will assume the role of VP ParagonSolutions, taking on responsibility for P&L management of the Paragon suite of [...]

By |2018-05-03T21:25:31-07:00August 17th, 2011|Main category, MLS Insights|0 Comments

AOL-MOVEing in on property portals

Large consumer search portals like Google, Yahoo, and AOL have had an interesting, if not mystical strategy toward real estate. Today, AOL made an announcement to become a syndication channel for real estate listings. Perhaps AOL is going against the grain, or perhaps they finally found a great partner who made it easy for them to get enough quality listings on their site to make it a viable search solution for property. In today’s announcement, AOL Real Estate search will be powered by Move through the ListHub Syndication Network. No doubt, the strategy for AOL and Move fits. Both companies [...]

Jack Miller of the GoodLife Team in Austin Texas

Jack Miller of the GoodLife Team in Austin, Texas was featured in an article by RE Technology this week for his outstanding industry leadership.  All of the members of the GoodLife team have been supportive and outspoken about the best practices for agent and brokers. These REALTORS really give back to our industry and help make it better. Millers’ industry leadership comes from illustrating what great customer services means to real estate brokers today. I think that he also, perhaps unknowingly arrived at a new way to search for property. Put in the amount you can afford and view properties [...]

By |2018-05-03T21:25:31-07:00August 16th, 2011|Broker Technology Research, Main category|0 Comments

FBI Targets REALTORS

I caught an article published in the Kansas City Star this morning that blew my mind. The Federal Bureau of Investigations reports that there are an estimated $10 Billion in fraudulent loan applications each year in America. The problem is so bad that they have launched a sting initiative called Operation Stolen Dreams. This may be no surprise to many MLS executives. If you operate a large or mid-sided MLS, the FBI has already contacted you to gain access to MLS data. This is the front door approach. In some cases, the FBI gets a real estate license and joins [...]

By |2018-05-03T21:25:32-07:00August 12th, 2011|Main category, MLS Insights|0 Comments