12 MLSs are the future organized real estate: that was the lukewarm consensus of a recent panel at Inman in New York. The general feeling of the speakers (MLS executives included) seemed to be that consolidation will end with a dozen or so large, well-run MLSs. Inman News headlined the coverage “Is Your MLS Doomed?” … Read more
A really interesting discussion broke out in the comments section of my post last Wednesday titled “The MLS Is Not Doomed! But Most of Them Are.” A reader with the alias DeRidder LA Real Estate, LLC injected everybody’s favorite topic, Zillow, into the conversation: Disallow compilations of your MLS data to be sent to Realtor.com, Zillow, or … Read more
Over at Inman, Leslie Ebersole has 6 questions about the new Broker Public Portal/Homesnap alliance. Read the whole thing, because it’s a solid reflection of the kinds of questions people have about BPP. The article got me thinking a bit about the BPP/Homesnap thing, and well, I have a few random thoughts about it. This … Read more
I like being on panels. I like moderating them too. They’re fun, usually pretty short, and oftentimes the other participants are friends I can joke around with backstage. One downside though is that the panel format doesn’t give you a chance to dive into detailed explanations of complicated concepts. A panel is better for sound … Read more
At the just concluded Inman Connect New York, I was privileged to be on a panel entitled “Is the MLS Doomed?” with Denee Evans, CEO of CMLS, and Rebecca Jensen, CEO of MRED. Despite being one of the biggest fans of the MLS in the industry, given that I am a lawyer by training and … Read more
I just got back last night from the NAR Annual Convention in Orlando. There were some amazing conversations, and great parties with great friends, and interesting projects moving into the future. But there was one issue many of us were discussing that deserved this post before I have to pack up and leave for the … Read more
[I had planned on writing this much, much earlier… but as you might guess, a few things happened since Part 1 was published. Like a social media storm around the issue of bad behavior in the industry. Even as I hope for some positive changes, life goes on, and the industry itself does need fixing. … Read more
Well, this should be fun. After Rob’s critique of my last piece about Upstream, I thought it would be appropriate to step into the Notorious octagon. Considering I’m not a trained attorney, that’s probably a mistake (yes, that’s the first of many self-deprecations to bloat my handicap on his turf). I once put a foot … Read more
Longtime readers know I have a wonderful yet odd relationship with Sam Debord. I love the man! He’s one of the best guys in the industry, smart, capable, caring, a true REALTOR who serves as the President of his Association, and a really fun guy to hang with at events. But then you also know … Read more