Words Matter: The Case Against "Listing Data"

Not that there’s anything truly new under the sun when it comes to the old warhorse topic of listing syndication, but… something did occur to me while wading through this nugget on Inman News’ Facebook Page. Is it possible that so much of the discussion is confused because of the word “data”? For example, Saul … Read more

Estately Quietly Proves a Business Model

The Pacific Northwest, where denizens created a religion out of worshipping coffee to overcome the gloom of the rainy months, has somehow become the mecca for technology-based innovation in the real estate industry. Everyone knows about Zillow, of course. Most folks know about Redfin. MarketLeader, and its portal, RealEstate.com are also in the Seattle area … Read more

Grading Time! Reviewing My 2012 Predictions

Welcome to another edition of an annual tradition, in which I go back and grade myself on my predictions made at the start of this year. My track record so far: 2010 Predictions: 6 of 10 (.600) 2011 Predictions: 4.5 of 7 (.642) As was the case last year, I’m hoping to be wrong more … Read more

How Do You Like Me Now? On RealEstate.com and IDX

  Yes, I know, I know. Nobody likes a “I told you so”. It’s obnoxious and childish. But… I just can’t resist! So forgive your humble scribe as I do a victory lap around the Tree of Nostradamus. About what, you ask? Well, it appears that RealEstate.com is relaunching as a lead generation website using … Read more

In Which I Try to Make Sense of the Austin IDX Kerfuffle

  I had to interrupt my series on Redfin 3.0 and what it might mean for brokerages because parts of the RE.net just blew up over the past day or two. AgentGenius (AGBeat?) reports that there is a dispute going on in Austin, Texas, between a group of brokers and agents (who mostly serve the … Read more

Deceased Equine Shall Be Assaulted: Start Thinking Beyond IDX

  It’s late, and I’m fairly certain that this horse I’m about to pound on some more is long since departed for greener pastures in the hereafter… but hey, what the hell, right? So by now all readers of Notorious ROB have seen the latest developments in the Syndication Serenade: Metrolist pulls IDX from Diverse … Read more

In Which I Clarify My Worries Over Syndication and IDX, And Connect The Dots

The average denizen of the RE.net cybercafe — that includes you, since you’re reading this on a blog — knows that the hot topic du jour is syndication. I wrote about it here and here already, but frankly, have been talking about this issue for quite some time. And influential bloggers like Jay Thompson and … Read more

The Fly in the Syndication Ointment…

Another brief update, before my day of continuous meetings begin…. Regarding my post yesterday on the syndication brouhaha brought on by Abbott Realty Group… first, you need to read Jay Thompson’s take on the subject. He takes longer to articulate the issue than I did, and I think more clearly than I have: If you … Read more