Over on Inman, Sam Debord, CEO of RESO, longtime friend of ours (even if we argue a bunch in public), and all around great guy penned an Op/Ed titled “Unshackling MLS data: It’s time to accelerate NOW.” I figured Sam was a supporter of the National Organization of Women, but… oh wait, different NOW. Sam … Read more
[EDIT: This post has been updated with responses from Compass, and my further responses to those responses.] [EDIT: I have updated the post once again, with another round of clarifications from Compass Spokesperson.] This week is when NAR will decide on what to do about Off-MLS and Coming Soon. I have already written thousands of … Read more
Emily Chenevert, the CEO of Austin Board of REALTORS and its MLS, ACTRIS, is one of my favorite people in the industry. We have known each other for years now from when she served as the Government Affairs Director for ABOR, and even then, I knew she was destined for greatness. Emily is smart as … Read more
Coming Soon and all of the off-MLS shenanigans have become an increasing problem within the industry, especially for the MLS. I’ve written about this here, here, and here (this post is VIP only). My position on MLS and systematic Coming Soon programs ought to be crystal clear by now, as I wrote in the Peace … Read more
Back in February, I wrote a long post imploring the Young Professionals Network (YPN) of the National Association of REALTORS to take up housing affordability as their issue: Homeownership is not under attack; if anything, homeownership is widely subsidized and supported, in large part because of REALTOR political action. Think about it. Mortgage interest deduction … Read more
In the all-important Moehrl v. NAR case, NAR has filed a motion to dismiss, and submitted a brief in support of that motion. I’ll embed it below. This is all but guaranteed in just about any serious civil litigation these days involving serious lawyers who get paid by the hour. I remember my Civil Procedures … Read more
I’m busy and about to head off to a strategy session, but I had to share this with you all — especially with those who are in leadership positions in REALTOR Associations and local/regional MLSs. I may have thoughts on this in the future, but for now, let me just tell you that this might … Read more
I realize I just posted on the future of the MLS, and normally, I’d let posts sit for a few days to “mature” but this is far too big an event and far too big a deal to wait. In case you missed it, a class action lawsuit was filed with the United States District … Read more
It’s been a good long while, I know, and I apologize. But life has become a bit insane, with travel, client work, and of course, writing a 90-page report on the truth about Millennials as real estate consumers. The February Red Dot just went live today, so I can finally write this post I’ve been … Read more