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Listing Bits

Greg Robertson, co-founder of W+R Studios and publisher of Vendor Alley, talks real estate technology with the people who are shaping it.
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Now displaying: 2020
Oct 27, 2020

Owning a second home can be an enriching experience, allowing us to make priceless memories with friends and family. But many can’t afford to buy a vacation home, nor does it make much sense to leave a house sitting empty for ten-plus months, even if you can afford it. So, what if you could buy a share of a second home and enjoy true ownership for a fraction of the cost and hassle?

 

***MAKE SURE YOU CONSULT WITH A CPA.  THIS PODCAST AND ITS CONTENT ARE NOT INTENDED TO GIVE TAX/INVESTMENT ADVICE ON LOSS/GAIN OF PASSIVE INCOME*****

 

Austin Allison is the Cofounder and CEO of Pacaso, a startup designed to make the dream of second homeownership a reality for more people. The platform allows up to eight people to buy a share of a vacation home for much less—in a way that is seamless, hassle-free, and without risk. Austin’s first venture was Dotloop, the real estate transaction management solution he built in 2008 and sold to Zillow in 2015.

 

On this episode of Listing Bits, Austin introduces us to the benefits of co-owning a second home through Pacaso over the DIY model, explaining what differentiates a Pacaso from a resort or hotel timeshare. He describes how the platform’s scheduling feature works and why it can actually be better to own a property with people you don’t know versus friends and family. Listen in for Austin’s insight on how his company makes money and learn how you might use Pacaso as a second home buyer, seller or real estate agent.

 

What’s Discussed: 

 

How Austin’s frustration with creating and signing documents as an agent inspired the creation of Dotloop

How Pacaso’s mission around second home ownership inspired the company name

The broad range of people Pacaso serves and the potential market for second homes in the US and Europe

What differentiates a Pacaso from a resort or hotel timeshare

--True ownership vs. rights to use

--Single-family home

--Easy to resell

Why Pacaso prohibits short-term rental activity in its properties

How Pacaso’s scheduling feature allows users to reserve dates in a way that corresponds with their ownership level

How Pacaso makes money through a markup on the real estate and asset management fees

What happens if a Pacaso home increases in value

The benefits of owning a home with people you don’t know through Pacaso over the DIY model

The potential tax benefits of owning a second home with Pacaso

How the Pacaso process works for buyers, sellers, and real estate agents

Connect with Austin: 

Pacaso

Austin on LinkedIn

 

Resources:

Dotloop

California Association of Realtors’ Partnership with zipLogix

The a16z Podcast

The a16z Podcast on Joint Home Ownership

Sponsor:

Cloud CMA

Aug 25, 2020

It’s easier to gain a seller’s trust when you have the data to back you up. But where can agents and brokers go for real-time buyer data? And how do we turn those numbers into actionable insights to earn new business?

Ashley Terrell is the Executive Vice President of Partnerships at Buyside, a real estate tech platform that helps real estate professionals leverage intelligent buyer data to capture seller leads, win more listings and close more transaction sides in-house. Prior to joining Buyside, Ashley served as the Director of Account Management and Director of Strategic Growth at Constellation Software and the Director of Account Management and Product Marketing at Real Estate Digital.

On this episode of Listing Bits, Ashley explains how Buyside partners with other vendors to procure data and provide its users with seamless product integration. She offers insight around the current buyer landscape, sharing her take on why there’s such a boom in real estate right now. Listen in for Ashley’s insight on the resources available to help agents use the Buyside tools and learn how to leverage buyer data to win your next listing presentation.

 

What’s Discussed: 

Ashley’s background in tech and how she was introduced to the real estate tech space

How Buyside serves as a seller lead gen tool and helps agents win listing presentations

How Buyside procures data from vendors like Zillow, ShowingTime, etc.

Buyside’s focus on seamless product integration to create the best possible user experience

Ashley’s insight around the current buyer landscape in real estate

Ashley’s take on why there’s such a boom in real estate right now

How agents and brokers can leverage buyer data in a listing presentation

--Help seller price home

--Marketing strategy

--Pool of buyers

How Buyside serves large brokerages vs. small brokerages and large teams

The value proposition for Buyside in a buyer’s market

Ashley’s commitment to building out resources that help agents use the Buyside tools

 

Connect with Ashley:

Buyside

Ashley on LinkedIn

Resources:

Market Leader

Sharper Agent

Real Living

John Hensley

John Heithaus on Listing Bits EP061

Charles Williams

ShowingTime

RealScout

Cloud CMA

Inman News

‘Existing Home Sales Skyrocket Amid Pandemic, Inventory Down’ in Inman News

ShowingTime’s June 2020 Showing Index Results

Buyside Help Center

 

Sponsor:

Cloud CMA

Aug 17, 2020

The five most stressful life events include the death of a loved one, divorce, major illness or injury, job loss, and moving. But a new proptech platform is working to take relocation off the list with a tool that makes the experience of moving less stressful, less expensive, and more efficient.

 

John Heithaus is a serial entrepreneur and venture investor with 30-plus years of experience in strategic marketing, corporate strategy, and product development. He has co-founded or served as a founding executive of four real estate startups, generating nearly $100M in successful exits. One of John’s current projects is OK Move Me, a proptech tool that offers consumers a one-stop resource for planning, moving, and settling into a new place.

 

On this episode of Listing Bits, John explains how OK Move Me works, walking us through the four phases of the moving process and describing the site’s interactive task lists for each. He discusses how the vendors promoted on the platform are vetted and share what the team is doing to provide an outstanding customer experience. Listen in for insight into how OK Move Me generates revenue and find out why the site is looking to partner with traditional real estate agents and brokers.

 

What’s Discussed: 

 

John’s unique background in real estate, proptech investing and the music business

What inspired John’s return to building an online marketplace for moving + relocation services

OK Move Me’s four phases of the moving process and associated interactive task lists

--Planning

--Moving

--Move-in

--Settling in

How OK Move Me serves as a referral organization rather than a direct service provider

OK Move Me’s affiliate agreements with vendors on the site

What makes OK Move Me users a coveted cohort

How OK Move Me vendors are vetted and held to a high standard

The potential for OK Move Me to partner with traditional real estate agents and brokers

How OK Move Me is promoting the site through social media ads and content marketing

OK Move Me’s alliance with moving company brands that focus on customer experience

OK Move Me’s Reddit approach to procuring user feedback

 

Connect with John:

OK Move Me

My OK Move Me

 

Resources:

Buyside

Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp

SuperStar Factory Productions

Pure Music Nashville

Artisanship Music

Moving.com

Best Places to Live

Jonathan Miller

Sharma Packers and Movers

Edwin Tichenor

Relocation.com

Move.com

Updater

Moove Guru

The Knot

Relocation Stress Syndrome

Broker Public Portal

MILLIE

Indeed

ZipRecruiter

Monster

AARP

Wirecutter

Honey

Opendoor’s Deal with Realtor.com

Zillow’s Partnership with DR Horton

SIRVA

Sponsor:

Cloud CMA Live

Aug 6, 2020

Who’s ready to get geeky about MLS?

Collaborations among MLS organizations are usually about sharing data. But MLS Aligned takes collaboration to another level, promoting dialogue among their in-house technology teams and putting the tech tools they have developed to work in each other’s markets.

Matt Consalvo is the CEO at Arizona Regional MLS, Chris Carrillo is the CEO of Wisconsin’s Metro MLS, and Brad Bjelke is the CEO at UtahRealEstate.com. Together, with a few other MLS organizations are principles at MLS Aligned, a collaboration of five forward-thinking MLS organizations that are coming together to change the industry.

On this episode of Listing Bits, Matt, Chris, and Brad share the MLS Aligned origin story and discuss how their in-house tech teams benefit from the ability to share best practices. They introduce us to the MLS Aligned API, describing how it is designed to follow RESO standards while providing additional fields and features for vendors, brokers, and other MLSs. Listen in to understand how MLS Aligned might support smaller MLSs with fewer resources and learn about the organization’s mission to provide high-quality products with a local focus.

What’s Discussed: 

How MLS Aligned grew out of a conversation among MLS CEOs and CTOs

How the tech teams of MLS Aligned members benefit from the ability to share best practices

Examples of MLS Aligned collaborations where tech has been plugged into other markets

The Market Initiative partnership between ARMLS and Metro MLS

Why the MLS Aligned API is designed to avoid data replication

How the MLS Aligned API follows RESO standards while providing additional fields + features

How vendors are using the MLS Aligned API

How MLSs might collaborate to adapt to moving trends prompted by the pandemic

What differentiates MLS Aligned from other MLS collaborations (e.g.: MLS Grid, MLS Roundtable, etc.)

--Collaboration among MLSs with in-house technology teams

--Mission to deliver a high-quality product with a local focus

How MLS Aligned might serve as a lifeboat for smaller MLSs with fewer resources

The focus on inclusivity at MLS Aligned

Why the principals at MLS Aligned are committed to building success before they start selling

Resources:

ARMLS

Metro MLS

UtahRealEstate.com

Monsoon Tax Records System

MLS Grid

Jim Harrison

ARMLS & Metro MLS Market Initiative

The Marquette Airbnb Study of Milwaukee STRs

Sam DeBord at RESO

CMLS

MLS Roundtable

Kurt von Wasmuth

Dave Wetzel

 

Connect with Matt, Chris & Brad: 

MLS Aligned

Email info@mlsaligned.com

 

Sponsor:

Cloud CMA Live

Jul 28, 2020

Most real estate agents look down on rentals, preferring to work solely with clients looking to buy in the next three to six months. What they don’t realize is that there are $12B in leasing commissions available to those agents who are willing to work with renters. And they’re missing out on the opportunity to build relationships with the homebuyers of tomorrow. But how do you find out what rentals are available in your market—when only a small percentage are listed on the MLS?

 

Ishay Grinberg [pronounced ee-shy] is the Founder and President of Rental Beast, the MLS for rentals. The platform helps tenants and landlords navigate the rental experience and levels the playing field for agents and brokers, giving them access to a comprehensive database of rental listings. Ishay has 20-plus years of experience in the real estate industry, working as an agent and managing broker for firms in New York City and Boston before creating Rental Beast.

 

On this episode of Listing Bits, Ishay introduces us to the Rental Beast platform and describes the opportunity available to real estate agents who are open to working with renters. He explains how the platform facilitates a fully virtualized transaction that is driven by the agent, exploring what the sales side of our industry can learn about virtualization from rentals. Listen in for Ishay’s insight on integrating Rental Beast with existing MLSs and learn how the platform helps agents earn more by generating transactions on the rental side.

 

What’s Discussed: 

 

Why Ishay describes Rental Beast as the MLS for rentals

The 50 unique data points Rental Beast collects for each property

Ishay’s experience in the NYC market where there is no MLS

The $12B in leasing commissions available to agents who are willing to work with renters

How working with renters helps agents build relationships with the homebuyers of tomorrow

What JCHS research reveals about the growing affluence of renters in the US

How Rental Beast facilitates a fully virtualized transaction driven by the agent

How agents can leverage Rental Beast’s AVM for rentals

What the sales side of real estate can learn about virtualization from the rental industry

--Streamline and digitize the closing process

--Touchless showings

Reading the local market to decide whether to hold or flip an investment property

Rental Beast’s vision for embedding themselves in the MLS universe via integration

The positive results brokers are seeing from the use of Rental Beast

 

Resources:

RESO

Harvard’s JCHS Research

FBS

Invitation Homes

MRED

MRED’s Partnership with Rental Beast

Connect with Ishay:

Rental Beast

Sponsor:

Cloud CMA Live

Apr 1, 2020

While we may not be able to predict exactly how the current health crisis will impact organized real estate moving forward, most of us would agree that change is in the air. The kind of change that could transform the way we do business altogether. So, how is the Coronavirus changing the way we think about the spaces where we live and work? And how might this new perspective lead to foundational shifts in our industry?

Jessie Beaudoin is the Founder and CEO of CallAction, a lead engagement automation platform that helps real estate agents capture, track, and respond to leads from online and offline marketing channels. He has 35 years of experience in real estate, working as a mortgage broker for nearly two decades before his interest in efficiency and scale led him to the technology space. Now, Jessie is on a mission to help businesses do more in less time through intelligent sales and marketing automation.

On this episode of Listing Bits, Jessie discusses the foundational shifts in real estate that may come from the Coronavirus pandemic, exploring how the crisis is changing the way we define ‘home’ and why the efficiencies of working remotely might shift the way we do business moving forward. He offers insight into why we lean on technology in moments of crisis and how the virus could impact the housing market in the months ahead. Listen in to understand what mainstream adoption of virtual showings means for real estate agents and get Jessie’s advice on what YOU can do to step up as a leader for your clients and your family in this challenging time.

What’s Discussed: 

Jessie’s background in real estate and segue into the technology space

How the Coronavirus is giving us a newfound appreciation of what home means

How the efficiency of working remotely might change commercial real estate

Why we leverage technology in moments of crisis

The positive foundational shifts that may come from the COVID-19 pandemic

-  Appreciate being together, hyper-focused during appointments

-  Written + verbal communication more clear, poignant and thoughtful

How mainstream adoption of virtual and self-showings could impact agents

Jessie’s insight around how the virus might affect the housing market

The innovations that emerged in the last recession

Jessie’s advice for agents on navigating the current health crisis

     -  Leverage overcommunication and connection
     -  Depend on technology to scale efforts
     -  Step up as a leader for clients and family

How CallAction allows agents to scale their communication via automation

Resources:

Zoom

Real Estate for Millennials vs. Baby Boomers

Gary Vaynerchuk’s Keynote at Inman Connect 2016

Connect with Jessie: 

CallAction

Call (323) 741-2255

Jessie’s Blog

Jessie on LinkedIn

Mar 10, 2020

Out of 565 Multiple Listing Services nationwide, 82 serve less than 100 brokers and agents. Unsurprisingly, this means that the nation’s 20 largest Multiple Listing Services serve over 50 percent of the nation’s total MLS subscribers. These statistics didn’t exist a year ago, but thanks to the Real Estate Almanac, the disparity is clear. Now that we understand the scale of the issue, how can we make changes to better serve agents, brokers, and their clients?

Clint Skutchan is the vice president of T3 Sixty’s association and MLS division. T3 Sixty is an industry-leading management consultancy and research company that focuses on residential real estate brokerage. Clint has over a decade of experience in the real estate industry and previously served as CEO of a realtor association in Colorado. He established an independent consulting company in 2014. In 2018, he joined T3 Sixty.

On this episode of Listing Bits, Clint discusses T3 Sixty’s latest undertaking: Real Estate Almanac. He explains where the idea for a comprehensive list of MLSs and associations came from and talks about some of the surprises that came out of that list. Listen in for Clint’s insight on the future of the Real Estate Almanac and how the data it consolidates will impact the industry, and the nation as a whole. 

What’s Discussed: 

How Clint got involved in T3 Sixty

What the Real Estate Almanac is and what it says about the industry

Why T3 Sixty put the latest MLS and association list together

What issues MLSs and associations are facing nationwide

Whether Clint thinks NAR membership will stagnate, drop, or continue increasing

How the list of MLSs and associations has shrunken in five years

Why MLSs choose not to consolidate

How smaller MLSs might tackle some of the issues they face

What’s next for the Real Estate Almanac

Resources:

T3 Sixty

Real Estate Almanac

Top Associations/MLS

Connect with Clint:

Follow Clint on Twitter

Follow Clint on LinkedIn

Feb 14, 2020

According to research conducted by Freddie Mac, there are 83 million mortgage-ready renters in the US! But most grossly overestimate how much they need for a down payment and very few know about the low down payment programs available to low and moderate-income home buyers. How much could a real estate business grow simply by making down payment assistance part of its business development strategy?

Rob Chrane is the CEO of Down Payment Resource, a platform that aggregates down payment assistance program data and connects homebuyers with down payment assistance. Rob has more than 30 years of experience as a top-producing Realtor and mortgage broker, and he has been recognized as a HousingWire Vanguard for his leadership in the housing economy.

 

On this episode of Listing Bits, Rob discusses who down payment assistance is designed to help and why some agents and lenders are reluctant to incorporate these programs into their workflow. We also discuss the evolution of Proptech as well as the pros and cons of the fractional ownership model. Listen in for insight around how Down Payment Resource shares its data with MLSs, lending companies, and individual agents and LOs—and learn about the massive opportunity available to real estate players with access to down payment assistance tools.

 

What’s Discussed: 

How Rob connects homebuyers with down payment assistance

What inspired Rob to create Down Payment Resource

Who down payment assistance programs are designed to help

Why agents and lenders are reluctant to use these programs

How Down Payment Resource gets its data to industry players

  1. MLSs and Associations
  2. Enterprise solutions for lenders
  3. Down Payment Connect (individual agents, LOs)

How Down Payment Resource makes money via a subscription model

How Rob thinks about the Proptech fractional ownership model

How DPR’s data shows up for MLS clients vs. individual agents

 

Resources:

Urban Land Institute

Freddie Mac Housing & Economic Research

Cloud CMA

MGIC

Divvy

Shelley Specchio

 

Connect with Rob: 

Down Payment Resource

Down Payment Connect

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