Listing Bits

Meet Ben Kinney, the new owner of Remine

In this episode of Listing Bits , Greg Robertson sits down with Ben Kinney , CEO and co-founder of Place , to talk about Place’s acquisition of Remine , how Ben built his PropTech empire from the ground up, and what’s next for the platform. Ben shares his personal journey from growing up in rural Washington to building a half-billion-dollar business, and lays out his vision for supporting agents, MLSs, and consumers through technology, services, and long-term stability. Key Takeaways Place Acqui...

The Amazing Annie Ives

🎙️ Listing Bits Episode: The Amazing Annie Ives Host: Greg Robertson Guest: Annie Ives, CEO of The MLS™ / VestaPlus Duration: ~40 min 👋 Episode Summary: In this episode, Greg sits down with Annie Ives, a true titan in the world of organized real estate. From her early days immigrating from Tunisia to building and reviving one of the most resilient MLS organizations in the country, Annie shares her personal and professional journey with candor, humor, and a hint of rebellion. They cover everyth...

Brian Donnellan and the future of cooperation

🎙️ Listing Bits: Brian Donnellan, CEO of Bright MLS Host: Greg Robertson Guest: Brian Donnellan, CEO of Bright MLS Episode Summary: Greg sits down with Bright MLS CEO Brian Donnellan for a candid conversation about leadership, music, and the shifting dynamics in real estate. They dive into design, the Clear Cooperation Policy, Wall Street’s influence, and why cooperation—not just compensation—is the heart of MLS value. What You’ll Learn: • Why Bright MLS invests so heavily in communication and ...

A floor plan with every listing

In this episode of Listing Bits , Greg Robertson is joined by Megan McFarlane from New Mexico MLS and Jeff Allen from CubiCasa to discuss the growing importance of floor plans in real estate listings. They dive into why New Mexico MLS has taken the bold step of requiring floor plans on every listing, how technology like CubiCasa is making this easier, and the industry-wide momentum pushing for more complete and transparent listing content . Key Takeaways • New Mexico MLS’s Bold Move : Why they m...

Building Real Estate Technology: The Story of Real Geeks with Kevin McCarthy

Episode Summary : In this episode, Greg Robertson talks with Kevin McCarthy, co-founder and CEO of Real Geeks, about his journey from a small-town tech enthusiast to creating a leading real estate technology company. Kevin shares insights into Real Geeks’ origins, its evolution, and how its all-in-one platform empowers real estate agents. The conversation touches on the early challenges of building a tech company, the role of SEO in the early internet era, and how AI is shaping the future of rea...

Listing Bits Podcast: The Front-endless MLS System with Carlos Grass and Paul Hethmon of Amplify

Overview: Greg Robertson sits down with Carlos Grass and Paul Hethmon, co-founders of Amplify, to discuss their innovative “front-endless” MLS backend platform. This episode highlights Amplify’s unique approach to creating a flexible, adaptable MLS backend designed to empower MLSs with greater control and cutting-edge technology. Key Takeaways: 1. Amplify’s Mission and Flexibility: • Amplify offers a decoupled backend solution that allows MLSs to use multiple frontends, enabling greater customiz...

Listing Bits Podcast: Austin Allison, CEO of Pacaso

Overview: In this episode, Greg Robertson chats with Austin Allison, CEO of Pacaso, about his entrepreneurial journey in real estate, starting with Dotloop and transitioning to his current venture, Pacaso. The discussion covers lessons learned from his early career, how Pacaso is revolutionizing second home ownership, and insights into raising capital through innovative approaches like Regulation A. Key Takeaways: 1. Austin’s Journey in Real Estate: • Austin Allison started his real estate caree...

A working agent’s perspective on the current state of organized real estate- Maggie Etheridge, REALTOR.

I sat down with a long-time friend and former business partner, Maggie Etheridge. Maggie was one of my co-founders at IRIS, a real estate software company we started back in 1992. She is a second-generation real estate agent. Maggie’s mom, Martie, was the inspiration for starting a software company focused on real estate and is likely the reason I have a career today. This episode began from a series of texts between Maggie and me about her thoughts on NAR, the lawsuits, exclusive listings, and ...

Real estate data, myths and cowboy boots with Kevin Shtofman of Cherre

Listing Bits is back with a great guest, Kevin Shtofman, Global Head of Innovation at Cherre. Cherre is a global real estate data management platform. Kevin is from Texas and comes from a very entrepreneurial family that owned retail stores selling western wear, including honest-to-goodness cowboy boots! Yee-haw! Kevin talks about his journey from Wall Street back to Dallas and Cherre. It’s a great conversation where we dive into the breadth of real estate data available now, housing affordabili...

Dan Fortin of Lone Wolf Technologies on designing a proper Foundation

Dan Fortin was one of my favorite people I met working at Lone Wolf. He came over from the Instanet acquisition and has had a front-row seat to see big changes in the industry. From Lone Wolf acquiring 8 companies, 5 of them in less than 9 months, to the challenges of being a forms company during COVID when everyone wanted a specific form, and they wanted it NOW! Sounds familiar, eh? We discuss Dan's background, the lessons he's learned over the 10 years, and how taking a data-driven approach to...

Listing Bits Episode 91: Tether RE, keeping Agents Safe

What do Willie Nelson and keeping real estate agents safe have in common? You will have to listen to this great conversation with Tether RE founder Scott Martin to find out. Did you know that in 2020 60,000 real estate agents reported being victims of assault, sexual abuse, robbery or were murdered in the US? In 2023 over 75,000 real estate agents reported being victim of a crime. And there are a ton of more incidents that go unreported. In this wide ranging conversation with Scott Martin, a ser...

Listing Bits Episode 90: Upgrading Client Engagement with HŌM

I hope you enjoy this great conversation with the co-founders of HŌM, Jeff Zakrzewski and Nhan Vo. In a wide ranging conversation we discuss their orgin story. Where they came up for the idea of their app and the struggles of going to market with a real estate software solution. If you are new vendor getting in to the space, an MLS exec, or franchisor professional its worth a listen. HŌM is a well designed app that is doing a lot of interesting things with data and collaboration with some great ...

Listing Bits Episode 89: Kelly Robinson, an MLS pioneer comes back for more

"Hotel California", is one of the phrases people attribute to the organized real estate industry, "you can can check-out any time you like, but you can never leave". Kelly Robinson is an industry pioneer in that she co-founded a software company, Realty Plus Online, that created one of the first web-based MLS systems. In my conversation with Kelly we talked about the old days, her journey, and what brings her back to organized real estate game. It's a fun conversation between old friends and tal...

Listing Bits Episode 88: Does NAR Have Value Beyond MLS Access? – with Michael Lissack of The Virtual Realty Group

The verdict against NAR in the Sitzer lawsuit has organized real estate up in arms. But Michael Lissack thinks the decision is the best thing to happen to the industry in 100 years. In fact, he sees the trade association as a criminal enterprise with little value beyond MLS access. Michael is Managing Broker for The Virtual Realty Group, a 100% commission brokerage that operates in 12 states. On this episode of Listing Bits, Michael joins Greg to discuss the real issue behind the lawsuits agains...

Listing Bits Episode 87: Ben Graboske’s Big Bet

In 2020 Ben knew they needed to make a change. So he went to the Black Knight board and made a pitch, “give me the resources to build a modern MLS system”. To his surprise, they said yes. Now, 3 years later, that dream has been realized. His dream was a mobile-first MLS platform that understands the history of how MLS platforms operate but offers a modern user experience. That’s exactly what Ben Graboske and Lucie Fortier are working on, and their new product, Paragon Connect , is ready for its ...

Listing Bits Episode 85: A Less, But Better Approach to Real Estate Software Design – with Damien Huze of Lone Wolf Technologies

Listing Bits EP085: A Less, But Better Approach to Real Estate Software Design – with Damien Huze of Lone Wolf Technologies Among Dieter Rams’ Ten Principles of Design is the idea that good design is as little design as possible. Less, but better. And Damien Huze believes that the next evolution of real estate software will apply this concept, offering fewer high-quality apps that work together in a fluid system. Damien is Senior Design Manager and Principal Designer at Lone Wolf Technologies , ...

Listing Bits Episode 86: A Deal Tracker Built for Agents – with Vijay Gopalswamy of Trackxi

In 2021, Vijay Gopalswamy’s real estate business was growing like gangbusters. And at one point, he had 32 active transactions. Which meant Vijay was spending every morning with his team, going over each transaction and asking, ‘Did you send this? Did you follow up with that? Did this contract get signed?’ But when he looked at the “transaction management” software on the market, Vijay realized that it was built for brokerages, not agents. So, he set out to solve his own problem. Vijay is Cofoun...

Listing Bits EP84 - Tom MacLeod

Listing Bits Episode 83: Revolutionizing Member Engagement for MLSs + Associations – with Nick Gough of NoteRouter

MLSs and associations face an issue Nick Gough refers to as RDR, an acronym for REALTORS don’t read. So, what can these organizations do to communicate more effectively with the members they serve? Nick is Founder and CEO at NoteRouter , the all-in-one email and texting platform designed to help organized real estate achieve record-high member engagement. On this episode of Listing Bits, Nick shares his experience in leadership of associations and MLSs, explaining how it drove him to build NoteR...

Listing Bits EP82 - Jeremy Henley of QuikFix

Listing Bits EP081: Building Proptech for Real Estate Teams – with Brian Charlesworth of Sisu

Teams are the future of real estate. And one proptech vendor is capitalizing on this trend by helping team leaders run an effective business. What’s more, most of the teams on his platform double their business every year—even in the current market. Brian Charlesworth is Founder and CEO of Sisu , an end-to-end real estate platform for teams that streamlines the transaction process, bringing all REALTORS, vendors and clients together. On this episode of Listing Bits, Brian shares his background i...

Listing Bits EP080: Does ‘Your Listing, Your Lead’ Jive with IDX Attribution Policy? – with Michael Wurzer, Greg Fischer & Andy Woolley

Two years ago, NAR policy was updated to give brokers and agents attribution rights, meaning they get to decide how they appear in listings. But Homes.com employs a ‘your listing, your lead’ model, displaying the listing agent’s contact information. So, does this comply with NAR’s attribution policy? And what else do we need to think about as companies like Zillow and Homes.com switch to IDX? On this episode of Listing Bits, Michael Wurzer, CEO of real estate software company FBS , Greg Fischer,...

Listing Bits Podcast: Elevating Women in Real Estate – with Lauren Martin of RentSpree

Lauren Martin began her career in the fashion industry to be among powerful women. But when she transitioned to proptech, she realized that real estate is the true pinnacle of girl power. And yet, women are not always represented in leadership. So, when she landed her current role as Senior Account Director of Partnerships at RentSpree , Lauren approached her CEO about creating RENEW , the Real Estate Network for Empowered Women, an initiative that seeks to connect and champion female profession...

LIsting Bits Podcast: Pooling Resources & Expertise Among MLSs – with Betsy Hanson of Markt

From a vendor’s perspective, small MLSs are the most challenging to work with. And that’s no surprise, seeing as how they have fewer resources than the big players in the space. So, how do we support MLSs with fewer than 400 members in keeping up with NAR rules, for example? Is there a way MLSs might share marketing, support and compliance services in a way that makes the market work better for all involved? Betsy Hanson is General Manager and General Counsel at Markt , a multi-MLS service organ...

Listing Bits Episode 77: Using Showing Data to Guide Decision making with Wes Hartman of Showingly

Most showing management software aggregates data. But how useful is it to get a report at the end of the month? What if the data was presented in a way that helped agents answer seller questions in real time and make informed choices based on the numbers? Wes Hartman is CEO of Showingly , a showing management solution that uses data and analytics to guide better decision-making. On this episode of Listing Bits, Wes walks us through the key metrics Showingly looks at to drive pricing decisions an...

Turn Your Clients into Lifelong Fans – with Rivers Pearce of Milestones

A solid fan base is what makes a rock band successful, and it’s no different for real estate professionals. But most of us focus on the individual transaction and miss an opportunity to build long-term relationships with our existing clients and turn them into raving fans. And that means missed opportunities for referrals and repeat business. Rivers Pearce is CMO of Milestones , a homeowner management platform that helps agents and lenders turn single transactions into forever clients. On this e...

Listing Bits Episode 75: Get Your Time Back with Automated Webinars – with Melissa Kwan of eWebinar

Listing Bits is back! If your role in real estate involves sales demos or any kind of training, you’re likely familiar with the frustration of delivering the same webinar over and over again. Or worse, preparing a webinar that is either poorly attended or no one shows up. But what if you could do 100 or even 1,000 webinars a month—without getting in front of a camera? Melissa Kwan is Cofounder and CEO of eWebinar , a platform that saves people from repeatedly delivering the same webinar by turni...

Listing Bits Episode 74: Zillow’s One Data Source Solution for MLSs – with Katie Smithson of Bridge Interactive

NAR’s MLS Policy Statement 8.6 goes into effect on September 1, 2022. So, what tools are available to make the implementation of the new One Data Source Policy easier for MLSs? Katie Smithson is Director of MLS Relations at Zillow Group, where she leads the team building their MLS data licensing and distribution platform, Bridge Interactive . Prior to joining Zillow, she spent eight years with W+R Studios as Director of Enterprise Sales and Director of MLS Services. On this episode of Listing Bi...

Listing Bits Podcast Episode 73: A New Business Model for the MLS – with Colette Stevenson of REsides

What if it was easy for an MLS to raise money to develop the data services it needs and run the software its customers use? Colette Stevenson is CEO of REsides , the premier MLS in South Carolina. Formerly known as Hilton Head MLS, REsides serves REALTORS who represent properties in both South Carolina and Georgia, maintaining the most dependable and powerful data in the marketplace. On this episode of Listing Bits, Colette shares the story of the rebrand from Hilton Head MLS to REsides, explain...

Listing Bits Episode 72: Floor Plan Tech for Desktop Appraisals – with Jeff Allen of CubiCasa

Approximately 8 million appraisals were conducted in the US last year. By contrast, there are only 40,000 active real estate appraisers. So, it's no surprise that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are exploring appraisal modernization initiatives like the desktop appraisal option. But to make these alternatives to the traditional appraisal work, we need data in the form of an accurate floor plan. And we need it at scale. Jeff Allen is EVP of Innovation Labs Clear Capital , a leading property valuation ...