2025 in the Rearview: Who Got It Right?
Industry Relations
The Industry Relations Podcast is now available on your favorite podcast player! Overview Rob Hahn and Greg Robertson close out the year by revisiting their 2024 predictions and grading how they actually turned out. From transaction volume and mortgage rates to MLS power shifts, NAR’s role, Zillow’s influence, and major industry moments, the episode becomes a candid year-in-review on what really changed—and what didn’t—in real estate. Key Takeaways Greg outperformed Rob on most economic predictions, including transaction volume, mortgage rates, and median home prices. The stock...
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Who Runs Bartertown?
Industry Relations
The Industry Relations Podcast is now available on your favorite podcast player! Overview Rob Hahn and Greg Robertson dig into the escalating conflict between Zillow and MRED over private listing networks (PLNs), IDX rules, and Zillow’s Listing Access Standards (ZLAS). What starts as a dispute over listing visibility quickly becomes a deeper conversation about power: who ultimately controls listing data—the MLS or the portal? The episode explores MRED’s emails to brokers, Zillow’s outreach for direct feeds, potential January disruptions, and why this fight could set a precedent for...
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How Much Transparency Is Too Much?
Industry Relations
The Industry Relations Podcast is now available on your favorite podcast player! Overview In this episode, Rob and Greg dive into the recurring issue of embezzlement and financial mismanagement within small Realtor associations. Using recent cases as a jumping-off point, they debate what “transparency” should actually look like in a member-driven nonprofit, whether associations should provide full access to financial records, and what safeguards could reasonably prevent future financial failures. The discussion gets spirited as they explore audits, member oversight, governance culture, and...
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From ‘Raise the Bar’ to ‘Lower the Stakes’: Real Estate’s Consistency Problem
Industry Relations
The Industry Relations Podcast is now available on your favorite podcast player! Overview Rob and Greg break down the newest developments in NAR governance, the fallout from the failed referral-fee disclosure vote, and the rapid moves by industry players like eXp and CAR to implement their own transparency standards. They also examine broader structural questions: Should MLSs raise the bar? Is the NAR brand salvageable? The conversation then turns to Zillow’s decision to remove climate-risk scores, shifting public sentiment, and the growing political and economic pressures facing housing,...
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Compass and Zillow Play Chicken
Industry Relations
The Industry Relations Podcast is now available on your favorite podcast player! Overview In this episode, Rob and Greg dive into the newly surfaced Zillow–Compass court documents, a leaked Zillow strategy plan, and Mike DelPrete’s analysis of the preliminary injunction hearing. They also discuss the broader market context—from the real cost of living in 2025 to generational tension—and debate whether the lawsuit will meaningfully change industry behavior. The conversation closes with predictions, stakes, and possible compromise paths between Compass and Zillow. Key Takeaways A...
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MLS Emancipation?
Industry Relations
The Industry Relations Podcast is now available on your favorite podcast player! Overview Rob and Greg break down what happened at NAR NXT in Houston — from the empty expo floor to major MLS–Association policy changes. Greg shares on-the-ground insights from meetings, parties, and conversations with MLS leaders, while Rob analyzes the strategic implications of NAR’s 18-point PAG recommendations and what he calls the “emancipation” of MLSs. They also discuss winners and losers of the policy shifts, potential impacts on associations, vendors, portals, and brokers, and tee up a future...
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NAR NXT Grab Bag
Industry Relations
The Listing Bits Podcast is now available on your favorite podcast player! Overview Rob and Greg dig into expectations for the NAR Annual Conference, MLS attendance patterns, and broader industry sentiment heading into 2025. They cover speculation around possible committee decisions, how the settlement fallout is (or isn’t) impacting MLS membership and commissions, and the overall vibe leading into the event. The conversation then shifts to affordability, mortgage rates, and the recent proposal of a 50-year mortgage. They close with discussion of a new Zillow/RESPA-related lawsuit,...
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Mutual customer?
Industry Relations
The Industry Relations Podcast is now available on your favorite podcast player! Overview Rob and Greg discuss Zillow’s recent privacy policy changes to Follow Up Boss and the growing debate around data use and agent trust. They examine how Zillow’s communication strategy has affected its reputation, drawing comparisons to past acquisitions like dotloop and ShowingTime. The conversation explores whether this move signals a broader industry shift in how tech companies handle customer data, AI integration, and transparency with agents. Key Takeaways Zillow’s new Follow Up Boss privacy...
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Organized Real Estate's GTM problem
Industry Relations
The Industry Relations Podcast is now available on your favorite podcast player! Overview Rob and Greg dive into Sean Frank’s Inman article, “NAR and the Real Estate Industry’s Relevance Problem.” They discuss how outdated MLS technology and excessive bureaucracy are stifling innovation in real estate. From permissioning delays to governance breakdowns, the hosts explore why MLS systems feel stuck in “Windows 95 mode” and debate how consolidation or standardization could spark change. Key Takeaways MLS permissioning and governance are major obstacles to innovation. Outdated...
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When Fine Print Hits the Fan
Industry Relations
The Industry Relations Podcast is now available on your favorite podcast player! Overview In this episode, Rob and Greg dive into the controversy surrounding CRMLS’s End User License Agreement (EULA) and the debate over MLS data ownership. The discussion begins with updates in the MLS world that brought attention to how CRMLS’s EULA—originally updated for two-factor authentication—resurfaced older language asserting MLS ownership of listing data. Rob argues that this fundamental change to broker data rights was poorly communicated, while Greg defends CRMLS, emphasizing the operational...
info_outlineThe Industry Relations Podcast is now available on your favorite podcast player!
In this episode of Industry Relations, Rob and Greg tackle the thorny question of who should have access to real estate listing data. Prompted by a Wired article about college students using Zillow to assess classmates’ wealth, Rob argues that the real estate industry should move some listing details—like interior photos and price history—behind a broker-consumer relationship. Greg pushes back, defending the value of open data and the impossibility of cleanly separating legitimate buyers from “random voyeurs.” The conversation dives deep into VOW rules, privacy, and what it means to be a consumer in 2025.
Key Takeaways
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Prompt for the Episode – A Wired article reveals that young people are using Zillow to snoop on classmates’ family wealth, raising privacy questions.
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Rob’s Proposal – Rob suggests moving data like days on market, interior photos, and price change history to the VOW feed instead of IDX.
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VOW vs. IDX – They revisit the 2006 DOJ/NAR settlement that created Virtual Office Websites and debate whether its definitions still work in 2025.
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Who Is a “Legitimate” Consumer? – Rob proposes that anyone willing to speak to an agent qualifies, while Greg argues that even dreamers browsing for years could be future buyers.
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Advertising vs. Research Data – They attempt to draw a distinction between marketing information meant to attract interest and data meant to inform a buyer’s decision.
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Barriers and Incentives – Greg warns that placing obstacles in front of consumers—even just requiring a lead form—might diminish site traffic and engagement.
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Portals and Traffic Obsession – Discussion of how Zillow, Realtor.com, and Homes.com measure success by traffic volume, and why reducing public data might not align with their incentives.
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Consumer Privacy vs. Industry Benefit – Rob argues that the industry has no obligation to serve voyeurs, while Greg questions whether we can—or should—attempt to limit access.
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A Potential VOW Framework – The episode closes with a thought experiment: Should consumers need to name an agent (or form a relationship) before accessing detailed listing info?
Links
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