Listing Bits Episode 83: Revolutionizing Member Engagement for MLSs + Associations – with Nick Gough of NoteRouter
Release Date: 09/25/2023
The Amazing Annie Ives
Listing Bits
🎙️ 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 everything from her humble beginnings in Los Angeles, to taking down...
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Brian Donnellan and the future of cooperation
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🎙️ 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 design • How playing in bands helped Brian lead...
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A floor plan with every listing
Listing Bits
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 made floor plans mandatory and how it enhances listing accuracy and consumer experience. •...
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Building Real Estate Technology: The Story of Real Geeks with Kevin McCarthy
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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 real estate technology. Key Topics Discussed: 1. The Birth of Real Geeks • How Kevin’s move...
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Listing Bits Podcast: The Front-endless MLS System with Carlos Grass and Paul Hethmon of Amplify
Listing Bits
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 customization, data control, and integration with new technologies. 2. Innovative Technology...
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Listing Bits Podcast: Austin Allison, CEO of Pacaso
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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 career early, getting his license at 18. His early experiences selling homes during college...
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A working agent’s perspective on the current state of organized real estate- Maggie Etheridge, REALTOR.
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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 what the pundits are getting wrong. It was a great conversation and a huge reality check...
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Real estate data, myths and cowboy boots with Kevin Shtofman of Cherre
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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 affordability, real estate myths, and the changing vendor landscape. Kevin is a super smart guy, and I found...
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Dan Fortin of Lone Wolf Technologies on designing a proper Foundation
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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 making decisions has helped him during his career. We also get to talk about Lone Wolf's recent...
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Listing Bits Episode 91: Tether RE, keeping Agents Safe
Listing Bits
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 serial entrepreneur, we talk about where the idea came from, and the journey...
info_outlineMLSs 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 NoteRouter.
Nick describes how NoteRouter helps users write content that connects with REALTORS individually and discusses why the presentation of your message matters as much as the value you provide.
Listen in for Nick’s insight on leveraging influencer marketing to reach more REALTORS and learn how to humanize your outreach by focusing on the real pains your members face.
What’s Discussed:
Why Nick dropped out of college and became a real estate agent at 18
Nick’s experience in leadership of associations and MLSs and how it drove him to build NoteRouter
How NoteRouter solves the problem of member engagement
Using email and text outreach to help associations and MLSs connect with the people they serve
How NoteRouter helps users write content that connects with REALTORS individually
Why presentation matters just as much as the value you provide
NoteRouter’s expertise in outbound communication through email service and telecom providers
Why NoteRouter is designed around the principle of permission-based marketing
Why it’s crucial for MLSs and associations to learn influencer marketing
The relationship between email open rates and subject lines
The benefit of humanizing your outreach and focusing on real pains members face
How the latest MLS outage impacted Nick and the team at NoteRouter
Connect with Nick Gough:
Email [email protected]
Resources:
The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcom Gladwell
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