Text message threads have become common evidence in court. It’s time to rethink text message conversations about business (1,2,3). Texts often exclude important context. Emojis arrived to help with context, but even they can fail to have a common meaning. Outside parties can apply their own interpretations to your messages, cherry-pick or string together unrelated conversations. IMO, Read more…
What’s the difference between an MLS fee and a fine? Fines attempt to modify behavior (and can imply moral disapproval). Fees are payments in exchange for services. Fines can masquerade as fees. Are reinstatement fees actually fines? In cases where the MLS reinstatement process is completely automated by an AMS, surely that’s really a fine? What about Read more…
Do we even need HR at the MLS? Bolt CEO Ryan Breslow said firing his entire HR team made the company’s problems disappear, “We had an HR team, and that HR team was creating problems that didn’t exist, those problems disappeared when I let them go.“ Well duh, if you shoot the messenger, the bad news disappears. No thermometer = no Read more…
RESO Spring was in LERA’s backyard, they also won an award. Meanwhile, FBS announced their MCP server, while Steve Byrd attended in spirit(s) as a cocktail stirrer. We’re 30 days on since RESO/CMLS ended merger talks (AI slop version). We’re unclear on how the industry feels about this. This story originally ran in the Waffle MLS Newsletter. Interested Read more…
Death is big business at $20 billion annually. In some states cemetery plots are real property and require passing the general real estate exam for licensing. Very few MLSs have a property class for burial plots and there is no data dictionary entry. Lawsuits over plot ownership are increasing (1,2,3,4,5), Read more…
What is your company policy on employees using pending sales price data (which is most often only visible to MLS staff) to make event trades and/or sell it to others (1,2,3,4)? Prediction markets briefly appeared in our February issue, but should now command your attention for an HR reason. The opportunity for employees to Read more…
Last March we asked, “Your new HR manager just used ChatGPT to select five candidates… Is this okay?“ Since then, law firm Berger Montague has been searching for class action plaintiffs. Their solicitation for clients is based on the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), give it a read. This story originally ran Read more…
Good news for many, bad news for the golf monoculture, your putting opportunities have been cut in half, as the Spring-in-Arizona Clareity MLS Workshop is stepping aside for the Spring-in-Arizona MLS Reset conference. Travel chaos and a basketball tournament were heard reasons for NOT attending NAR’s Association Executive Institute last week. It’s always Read more…
Starting March 1, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network will enact the Residential Real Estate Rule. It requires some professionals involved in real estate closings to submit reports to FinCEN regarding certain non-financed transfers of residential real estate (like cash sales) to legal entities or trusts. Read more…
Once your value of MLS campaign has launched – how long (and often) will you promote it? Can you blend it with all-the-things you must communicate (IMC)? Many campaigns fail, not by concept, but by getting lost then forgotten (fees billing, MLS vendor promotion, core MLS platform changes, MLS rule Read more…