About Kevin Hawkins

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So far Kevin Hawkins has created 335 blog entries.

Why zavvie’s Offer Optimizer is an iBuyer Game Changer

When Zillow launched Zestimates, no one realized at the time how radical the impact of what they did then would become later. There are a lot of Sunday quarterbacks who would like to re-write history and say they knew it would result in helping to catapult the firm to $7 billion valuation. But no one predicted back then that Zestimates would fuel a phenomenon dubbed “real estate porn” that helped it drive more than 100 million unique visitors to Zillow’s website each month. Recently, another company that starts with a "z" called zavvie has launched what I believe is an [...]

By |2019-03-30T09:33:03-07:00April 1st, 2019|Press Releases, Technology|Comments Off on Why zavvie’s Offer Optimizer is an iBuyer Game Changer

OJO Labs accelerates AI dominance: First WolfNet, now $45 million in more funding

The role of artificial intelligence and machine learning in real estate has been accelerating. Yesterday, real estate’s natural conversation AI leader OJO Labs of Austin announced $45 million in new funding. To borrow an analogy from advisor Ken Jenny – who once described OJO Labs as a “Ferrari” – AI is about to really take off in our industry as this sports car now has rocket fuel. OJO Labs you might recall, grabbed headlines last fall when it combined with data giant WolfNet of the Twin Cities. Its ‘OJO” AI virtual assistant had already been turning a lot of heads. [...]

By |2019-03-20T16:40:34-07:00March 20th, 2019|Technology|2 Comments

Ben Caballero Becomes the World’s First $2 Billion Realtor

When Gary Keller, founder of Keller Williams, presented Ben Caballero with the coveted Pinnacle Award for Real Estate Entrepreneurship five years ago, his comments were prophetic. Looking at Ben in front of a sea of KW agents at their Mega Camp event in Austin, Texas, Gary Keller explained the award. "Keller Williams a few years ago decided a few years ago," Keller said, "that if no one else was going to try and identify and acknowledge and respect the top real estate agents in the industry – not in Keller Williams but in the industry. That if no one else [...]

By |2019-02-18T08:55:51-08:00February 18th, 2019|Uncategorized|1 Comment

Magnificent 7 Tech Trends to Watch in 2019 and Beyond

Two years ago, I picked a “Magnificent 7" list that included Automation, Deep Learning, IoE (Internet of Everything), Intelligent Apps, Security, Digital Twins, and Ghosting. Here's my list for 2019 of the NextGen and NextLevel tech that have caught my eye and the implications for real estate.

By |2019-01-02T05:42:39-08:00January 2nd, 2019|Technology|2 Comments

Best PR Quotes of All Time

My top favorite pastime is being a professional mentor of high school robotics team where I live, just a short ferry ride from downtown Seattle on Bainbridge Island. It’s a FIRST Robotics Team (4915 Spartronics) that I helped found six years ago. I’m the lead marketing mentor.

By |2018-12-16T13:34:25-08:00December 16th, 2018|Main category, Marketing, Our Company, Our Services, Press Releases|Comments Off on Best PR Quotes of All Time

Free Podcast Series from the #1 Ranked Real Estate Agent in the World

Here's a great Holiday gift and it's free: a new, four-part real estate Podcast series that's available today featuring the wisdom and a little wit from Ben Caballero. Ben is the world's #1 ranked real estate agent. He's also the first and only agent in U.S. history ever to exceed the $1 billion mark for residential sales transaction volume in a single year, a feat he has achieved in each of the last three years. At the WAV Group, we've been working with the legendary Ben Caballero and HomesUSA.com for a few years now. We've had the honor of working with him [...]

By |2018-12-05T07:07:52-08:00December 5th, 2018|Broker-Agent Information, Clients, Marketing, MLS, Technology|Comments Off on Free Podcast Series from the #1 Ranked Real Estate Agent in the World

Facebook Still Rules Real Estate

Like Mark Twain, the early reports on the death of Facebook clearly have been an exaggeration especially when it comes to real estate. It remains the social media channel that is still the best place to stay top of mind among the greatest number of home buyers and sellers. And it's still the best media channel for real estate agents to keep in front of their peers.

By |2018-12-03T09:18:24-08:00December 3rd, 2018|Uncategorized|Comments Off on Facebook Still Rules Real Estate

What’s the Average Age of a Repeat Buyer? The Impact of Longevity Emerges

From the NAR Boston conference, one statistic keeps ringing in my head. As a confessed data junkie, I consume a lot of real estate research, so I'm pretty jaded. But when NAR's research guru Jessica Lautz showed a slide at a press conference entitled “Median Age of Home Buyers,” I almost fell off my chair.

By |2018-11-26T14:10:26-08:00November 26th, 2018|Uncategorized|Comments Off on What’s the Average Age of a Repeat Buyer? The Impact of Longevity Emerges

Solving the Mysteries of Jet Lag

For years, I have strenuously maintained that when I fly West, especially to Hawaii from the West Coast, I never have been jet lagged. But when I fly to Europe from Seattle, if I don’t follow all the jet lag management tactics I’ve learned over the years, I’ll pay the price. Many fellow business and active leisure travelers told me I was nuts.

By |2018-11-12T18:48:02-08:00November 12th, 2018|Uncategorized|Comments Off on Solving the Mysteries of Jet Lag