About Kevin Hawkins

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So far Kevin Hawkins has created 338 blog entries.

What Does $1 Billion Look Like?

Last year HomesUSA.com’s Ben Caballero, who has been atop of the REAL Trends/WSJ “The Thousand” list of real estate agent rankings for both total dollar volume and number of transactions since 2013, became the “World’s First Billion Dollar Producer.” It’s a feat that’s hard to get our heads around because we toss around the term “billion” so frequently we forget how truly breathtaking this accomplishment is. From a PR point-of-view, it presented a significant challenge in finding a way to put what Ben had done in the proper perspective. That was the test we faced at WAV Group Communications when [...]

By |2018-05-03T21:22:54-07:00March 10th, 2017|Main category|Comments Off on What Does $1 Billion Look Like?
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Is it really is possible to love your MLS?

Every Valentine’s Day, you can smell the roses, taste the chocolates and almost feel that love is in the air. It made me think of how so many companies attempt to “love” their customers, but often few customers actually love them back. In fact, from my own experience, it’s rare when a company consistently gets love letters – and rarely hate mail – from its customers. Over the last couple of decades, I’ve worked in the real estate and technology sectors, with dozens and dozens of companies that include several of the most well known brands, from hot startups to Fortune 500 [...]

By |2018-05-03T21:22:55-07:00February 14th, 2017|MLS Insights|Comments Off on Is it really is possible to love your MLS?
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Why a Smart Home is also a Danger Zone

A most provocative talk about Smart Homes and the dangers of the IoT (Internet of Things) kicked-off the first Hacker Connect in New York City last week. Molly Sauter, a PhD candidate and Vanier Scholar from Montreal’s McGill University, gave a presentation that scared the crap out of me when she dove into the dangers of today’s Smart Home. Now I’ve been a fan and even early adopter of affordable Smart Home tech: in the late 1980s, I had a wireless alarm system from Radio Shack and switches that allowed me to turn on lights with a remote. But that [...]

By |2018-05-03T21:22:56-07:00January 31st, 2017|Main category|Comments Off on Why a Smart Home is also a Danger Zone
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Industry First from ABoR, RESO and CoreLogic Trestle Platform

Tim Dain, MLS Director at the Austin Board of REALTORS (ABoR) is known for being a tech innovator. He can now add creating an industry first to his resume, thanks to the vital support of his forward-thinking Board at ABoR, plus a big assist from Jeremy Crawford, CEO of the Real Estate Standards Organization (RESO). What ABoR announced today busts open a door for real estate tech developers that has locked out the "kid in the garage" trying to develop better real estate software, as well as major franchises developing their own software as they don't have the access to MLS data [...]

By |2018-05-03T21:22:56-07:00January 26th, 2017|Broker Technology Research, Press Releases|Comments Off on Industry First from ABoR, RESO and CoreLogic Trestle Platform
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2017 Inman Influencers List, SP200 Honors WAV Group Clients and Leaders

The impact of the annual reveal of both the Inman Influencer List and the Swanepoel Power 200 is like a social media cannon shot: you can hear the buzz everywhere. The fact that this year, these leadership lists were released nearly simultaneously makes the buzz near deafening. The rush you get seeing your name on either – and in some cases, both – of these prestigious lists never gets old. And nor does the surprise of discovering those who are “missing” – exceptionally worthy influencers and incredibly powerful leaders who didn’t make either list. For many, it must be a [...]

By |2018-05-03T21:22:57-07:00January 6th, 2017|Main category, Suveys and Research|Comments Off on 2017 Inman Influencers List, SP200 Honors WAV Group Clients and Leaders
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3 Lessons Learned From My 20-Year Addiction with Holiday Lights

  A business colleague and friend sent me a text the other day with a link to a television news story on CLAP – Christmas Lights Addiction Problem. It was a tongue-in-cheek text, but Paul knows that for the last 20 years, I have gradually increased my annual light display to become one of the most visited Holiday spots on Bainbridge Island, a short ferry ride from downtown Seattle. In fact, when he texted me with a link about this group, I texted him back that I was heading home to climb up on the roof to hang more lights. [...]

By |2018-05-03T21:22:59-07:00December 20th, 2016|Main category|Comments Off on 3 Lessons Learned From My 20-Year Addiction with Holiday Lights
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2017 Housing, Economic Outlook from Boots on the Ground

It seems in real estate, the same handful of economists are always making the news about their annual housing predictions. Then mortgage interest rates jump a full percentage point practically overnight, and all of them scurry to readjust their predictions. Starting 2012, in the fall, Imprev real estate’s leading marketing automation firm has conducted a survey of top real estate executives: broker-owners and real estate franchise C-level leaders (CEO, COO, CMO, CTO, etc.), to get their perspective on what they think will happen in the economy in 2017. We keep hearing from the Generals, but if you really want to [...]

By |2018-05-03T21:23:00-07:00December 20th, 2016|Suveys and Research|Comments Off on 2017 Housing, Economic Outlook from Boots on the Ground
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Imprev Study Shows Real Estate Leaders’ Outlook for Housing, Economy Softens for 2017

Who really has the pulse of the U.S., World, State and Local Economies? Those with boots on the ground versus those sitting in Ivory Towers, I’d argue. That’s why I look forward to Imprev’s annual study that examines the confidence that the top real estate broker-owners and executive management at franchises have in the housing market next year. There have been 240 responses this year from leaders who run brokerages that together, are responsible for one of every two home sales transactions in the U.S. It’s the most comprehensive study of real estate industry Thought Leaders, and it has shown [...]

By |2018-05-03T21:23:00-07:00December 7th, 2016|Reports, Suveys and Research|Comments Off on Imprev Study Shows Real Estate Leaders’ Outlook for Housing, Economy Softens for 2017
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How did Ben Caballero – America’s #1 agent – smash his own $1B record? Hint: Builder Platform

When Ben Caballero became the first individual real estate agent to break the $1 billion production number in 2015, very few folks really understood how Ben did that. This year Ben will obliterate his own record with a stunning 35% increase in business. That’s a number north of $1.375 billion and a total of more than 3,400 home sales, up from 2,491 in 2015. Ben has won the Inman Innovator Award, was honored on stage by Gary Keller at Keller Williams MegaCamp (even though Ben is CEO of HomesUSA.com, a non-KW firm), and has been atop the RealTrends Thousand as published in the Wall Street [...]

By |2018-05-03T21:23:00-07:00December 6th, 2016|Press Releases|Comments Off on How did Ben Caballero – America’s #1 agent – smash his own $1B record? Hint: Builder Platform
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2017: The “Magnificent 7” Tech Trends to Watch

When Gordon Moore, Founder of Intel, in 1965, observed that the number of transistors per square inch on integrated circuits had doubled every year since its invention, “Moore’s Law” has become the predictor of what’s happening in technology. Granted, in 1975, the “law” was changed to say every two years and since then, modified often to say every 18 months, but the point remains the same – technology in the lab progresses wickedly fast. Today’s Moore’s Law is the moniker to describe changes in more than technology, including social and economic change, changes that technology has helped to speed up. [...]

By |2018-05-03T21:23:01-07:00November 17th, 2016|Broker Technology Research, Main category|Comments Off on 2017: The “Magnificent 7” Tech Trends to Watch
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2016 NAR Annual Moments and Musings

Like many Americans, I was glued to the television on election night, and seeing the Javits Center instantly reminded me of my first NAR Annual Convention. It was in 1986 when the brand new Javits Center opened in Manhattan. I was a young PR Turk fresh into my first full year at Great Western Bank (then Great Western Savings). I went there to plot our long-term trade show strategy. It was also my first NAREE – National Association of Real Estate Editors – meeting, a dinner at a classic NYC steakhouse. That’s especially hard to forget because it’s where the [...]

By |2018-05-03T21:23:02-07:00November 15th, 2016|Broker-Agent Information, Main category|Comments Off on 2016 NAR Annual Moments and Musings
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NAR Annual: Looking for 2017 trends, tech and tactics

This week, Orlando is more than home to Disney World and tens of thousands of happy tourists across the globe: it also will house nearly 20,000 enthusiastic REALTORS®, other industry organizations (RESO Booth #609), MLSs executives and staff, lenders, title firms, closing agents, technology providers of every shape and size, and of course, the Scarf King. Navigating through the maze of more than 400 exhibitors is challenging, but kudos for the NAR for making it highly accessible. The Trade Expo kicks off on Friday afternoon with its Grand Opening at 3:00 pm, running to 6:00 pm. The official hours: Expo Hours [...]

By |2018-05-03T21:23:02-07:00November 2nd, 2016|Broker Technology Research, Broker-Agent Information, Main category, Marketing|Comments Off on NAR Annual: Looking for 2017 trends, tech and tactics
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