Size matters in this battle. If State Associations and leading Franchises that serve over 100,000 real estate agents start selecting the same provider, a king will be crowned.
HAR’s success shows that when MLSs commit to every corner of the real estate marketplace, they deliver lasting value to their members and the public.
If the allegations hold, the industry will either need to raise its transparency, shift fee practices, or face regulatory and litigation risk. Agents, brokers, MLSs, and portals should assume change is coming and plan accordingly.
The opportunity is immediate, but so is the risk of inaction. Associations that fail to deliver this benefit may watch brokers and vendors seize the role of trusted daily guide. The time to act is now.
As it turns out, brokerage companies that collaborate with successful local businesses for co-marketing are more compelling together than they are when they market themselves independently.
Listings flood online platforms every day, leaving buyers scrolling quickly and often forgetting what they’ve seen. What makes a home and or a brokerage stick in someone’s mind isn’t just the square footage or the list of upgrades. It’s the story.
As AI reshapes our industry, this much is clear: the MLS that provides the MCP server becomes the source of truth.
If your team is deploying AI agents using the Model Context Protocol (MCP) without proper security, you're essentially leaving your business wide open to attack. A recent security assessment found that 43% of popular MCP implementations contain command injection flaws, 30% allow network infiltration, and 22% expose sensitive file vulnerabilities. With real-world incidents already occurring the solution isn't hoping for the best, it's implementing an MCP gateway before your next deployment.
For real estate brokerages and MLSs, the parallels are striking. The same challenges Fortune 500 firms face with AI are the ones our industry must prepare for as agentic AI becomes central to brokerage operations, MLS data services, and consumer experiences.
Realtor associations across the country are facing sharper questions about their value proposition. Dues are rising, member counts are under pressure, and agents are weighing every dollar against the tangible benefits they receive. Advocacy, education, and networking remain important, but they don’t always feel immediate or indispensable to the average practitioner.
From Left to Right: Rajeev Sajja, Rajeev Sajja from Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Fox & Roach, Michael Hickman from Seven Gables Real Estate, Matthew T. O’Connor from Terrie O’Connor Realtors, Kevin Greene from Cotality Real Estate Solutions, and Kevin Hawkins from WAV Group Communications Some of the best conversations happen behind closed doors. That's probably why one of my absolute favorite events for years has been the RISMedia CEO & Leadership Exchange. Unlike our industry’s bigger conferences, this gathering is more intimate. It attracts the top brokerage leaders, many of whom you rarely see at other events. What really [...]
GO Network, Keller Williams’ largest franchisee, has officially launched Creative Studio — an in-house, full-service branding concierge that takes Realtors® from generic templates to fully developed, custom-tailored brand identities. It’s a bold step that demonstrates how brokerages can move beyond standard marketing support to deliver services that truly differentiate both the agent and the company.
