Molly McKinley to lead global marketing and industry relations at RateMyAgent
A longtime leader in real estate and brand marketing, McKinley expands her role at the fast-growing agent reviews platform SAN DIEGO, June 14, 2021 -- RateMyAgent, the leading review and digital marketing platform for real estate professionals, today announced the promotion of Molly McKinley to executive vice president of global marketing and industry relations. A celebrated branding and marketing expert with deep roots in real estate, McKinley has been serving as the company's vice president of brand marketing since January 2020. "Molly has not only been integral to our initial successes in the U.S. market, she has exceeded every ambitious goal we set while remaining strategic and committed to growing our brand reputation in the industry," said the company's co-founder Mark Armstrong. "Her deep knowledge and relationships across the real estate ecosystem, coupled with her marketing talent and branding instincts, make her the perfect fit for this new, elevated role at RateMyAgent." After its staggering success in Australia, where RateMyAgent is used by agents who sell 80% of property, the company entered the U.S. market in 2018. In less than two years, McKinley helped expand the user base to more than 120,000 U.S. agents who are empowered to build their online reputations through verified client reviews and related digital marketing activities. In her new role, McKinley will lead marketing for the company's forthcoming global rollouts, while continuing to focus on expanding RateMyAgent's U.S. footprint through agent-focused marketing efforts. The company's agent-driven mission was a natural fit for McKinley, who had previously been the vice president of corporate marketing and communication at Adwerx; she has also worked at Adobe, IBM, Relola and First. "My work at RateMyAgent has allowed me to continue growing in an industry I love, while helping agents become more thoughtful about their reputations, and more vocal about the excellent experiences they provide their clients," said McKinley. "It is so gratifying to work with and for people who truly believe in helping agents become more intentional — and ultimately, Undisruptable." Intention is the thread that connects every phase of McKinley's storied career, which began as an art dealer in San Francisco and has evolved to include teaching yoga classes; owning a successful marketing agency, Redtail Creative; and launching Intentionaliteas herbal loose leaf teas. She is the author of the soon to be released book, The Intentional Business: A Path to Purpose and Prosperity. "Throughout my career and in my own personal life, I always strive to find intention and true purpose. For me, that's what marketing is all about — illuminating better options for your customers, and helping them succeed beyond their wildest dreams," said McKinley. "I feel lucky to share that philosophy with the team at RateMyAgent, and I am thrilled that my new role will allow me to expand my reach across the global real estate industry." About RateMyAgent RateMyAgent is a real estate review platform that boasts more than 120,000 U.S. agent users; the tool is also used by 80% of agents who sell property across Australia, where it was first launched. RateMyAgent allows agents to request, verify and promote their glowing client reviews across the web, including to Google's local search results and social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. Agents can claim their free profile by going to ratemyagent.com

RateMyAgent Continues to Stack Its Leadership Bench
Australian-based reviews startup deepens its commitment to the U.S. market with the hire of Paula Nash and Molly McKinley SAN DIEGO, Jan. 21, 2020 -- RateMyAgent, an agent review and marketing platform for real estate professionals to generate, aggregate, and syndicate client reviews, today announced that Paula Nash has joined the company as vice president of sales, and Molly McKinley as vice president of brand strategy. These important leadership hires deepen the commitment to the U.S. market through proven expertise, knowledge and successful track records in the real estate industry. "As the CEO, I know one of the most important decisions I can make is to hire experts, the people who know and understand the market and people we wish to serve," said Mark Armstrong, co-founder and chief executive officer of RateMyAgent. "Both Paula and Molly have incredible reputations, are highly respected and embody our core values of being customer obsessed and able to hustle together in a fast-paced environment." Paula got her start in real estate nearly eleven years ago when she served as the association executive for the Mid-Carolina Regional Association of Realtors. She concurrently oversaw a for- profit corporation, a subsidiary of the Association - the Pinehurst Southern Pines Area MLS. She learned the ins and outs of the real estate industry and was able to apply her vision and determination as the customer service and sales executive covering the Southeast for Centralized Showing Service and subsequently ShowingTime. All challenges were met with exceptional results. Paula also served as a Sergeant in the United States Airforce as an Air Medic. "I've coordinated rescue missions from air," said Paula Nash, vice president of sales of RateMyAgent, "so I can certainly build a successful sales team for a product and company I believe in. When it comes to technologies that excite me, the RateMyAgent reviews platform is simply a no-brainer. Agents have already done the hard work, so it's time to share their value with the world and pull their reviews together in one place." Molly McKinley, a celebrated branding and marketing mind, got her start in real estate as vice president of corporate marketing and communication at Adwerx. She has assisted numerous companies of all sizes, in her award-winning, twenty-five year career, such as Adobe, IBM, Relola and First. She is also actively engaged with her own brands, Intentionalities and the intentional marketing agency, Redtail Creative. She's driven by creating exceptional consumer experiences and is committed to building purpose-filled brand strategies. "RateMyAgent has all the right ingredients to becoming a beloved brand in the U.S.," said Molly McKinley, vice president of brand strategy for RateMyAgent. "The team deeply cares about real estate agents and seeks to celebrate the excellence that will continue to make them relevant and Undisruptable regardless of the shifts taking place in our industry. This is a project I'm ready to dig into and is well aligned with everything that I care about." Savvy agents understand the power of third-party validation and social proof. Therefore, client reviews are a critical component of any digital strategy. From ranking in search to establishing professional credibility, RateMyAgent simplifies the process and maximizes reach across all digital platforms such as social media, ad networks, and websites. Agents can focus their effort on delivering incredible consumer experiences and allow the automated platform to ensure transparency for future clients. RateMyAgent is endorsed by the 2019 REACH program by the National Association of Realtors®. About RateMyAgent RateMyAgent is an Australia-based review platform now expanding rapidly in the United States. In Australia, RateMyAgent is used by agents who sell 80% of property across Australia and get reviews for 1 in 3 homes sold nationally. RateMyAgent launched in the United States in 2018 and has partnerships with MLS's from Florida to California, including CRMLS, the countries largest MLS. They are the first review platform to be included in NAR's REACH Accelerator Program. RateMyAgent is listed on the Australian stock exchange. More information about RateMyAgent can be found at www.ratemyagent.com.

John Kuc Promoted to Executive Vice President of MMSI
Severna Park, MD (November 1, 2019) -- MMSI, makers of the Membership Director association management system (AMS), announced today that John Kuc, a 26-year veteran of the real estate industry, has been named Executive Vice President. According to Mark Richburg, President, "John has been an integral part of our strategic direction and this promotion recognizes his many contributions to our growth and future success." MMSI continues to stride confidently toward the future, driven by a team of devoted staff and dedicated customers. Richburg continues, "I'm incredibly pleased with the team we have in place right now – they're firing on all cylinders. These are the best people to take MMSI into the next phase, and John is the right person to lead the development of our next generation systems." Over a 21-year tenure, John's software development, operations, and management skills were honed at PRC, Interealty, and later CoreLogic. Prior to joining MMSI in 2017, he was the Chief Operating Officer of a national non-profit devoted to helping Gold Star families start initiatives to honor their fallen loved ones. MMSI is among the leaders in providing REALTOR® associations and MLS with software to manage their member relationships; the company's innovations in the space have fueled impressive growth of the platform. Investing heavily since buying Membership Director back in 2011, MMSI has won remarkable market share gains year-over-year, and the momentum continues in 2019. In the first 10 months alone, MMSI has on-boarded 11 new customers to Membership Director, upgraded 16 long-term customers, and launched Single Sign-On in three markets! ### MMSI's Membership Director™ has become the new standard in REALTOR® AMS. Our fully responsive and ADA-compliant Member Portal leads the industry, with integrated SSO Dashboard, optional Identity Management, and much more. From empowering members to easily apply online to printing your financial statements, contact us or stop by Booth 754 in San Francisco to learn more about MMSI. Fully Responsive, ADA-Compliant Member Portal – Our new member portal becomes your members' front door to all the services you offer them. From a beautiful, clean dashboard, members can make payments, update contact information, register for courses and events, and see only the notifications that are important for them. Calls to action guide members to their next steps in our industry-leading user experience. (SSO) Single Sign-On and Identity Management – Designed to tightly integrate with Membership Director™, our complete SSO/IdP service and Identity Management feature provides best-in-class SSO/IdP service to your members' and allow them a safe and secure single sign-on service. Offering the most up-to-date features of a global SSO/IdP technology provider, our Identity Management provides control and visibility into users' behavior via simple and straight forward access rules. Instantly provision new members with no 3rd party synchronization necessary. www.GoMMSI.com. Don't Compromise, Customize.

Homesnap Named a Washington Post Top Workplace for Second Consecutive Year
BETHESDA, Md., June 21, 2019 -- Homesnap, the leading provider of technology solutions to the real estate industry, today announced that it has again been named a 2019 Top Workplace by The Washington Post, marking the company's second consecutive year on the list. Homesnap was recognized for its hard-working startup environment where people are encouraged to innovate, learn, and genuinely enjoy each other's company. Homesnap was ranked #8 in the small business category. Earlier this year, Homesnap was also named an Inc. 2019 Best Workplace. Homesnap is only one of four companies in the Washington, D.C. area to be recognized as a 2019 top workplace by both Inc. and The Washington Post. "Being named again as a top workplace by The Washington Post is a testament to our ability to grow as a company and deliver results for our clients while maintaining an enriching culture and work environment for our team," said Homesnap CEO John Mazur. The Washington Post 2019 Top Workplaces list is based solely on employee feedback gathered through a third-party survey administered by research partner Energage, LLC. The anonymous survey measures several aspects of workplace culture, including alignment, execution, and connection. This year's 150 honorees include government contractors, law firms, nonprofits, schools, and businesses. "We are extremely proud of this award and all that it represents," said Dana Aldis, VP of Experience at Homesnap. "Great people are the key to a company's success, which is why Homesnap invests heavily in its employees and works hard to foster a culture based on values, communication, and collaboration." This award is just one of the more than 25 awards Homesnap has received recognizing both its products and its workplace culture. This honor is also a reflection of Homesnap's commitment to recruiting and retaining people who are aligned with its core values. From 2016 to 2018, Homesnap experienced annual employee growth of over 60%. For more information about The Washington Post's Top Workplaces 2019, visit www.washingtonpost.com/2019/top-workplaces. For more information about working at Homesnap and job opportunities, visit www.homesnap.com/about/jobs. About Homesnap With easy-to-use mobile technology fueled by unmatched, real-time data intelligence, Homesnap is changing the way real estate agents connect with consumers and serve their clients. The industry-endorsed Homesnap platform leverages real-time data from over 200 MLSs to empower millions of consumers each month with a superior home search experience, while providing over 85% of U.S. agents with access to powerful mobile tools that automate their work and accelerate their success. With the Homesnap mobile app, the highest rated consumer home search application; Homesnap Pro, the industry-standard mobile business platform for agents; and the Homesnap national home search portal, a joint venture with the industry-backed Broker Public Portal, the integrated Homesnap platform is transforming the industry by bringing real-time to real estate. More information can be found at www.homesnap.com. About The Washington Post The Washington Post is an award-winning news leader whose mission is to connect, inform, and enlighten local, national and global readers with trustworthy reporting, in-depth analysis and engaging opinions. It combines world-class journalism with the latest technology and tools so readers can interact with The Post anytime, anywhere. About Energage, LLC Headquartered in Exton, Pa., Energage (formerly known as WorkplaceDynamics) is a leading provider of technology-based employee engagement tools that help leaders to unlock potential, inspire performance, and achieve amazing results within their organizations. The research partner behind the Top Workplaces program, Energage has surveyed more than 47,000 organizations representing well over 16 million employees in the United States.

National Association of Realtors Builds Marketing and Creative Capabilities
New vice presidents to lead the organization’s communications and marketing strategies WASHINGTON (March 5, 2019) – The National Association of Realtors® announced today two new additions to a newly integrated marketing communications team to increase member engagement and satisfaction and enhance NAR's relationship with consumers. Effective March 5, Mantill Williams will become NAR's vice president of PR and communication strategy, and Susan Welter will become NAR's vice president of creative and content strategy. Both will report to Victoria Gillespie, NAR chief marketing and communications officer. "Mantill and Susan bring more than 40 years' combined experience developing and executing major marketing and communications campaigns both within the real estate industry and for other professional associations," said Bob Goldberg, CEO of NAR. "They will elevate member communications and help us tell more creative and compelling stories about Realtors® and property owners." With more than 20 years of public and media relations outreach, speechwriting and advocacy communications experience, Williams will develop strategic communications campaigns for NAR. His public and media relations strategies have garnered extensive news coverage in top tier media. Prior to joining NAR, Williams served as director of advocacy communications for the American Public Transportation Association, leading the public transit industry's national advocacy program. He also previously led communications teams for the largest membership association, AAA. "I am thrilled to begin this new role at NAR using my previous association experience to enhance the ways in which we reach and connect with our current and prospective members," said Williams. "I look forward to promoting the value and services offered to our members and advancing NAR's position as the leading voice in the real estate industry." Welter joins NAR with the unique perspective of having worked alongside the REALTOR® Magazine, Expo, and REALTOR Benefits® Program teams as a partner for more than six years. Throughout her 25-year career in publishing and marketing, she has held prominent roles in every aspect of print, digital, video communications, and events. She has enjoyed over a decade of success working with more than 50 regional, national, and international associations helping them enhance their communications and grow non-dues revenue. Most recently, Welter consulted with associations to develop multimedia content strategies and implement cross-organizational programs designed to increase member acquisition, engagement and retention. "Having served the association market for most of my career, I'm excited to put that collective experience to use at NAR to better engage with our members and deepen our relationships with our industry partners, providing an exceptional experience for all," said Welter. The National Association of Realtors® is America's largest trade association, representing more than 1.3 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries.

National Association of Realtors Announces New Technology Team Leader
WASHINGTON (February 21, 2019) – The National Association of Realtors® announced today that Glenn Shimkus has been named vice president of strategy & innovation, effective immediately. Shimkus will work to establish a new strategy & innovation group, which will be housed within the strategic business, innovation & technology group (SBIT), launched last year to drive industry innovation and benefits to NAR members. Shimkus will report to Mark Birschbach, senior vice president of SBIT. "Glenn has been heavily involved in the technology, real estate and investor communities for a large part of his career, and we are excited to put his knowledge to work for NAR," said Bob Goldberg, CEO of NAR. "Glenn's addition to SBIT will help push technological innovation that is beneficial to NAR members and the real estate industry." Shimkus's strategy & innovation group will help to build and lead two teams announced at the end of 2018: the emerging technology team and strategy team. The emerging technology team will identify and evaluate emerging technologies and their potential impact on real estate. It will also identify opportunities to partner and build relationships with other organizations, companies and institutions researching and developing new technologies. The strategy team will be closely aligned with the emerging technology team and work on strategic projects involving NAR's investment companies and large technology players. "As a long-time technology enthusiast and entrepreneur, I look forward to positioning NAR to foster innovative technology growth," said Shimkus. "Our focus on building key relationships with emerging technology partners, academic and government researchers and private technology corporations will allow us to drive innovation in the real estate industry and keep our members at the forefront of technological change." Shimkus will be instrumental in launching NAR's forthcoming strategic think tank, a network of world class business leaders and innovators from inside and outside of real estate. The think tank is a key component of the strategic vision Goldberg set for NAR when he was named CEO in 2017; it will provide insights to keep NAR at the forefront of emerging technologies and business trends that will guide the association into the future. Shimkus will also build on the success of NAR's 2018 inaugural Innovation, Opportunity and Investment (iOi) Summit when it returns later this summer. The National Association of Realtors® is America's largest trade association, representing more than 1.3 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries.

Peter Kappler and Qingqing Ouyang Join OJO Labs
Two of Austin's Top Tech Leaders Join Forces to Lead AI Effort AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 08, 2018 -- OJO Labs, an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered real estate technology company, with its patented conversational consumer platform, is on the cutting-edge of transforming one of history's oldest industries. To accelerate that effort, OJO Labs announced today that two of Austin's top technology and engineering leaders, Peter Kappler and Qingqing Ouyang, will lead the AI efforts at OJO Labs that will empower people to make better decisions through the fusion of machine and human intelligence. OJO Labs has been reinventing the home purchase and sale journey by creating a better experience for consumers and real estate agents. OJO was recently recognized as one of the "Best Places to Work," by the Austin Business Journal, and an Austin Inno 50 On Fire 2018 winner, as it continues to build a world-class team by adding key industry players. According to Berkowitz and Rubin, since founding OJO Labs in 2015 the company has attracted "an unparalleled group of engineers, data scientists, product developers, and operations experts." It was the team's ambition to launch its AI platform, paired with sophisticated human input and an advanced mobile and web experience that attracted the attention of Kappler and Ouyang. Peter Kappler, who was Google's 150th hire and opened Google's Austin office in 2007, has joined OJO Labs as the Chief Technology Officer. Qingqing Ouyang transitioned from her role as Main Street Hub's Head of Engineering to OJO Labs' Executive Vice President of Engineering. "The timing is ideal for OJO," Berkowitz said, "as it will be pushing its platform to multiple states across the country and Canada by the end of the year." Qingqing Ouyang, who is well-regarded in the Austin tech community, made the decision to join OJO Labs for several reasons. "I was impressed by OJO Labs' mission to improve the way people make their most important decisions through the fusion of machine and human intelligence," said Ouyang. "I am intrigued by the hard, technical challenges. I am even more captivated by the ethical responsibilities that come with the great power of technology." When asked about the opportunity to work closely with Peter Kappler, Ouyang said, "It's exciting to work alongside someone who played an integral part in helping build Google up to what it has become today. As with many other candidates who view this as an exciting factor for wanting to join OJO, it is certainly the case for me as well." Peter Kappler's decision to continue his passion for helping companies develop meaningful and impactful products by joining OJO Labs' outstanding team was obvious. "I've looked at numerous technology startup opportunities since I retired from Google, but none were as exciting as OJO Labs. I chose to join and help build this company because its technology and team are tackling exciting challenges by providing a level of personalization at a scale previously unachievable," Kappler said. OJO Labs plans to double its Austin team by 2019. To accomplish this aggressive goal, the company is searching for great people that can not only display expertise in their field, but also share the belief that it takes an entire organization working together to achieve the highest level of success. While defining OJO Labs' Core Culture Values, CEO John Berkowitz and the leadership team stressed a mantra that helps fuel the OJO team: Hire Great – Never Compromise on People. "When the right group of minds come together with a single, shared vision, anything is possible," said Berkowitz. About OJO Labs Inc. OJO Labs is on a mission to empower people to make better decisions through the fusion of machine and human intelligence. The company developed a unique, AI-based technology that can conduct text conversations with consumers at scale. By combining natural language understanding with data and personalization, the product allows for consumers to deeply engage in a purchase process prior to interacting with a salesperson. OJO Labs is backed by the two most active VC firms in Texas and was recently recognized as an Austin A-List and 50 On Fire winner. The OJO team has decades of combined experience scaling businesses together and has deep experience in engineering, data science, product development and operations.

SmartZip Expands Predictive Marketing Platform with Broker and Enterprise Scaled Solutions
The leader in predictive marketing technology now offers custom-built solutions for larger real estate and lending brands to improve productivity and fuel recruiting and retention efforts PLEASANTON, Calif., Aug 8, 2017 -- SmartZip Analytics, Inc., the leader in predictive marketing technology for real estate and related industries, has expanded its offering to support enterprise clients across the real estate and mortgage lending sectors. SmartZip's SmartTargeting and Reach150 products integrate with the enterprise's systems to address their three primary pain points: productivity and transaction volume, brand reputation and control, and talent growth and retention. SmartZip's enterprise solutions are customizable for real estate and lending companies of any size and model. NextHome Inc., a fast-growing real estate franchise company with more than 300 offices and 2,000 agents, leverages the predictive marketing power of SmartZip's SmartTargeting and Reach150 platforms. "At NextHome Inc., we pride ourselves on offering fully-automated and highly-integrated technology and marketing products to our agents. SmartZip's enterprise solution fits perfectly and seamlessly into our long term strategy and growth," said James Dwiggins, Chief Executive Officer of NextHome, Inc. "The predictive marketing technology, referral solution, and features like brand control and single sign-on make SmartZip a unique partner that gives our agents and brokers an advantage in the market." Real estate and lending enterprises often report that their primary pain points are related to introducing, integrating and sustaining technology solutions that solve the problems of both their individual team members and the brand as a whole. Common issues that can plague even the most successful brands include: Productivity and transaction volume. Agents and loan officers may not have access to integrated, cutting-edge tech products that help them to automate daily tasks, increase transactions and gain a competitive advantage in their marketplace. Social proof via referrals and testimonials. While word-of-mouth marketing is the best way to convert and win new clients, many agents and loan officers fail to request and capture reviews and referrals from happy former customers. In addition to losing out on easy referral business, these team members and their brands may lose new business as a result of a weak or adverse online reputation. Brand reputation and control. While a consistent brand is needed to lead the marketplace and stay within legal bounds, many brokers struggle to control the marketing content of their independent contractors. Talent growth and retention. Brands that do not adapt to new technology standards may have a hard time recruiting and retaining top talent in their marketplace. Companies also lack social proof — like testimonials and positive reviews — that organically improve a brand's reputation and recruiting efforts. SmartZip's dynamic enterprise platforms — SmartTargeting for Sphere, SmartTargeting for Geo, and Reach150 — can be scaled and customized for any business size or model. These solutions give enterprise clients the critical tools they need to accelerate their own growth while automatically fostering the long-term success of their individual agents and loan officers. SmartTargeting's predictive marketing platform offers data-backed predictions of likely movers from an agent or loan officers' personal database or any custom geographic territory. Brands can allow agents or loan officers to target these predicted movers with automated marketing campaigns so each team member focuses their attention on the right prospects at the right time — and wins more business as a result. SmartTargeting's customized marketing design libraries can be locked down so the marketing efforts of individual team members can automatically remain creative, compliant and on-brand — even without the direct approval from brokers and brand leaders. Reach150's referral marketing engine automatically generates testimonials and referrals from past clients — then turns these unique, client-generated content into marketing campaigns that target top prospects online and build up SEO for the agent and brand. By activating Reach150 for their team members, company leaders can ensure their agents and loan officers are seamlessly harnessing the full power of their past clients to win new business. Reach150's advertising engine for recruiting can also be used by brokers and brands to collect testimonials from happy agents or loan officers on their team, which are automatically displayed as online ads to attract their target list of prospective agents. When a new hire switches firms, the brand can run ads highlighting the agent's new workplace — boosting organic SEO for the brand while reinforcing their reputation as a growing, local leader. Simplified single sign-on makes integration a breeze and drives adoption across the firm. Enterprises can easily integrate through open APIs to offer a single sign-on experience that auto-syncs the brand's profile information for all team members upon login. Large enterprise companies like NextHome, RealtyWorld and Metro Brokers have signed on early to fully customize and leverage SmartZip's enterprise solutions. "SmartZip gives us the most complete offering for our brokers and associates. Our customized combination of their SmartTargeting and Reach150 enterprise solutions allows our brokers and agents to leverage a powerful marketing and analytics tool in an integrated, easy-to-use platform," said Metro Brokers CEO M.H. "Rip" Ripley, who represents 1,000 agents across 45 Colorado offices. "It's just what we had been looking for — complete, effective and data-smart." The right-sized solution for any real estate or lending enterprise SmartZip's SmartTargeting and Reach150 platforms are both integrated and flexible, allowing companies of any size or model to take full advantage of the features that would best suit their individual team members. After years of innovating solutions for individual agents and loan officers, SmartZip understands that these team members deeply desire automated, integrated technology — and they are often seeking out and paying for these solutions on their own," said Rajeev Kalavar, Executive Vice President of Product Strategy and Operations. "We are excited to introduce robust enterprise solutions that empower small and large companies to bolster the productivity of their agents or loan officers, while simultaneously moving the needle on their own brand goals and recruiting and retention efforts." ABOUT SMARTZIP ANALYTICS, INC. SmartZip Analytics is a national leader in predictive marketing solutions for real estate, lending and related industries. SmartZip's SmartTargeting platform uses patent-pending predictive analytics, multi-channel marketing automation, and smart CRM to identify top home seller prospects, engage them through targeted marketing campaigns, and ultimately close more business with smart nurturing and prospecting tools. SmartZip's newly acquired Reach150 platform automatically requests and publicizes client-generated testimonials and referrals to help agents and loan officers boost their word-of-mouth business. Together, SmartTargeting and Reach150 help enterprises and professionals across the real estate and mortgage lending sectors efficiently grow new business within their local markets as well as maximize repeat and referral business from their previous customers and contacts.

Looking for a Killer CTO Position?
We work with tons of brokerages that say they want to look at their business in completely new ways. Companies that have been in the business for a long time though, cannot fundamentally change their approach for fear of losing agents and decreasing their market share. eXp REALTY is different. This company came out of the gate with a fundamentally different business model and an extremely unique approach to sales coaching, training and management. It is the Agent-Owned Cloud Brokerage®. Technology is absolutely at the center point of what makes eXp unique. Their industry exclusive use of a 3D immersive cloud office eliminates the need for the costly brick and mortar offices of traditional firms. . These cost efficiencies in turn allow the Company to deliver more value to their agents. They're growing like gangbusters so they're looking for a really smart and strategic Chief Technology Officer to help them continue to expand beyond the over 2400 agents and 42 state footprint they have established in a very short time. The ideal candidate will have strong leadership skills and will have a unique mix of understanding the needs of agents and their clients combined with a depth of technology vision and executional skills. As a key member of eXp Realty's executive management team, this newly created position will act as strategic thought leader who will help drive the growth of the Company through the building of a scalable enterprise application through which eXp can efficiently serve its fast -growing international agent base. In addition, the CTO will drive the evolution of eXp's Cloud Office to better serve the Company's agents. The CTO will also be charged with developing a data strategy within the organization to leverage the vast amount of data available to the Company. This is a critical role in helping to shape and drive the future success of eXp Realty. The successful candidate currently holds, or has held, a visible and high impact technology leadership position in or around the residential real estate brokerage industry, should have a strong technical acumen and the ability to build and lead high performing engineering, product and IT teams. If you want to learn more about the position, feel free to reach out to me, Marilyn Wilson, at marilyn(at)wavgroup.com or call me at 805-748-9118 and I'll be happy to tell you more about it. To view the original post, visit the WAV Group blog.

Real Estate Brokers: Contactually's research suggests that successful recruiting requires first addressing three key issues
WASHINGTON--The top area of business growth focus for real estate brokers and owners – not profitability nor agent productivity – is agent recruitment and retention, according to new research published today by Contactually, a leading relationship marketing software firm. In the first half of 2016, the firm's research department spoke with over 150 leading brokers and owners in the United States about their business priorities and practices. More than two-thirds of participants (68%) reported that recruiting and retaining agents was their top priority. The results of the research are compiled in the Brokerage Recruiting Playbook, a thorough, data-driven report with practical steps for creating and implementing a recruiting strategy for real estate brokers and owners. "The study's findings have significant implications for the real estate industry. Every broker or owner has, at one time or another, struggled with both recruitment and agent retention. Our study's findings identify an empirically derived framework that can be used prior to the creation of an agent recruitment or retention strategy which will increase its effectiveness," noted Zvi Band, CEO and Founder of Contactually. "Recruiting has gotten a bad reputation as a 'numbers-focused' approach but the reality is that a recruit is a successfully built relationship. Growth isn't a bad thing so long as it is done with relationships in mind," sharedAlyssa Hellman, The Director of the Go School of Real Estate in North Carolina. "Brokers must always remember that a recruit is never just a number but a person. Relationship building must have its foundation in honesty and brokerages must find agents that will thrive within their unique environments. A great recruiting broker/owner knows not just when to say yes, but when to say no." Highlighted in Contactually's report, the Brokerage Recruiting Playbook, are three main themes that brokers and owners who are seeking growth through successful recruiting should address prior to starting their recruiting process: 1. Be clear on your strategy Are you recruiting with a production goal, a headcount goal, or a very selective or as-needed approach? Each has very different implications for how you develop and execute your plan, making it critical that you first address this key question before moving forward. 2. Understand how your value proposition aligns with the needs of your target agents How would you characterize your organization? Does it fully support training and development? Is it a collaborative culture? Do you focus on marketing and administrative support? It's important to fully define the value you bring to prospective agents to ensure that you find those that not only meet your strategy needs but, just as importantly, you find great resonance in your value proposition. 3. Ensure you choose the right agents for the brokerage Sourcing agents and evaluating agents are two completely different skills and you must master both if you're going to be successful in retaining these agents for the long-run. Ask the right questions and source agents through referrals are just two strategies for long term success. For more details on the Brokerage Recruiting Playbook and its findings, please go to https://resources.contactually.com/i/728571-brokerage-recruiting-playbook and contact marketing(at)contactually.com with any questions or comments. About Contactually Founded in 2011, Contactually is a leading provider of relationship marketing software for real estate professionals, from individual agents to entire organizations, that helps users develop and strengthen authentic, long-lasting relationships. In simply minutes a day, the firm's easy-to-use platform enables genuine, personalized engagement to generate more business. Proudly located in Washington, DC, Contactually employs more than 50 people and has raised 12 million in capital to date from Grotech Ventures, Rally Ventures, Bull City Venture Partners, Middleland Capital, and others.

The Power of Recruiting
Build your dream team of top producing agents with BrokerMetrics® Recruiting. Go beyond the traditional methods to find the right people that best fit your organization. Most brokers have the same dream – to build a team of top producers, those real estate agents that go out into the region to list and sell a substantial percentage of their target market. But how do you build that dream team? Through the power of intelligent recruiting. Successful recruiting efforts are achieved by developing sound relationships. In the real estate industry, you develop relationships with top producers by knowing their business better than they do. The old saying, "Work smarter, not harder" truly comes into play when recruiting your dream team. With analysis software BrokerMetrics®, you go beyond traditional recruiting to use your market data to make positive recruiting decisions. Using BrokerMetrics, you have an all-access backstage pass to the real-time performance of your top candidates allowing you to better narrow the field and focus on those agents that best fit your organization. Track listings, sales, areas of activity, price changes, and much more to find out what each recruit can add to your bottom line. When Chicago-based @properties was searching for ways to improve their North Shore expansion, they used BrokerMetrics to look for insight on who would best fit their organization and increase their overall market share...and they found Chambers Cross & Associates. [Read more about @properties and Chambers Cross.] Whether increasing your market share or adding to your dream team, with BrokerMetrics, you can harness the power of your MLS data to better understand your housing market and the top producing agents within it. To view the original article, visit the Terradatum blog.

AOL Real Estate Launches New Search Experience Powered By MOVE, Inc
New York, NY – (August 17, 2011) – AOL Inc. (NYSE: AOL) today launched a new real estate search experience on AOL Real Estate that is powered by Move, Inc. (NASDAQ:MOVE), the leader in online real estate. The new search experience includes a powerful new search engine delivering homes for sale, foreclosures, new homes, off market, and recently sold properties provided to AOL through Move’s ListHub syndication network. The AOL Real Estate search experience powered by Move now delivers enhanced tools that enable users to refine their search by multiple criteria including open houses, new listings and price reductions, and connects them directly to real estate agents. Additionally, the new platform now delivers home values search, expanded school and neighborhood content, a mapping experience provided by MapQuest, and more. These capabilities in combination with AOL Real Estate’s real-time news, how-to guides, videos and information platform provide the millions of AOL users with a richer, more complete experience in their search for a home. “Buying or renting a new home can be a daunting prospect, so we want to provide the best home buying information and service to our users as possible, which is why our partnership with Move, Inc. is so important to us,” said Jay Kirsch, VP and General Manager of AOL Money and Finance. “With its expertise in the listings business, Move, Inc. enables us to provide an unsurpassed hub of data and tools that are pivotal to moving decisions. This is the first of a number of upcoming enhancements to AOL Real Estate that will make the site a singular destination where users can be both inspired and empowered in their search for a new home.” Real estate professionals can now expand their reach and marketing power when syndicating their listings to AOL via Move’s ListHub syndication network through an exclusive advertising program.  Move is offering real estate advertisers access to millions of AOL Real Estate visitors through a special marketing program featuring the Showcase Listing Enhancement treatment. Move’s Showcase Listing Enhancement program includes expanded agent and office information, up to 25 photos, full motion videos, open house alerts, banners, and expanded property descriptions. “We’re excited to launch the AOL Real Estate search experience powered by our proprietary technology and to deliver an exceptional search experience and accurate data to millions of AOL visitors,” said Move, Inc. Chief Executive Officer, Steve Berkowitz. “Move’s mission is to connect consumers with real estate professionals so they can be successful together in purchasing homes. This is an important milestone for both AOL and Move that can significantly advance our ability to exceed expectations buyers, sellers and real estate professionals have towards us as category leaders.” In January 2011, Move, Inc. and AOL signed an agreement giving Move exclusive rights to power the AOL Real Estate homes for sale search experience.    About AOL AOL Inc. (NYSE: AOL) is a premier global media company with a suite of brands and products serving consumers, advertisers and publishers worldwide.  The AOL Huffington Post Media Group is a leading source of news, opinion, entertainment, community and digital information comprising a wide range of destination websites, including AOL.com, The Huffington Post, TechCrunch, Moviefone, Engadget, Patch, AOL Music, StyleList and MapQuest. The AOL Advertising.com Group includes Advertising.com, ADTECH, Pictela, Video (inclusive of AOL Video, goviral and 5min Media), Content Solutions and Sponsored Listings and serves a combined content and advertising market at scale through video, brand advertising, content and ad serving.  AOL is focused on engaging consumers and providing online advertising services and solutions on both AOL Huffington Post Media Group destination websites and third-party websites, in addition to serving consumer platforms including AOL Mail, AIM, about.me, and mobile experiences.  AOL also operates one of the largest Internet subscription access services in the U.S., which serves as another distribution channel for its consumer subscription products, such as AOL TechGuru and Computer Checkup.     About MOVE, Inc. Move, Inc. (NASDAQ:MOVE) is the leader in online real estate with over 16.5 million monthly visitors[1] to its online network of websites. Move, Inc. operates: Move.com, a leading destination for information on new homes and rental listings, moving, home and garden and home finance; REALTOR.com®, the official website of the National Association of REALTORS®; MortgageMatch.com, Moving.com; SeniorHousingNet; ListHub; and TOP PRODUCER Systems. Move, Inc. is based in Campbell, California.     This press release may contain forward-looking statements, including information about management’s view of Move’s future expectations, plans and prospects, within the safe harbor provisions under The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the results of Move, its subsidiaries, divisions and concepts to be materially different than those expressed or implied in such statements. These risk factors and others are included from time to time in documents Move files with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to, its Form 10-Ks, Form 10-Qs and Form 8-Ks. Other unknown or unpredictable factors also could have material adverse effects on Move’s future results. The forward-looking statements included in this press release are made only as of the date hereof. Move cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Finally, Move expressly disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.     Contacts: Graham JamesAOL Corporate CommunicationsGraham.James@teamaol.com     Jennifer DuBois, Move, Inc.Jennifer.DuBois@move.com805.557.3087 1internal mobile metric  reports – March 2011 to May 2011 2comScore Media Metrix, Key Measures report –  July 2011

Smarter Agent Acquires Toor.me
Smarter Agent, the leading mobile real estate network, today announced the acquisition of Toor.me, combining Toor.me’s QR code product with Smarter Agent’s existing suite of mobile real estate apps that can be branded to agents, brokers, realty franchisors, media and finance companies. Toor.me provides the real estate industry with mobile, desktop and social enhanced tours of their property listings. Integrated use of Toor Tags (QR Codes) makes ads and real estate signs interactive with mobile devices, sending potential buyers instantly to a mobile experience of the property. Sites are viewable on a desktop, tablet or any mobile device. Toor.me encompasses: Visual Tours (Non-Flash) QR Short Url’s Google Maps Integration One touch contact of agent: mobile, office, and/or email. One touch social share: Facebook, Twitter, or Email YouTube Fields Unlimited Photos Unlimited Websites For One Low Price "Every real estate yard sign should have an interactive mobile component to engage homebuyers,” said Smarter Agent CEO Brad Blumberg. “Toor.me brings properties to life for homebuyers and provides a powerful listing tool for agents and brokers. QR codes attract attention and are a growing entry point for consumers to learn about properties.” Smarter Agent has been developing real estate apps for more than a decade and is the only company that offers real estate professionals a branded mobile solution that consists of native apps for iPhone, BlackBerry, Android, Palm OS; apps on feature phones across Sprint, Verizon Wireless, AT&T and T-Mobile; and handles mobile web and text all in one. “Toor.me is far ahead of other QR and text code based companies in providing an experience to wow homebuyers, and we look forward to having this talented team as part of Smarter Agent,” said Eric Blumberg, President of Smarter Agent. Together, the companies aim to increase opportunities for mobile interaction, connecting homebuyers to agents and their listings. “Since the very beginning, even before we had a finished product, it has been the goal of Toor.me to revolutionize the way that real estate is marketed, bought and experienced,” said Allen Hartwig, co-founder of Toor.me. “By combining forces with Smarter Agent, the realization of that goal will be much sooner and done so with a greater impact. I am looking forward to designing world class mobile experiences and services with Smarter Agent that truly revolutionize real estate to be more social, more green and more meaningful.” Nick Smoot, co-founder of Toor.me, added, “I am excited to join forces with Smarter Agent.  Brad and Eric are the Godfathers of mobile real estate. Together we will continue to make the future of real estate marketing exciting and rewarding for our customers.” Toor.me and Smarter Agent got married! from Nick Smoot on Vimeo. Try a Toor.me demo: http://www.smarteragent.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Toor.Me-Demo-qr-code.png Or direct any browser to:  http://toor.me/of/82 Download Smarter Agent’s free real estate app:  http://www.smarteragent.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/smarter-agent-qr-code.png If you would like to learn more about Smarter Agent, please click here.