“Believe it or not, there was a time when people needed to be convinced that the internet would matter. In 1995, when web browsers were first becoming commercialized, I had the opportunity to tell the real estate industry that the internet was going to change the way business was done. That turned out to be true.”
That explains why brokerages want greater control before MLS entry, why portals insist on broad consumer access, and why MLSs find themselves caught in the middle.
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It all began around a campfire 29 years ago: 50 real estate leaders came together in a redwood grove in Sonoma County, California, for the first Inman Connect. There was so much to talk about the impact on the real estate industry of this new thing called the commercial internet.
What you said reflects real-world DRE culture, where the textbook answer (cooperation) and the practical outcome (heightened scrutiny) don’t always align. That kind of nuance underscores the gap between rule-based reasoning and lived experience, the very space where human judgment still matters.”
In practice, it’s hard to reason about the “purpose” of a product as broad as ChatGPT, or the “purpose” of the entire internet. A better framing is: do the market harms from ChatGPT come from it producing substitutes that compete with the originals? Or is it an indirect effect, like a book critic review could have on a book?
The goal of this piece isn’t to spotlight what I know, but to illustrate what AI might not (at least not today). Ultimately, it’s the user behind the screen who must think critically before relying on AI for crucial information.
If as an industry, we took the same time and effort we dedicate to debating Clear Cooperation and instead directed it at influencing lawmakers to solve the genuine problem of housing supply – the communities we serve would be immeasurably better off – and so would we. It is time we shift the conversation – and fix what’s actually broken.
But in real estate, in parenting, in everyday life, we’re already negotiating with a new kind of construct. AI isn’t a fantasy. It’s a framework we’ve invited in. The question isn’t whether it will change everything. It’s whether we’ll realize when we’re no longer in control.
By focusing on these three pillars of data quality, MLS data can be transformed from a simple repository of property listings into a strategic asset that drives better decision-making and enhances outcomes for all parties involved.
Exclusive right to sell vs. Exclusive agency The exclusive right to sell gives the broker a commission no matter who sells the property (the owner or the
Learning Real Estate One Word (or phrase) at a Time… Duress Unlawful force or action by one person against another in an attempt to coerce
In light of the proposed NAR Settlement’s requirement of a written Buyer Agreement prior to touring a listed property, Zillow announced the release of a
