First of all, I loved all the coverage of Inman Connect New York last week. Between all the blog posts, message boards, and live Twitters, it allowed me to feel like I was there listening to the speakers myself. Bill Wendel as RealEstateCafe used Twitter during the conference to ask questions via proxy, very nice use of technology.

But probably the highlight of all the coverage was the multiple-angle almost real-time coverage of the Beer-with-Bloggers event. Here are some highlights:


Daniel Rothamel of RealEstateZebra.com posted this video recap of the event







Around the 45 second point of this video, this picture was taken by Jeff Turner

And the video being shot by Rudy Bachraty of Sellsius that appears in the zebra video is posted here:

Jay Thompson of PhoenixRealEstateGuy.com pointed me to a video by Rachel Natalie Klein

And the flash you see around 53 seconds into this video was this photo from Jeff Turner:

So this is what happens when you get a bunch of uber-documentarians together for one event. What's next? Live streaming videocast from the event in real time... we will see in San Francisco I guess.

Zillow has officially posted a news release about "the adoption of a new standard data format for the distribution of real estate listings online." Titled:

Yahoo!, Zillow.com And Trulia Adopt Common Real Estate Listings Data Standard

Some of the key points that I want to highlight:

Leading online real estate companies Yahoo! Real Estate, Zillow.com, and Trulia.com today announced the adoption of a new standard data format for the distribution of real estate listings online. With this standard, real estate franchisors, brokers, multiple listings services, and other listings providers will be able to distribute their listings data to several of the leading real estate sites in one common format, making it easier to get critical information to consumers faster and more efficiently.

....

With this new standard, it will be much easier for brokerages and listings providers to distribute their listings in one format to the largest online real estate companies.

...

The data feed specification will be based on the XML format and will comprise all the requisite components of a listing, such as address, price, square feet, beds, baths, and additional descriptions of the home. Where as today, brokers and listings providers would need to create upwards of a dozen different formats for one listing, the new standard model will significantly reduce the amount of time spent preparing the content for distribution online

and finally...

The companies participating in the new standard will work in close collaboration with the Real Estate Standards Organization to ensure that the data specification interoperates with the Real Estate Transaction Standard (RETS).

[emphasis added by me.]

I guess the most important question I have in my mind, what is wrong/missing/etc. with our current Listing XML schema? Don't make something that "interoperates" with RETS.... use RETS! And if you need something added/changed, let's talk about it. If an entirely new payload needs to be developed, let's consider it.

I was really excited when TechCrunch posted an announcement concerning Zillow and included:

The other big news is that Zillow is joining Yahoo Real Estate, Trulia, Oodle, Homes.com, Realestate.com, Vast.com and others in adopting a standard way for brokers and multiple listings services (MLSs) to send in their real estate listings in a feed format. That way brokers can use the same data format for all the different real estate search engines and Websites. It is called the Real Estate Transaction Standard (RETS). That should make it easier for brokers to propagate their listings everywhere.

But then David Gibbons from Zillow posted this comment:

Erik -
A minor correction; RETS is not the standard listings distribution format. RETS is a real estate data standard used for broader use cases than just listing information. We have however partnered with the RETS group to ensure that these standards will be interoperable. (emphasis again by me)

Which prompted TechCrunch to make this correction:

[Correction: RETS is actually a different, pre-existing, standard that the new listing feed standard will interoperate with].

Is everyone confused now? I am. In my opinion, RETS is not a "different, pre-existing standard" to the one that Zillow, Trulia, and Yahoo! "plan to launch ... later this year. " It can be the exact same thing.

I know that Mike Wurzer (RESO Board Chairman) is meeting with ZYT while at Inman Connect NY and the discussions are just beginning, but I wanted to comment on the press release today and let the Real Estate Data Community know that there are other options.

RETS is in use in several hundred MLSs already, which means thousands of brokers and agents have already invested in data distribution tools based on RETS, and would rather have that investment be used by ZYT instead of having to start all over again. If you feel that you would benefit from ZYT using RETS versus creating a separate protocol, the best way I see to make your feelings known is to email the address they set up specifically for this project feedstandard@yahoo-inc.com.

 

 

Liz Caraway introduced me to Jott with this post, and I haven't stopped since.

How often have you received a text message asking you a question while driving and not able to respond without risking life and limb? Now, I can call Jott's toll free number (1-866-JOTT-123) from my registered cell phone number, speak the person's name I want to text, and then say up to a paragraph of words and Jott will transcribe it to an SMS message to them.

Adding my friends to my contact list was easy, Jott provides a field for me to type the phonetic spelling of their name. I can use Jott to post updates to my Twitter and even my blogger blog.

The most amazing thing about this service is the amazing accuracy of the transcription. Here is an example one that I sent to a friend tonight:

"Hey Jay, I left the office before I got your text about the 360(?). Do you want me to pick one up at Wal-Mart or Sam's Club. Just call me otherwise."

Jott heard "three sixty" and converted it to 360 (added the ? to indicate it wasn't sure). Notice how my friend's name is capitalized, and Jott recognized the proper names of Wal-Mart and Sam's Club... very cool. Plus, I didn't say "stop" or "period"... it interpreted the inflection in my voice. It didn't catch that I asked a question, but I can live with that.

Now the best part of all.... its free....

David

I know, sounds exciting eh? But seriously, if you (or someone you know) could participate, it would be great. I am sure many of you now know that NAR has a new rule "Realtor owned MLSs must comply with the current version of the RETS specification by June, 2009". I bet that sounds as vague to you as it does to me. So, the RESO Board is calling all interested parties to participate and help make sure that the way we put this new rule into practice is best for all.

Workgroup membership does not necessitate any travel. Periodic conference calls and online discussions is where most of the activity will take place. At a minimum, I recommend giving it a try, and if it doesn't work for you, have your name removed, no harm done.

So, everyone is now saying "Where do I sign up?" right? And here it is:

http://www.rets.org/cms/workgroup/sign-up

Check off the one (or ones) you wish to participate in. If you have questions about the workgroups, comment on this post and I will get them answered for you. Some groups are brand new, so part of the first activities will be to better define their "charter"

Thanks in advance,
David Harris
FMLS
RESO Board Member

We just finished up the December 2007 RETS Conference. The RESO Board spent most of the first day discussing our plans and priorities. Michael Wurzer was elected the Chairman and Gregg Petch the Vice Chairman. Michael presented our initial structure and goals at the start of the second day. The board is committed to addressing the issues that surround the RETS specification effort as it stands today.

One thing we want to make perfectly clear, we want your input! Everyone's opinion is valuable. Historically, Agent and Broker participation in RETS has been nearly absent. As a quick first step, we have set up BOD@rets.org to allow anyone to send a note to the entire board of directors.

We are in the process of reviewing and evaluating everything including version naming, workgroup structures, and compliance testing and procedures. With the new NAR Policy concerning MLS and RETS, we want to reach out to as many affected MLSs as possible. If you are involved with any MLS, I invite you to list your RETS offering on the RETS Wiki (don't forget "None" is an extremely valuable response).

With the weight of the real estate technology community resting upon our shoulders, we will strive to be as thorough and deliberate with every decision we make.

Just came from our first conference call. Man, what a great group of smart people, I was honored to just listen in. The group is made up of a great cross-section of the real estate technology industry. The names are officially posted here, but here they are again:

Technical:

Sergio DelRio (T4Bi)
Jaison Freed (FBS)
Paul Hethmon (Clareity)
Dan Mills (MarketLinx)
Dan Woolley (Dominion Enterprises)

Business:

Kristen Carr (RMLS FL)
David Harris (First MLS)
Chip McAvoy (First American)
Gregg Petch (MRIS)
Michael Wurzer (FBS)

Some of the first steps we hope to accomplish:

1. Get a full-time Executive Officer (EO) who will be the first employee of the RESO Corporation, a wholly owned non-profit corp of NAR. So if you or any one you know would be a great candidate for this awesome opportunity, contact Mark Lesswing.
2. Evaluate our current workgroup structure, and decide which ones are working well and which ones need to be restructured. And appoint an official Chair and Vice-Chair of the committees that will be formed from the working groups.
3. Decide on the proper naming of RETS2 and RETS 1.x. Most of the community agrees that the two are enough different that they both have a purpose in existing long term. So their names should not indicate succession. Maybe RETS 'apple' and RETS 'orange' (you get my drift).
4. Set some Goals for 2008. With the NAR MLS rules now requiring a compliant RETS server (link to come to soon), RESO is perfectly suited to assist the MLS's in this effort.

Please comment on this post with any ideas and/or suggestions you have for the RESO Board, we are all ears. Also, join the active and passionate community that exists on the RETS Forums.

I just got a pre-release bulletin today about Realtor.com's new "Find A Neighborhood" tool that will be announced at NAR next week. The link to it is:

http://neighborhoods.realtor.com/

The announcement stated that they will be launching with data for 34 areas. So far, it seems to pack in a lot of data that you can get in pieces on different sites. They make extensive use of Microsoft Virtual Earth throughout the different features. In Atlanta, one of the listed neighborhoods is Berkeley Lake in the Norcross area, which I will use for my feature links.

Heat Maps. Realtor.com has used the overlay method on Virtual Earth. Like this one that covers average home price

School Info. Realtor.com has partnered with GreatSchools to provide some ratings on schools. They even integrate the parent reviews feed from their site.

Active Listings. Of course you knew they would integrate the listings feed into this.

Crime Data. Ah the one statistic you love to hate. Be prepared now that your buyers can see the house they are interested in is specifically shaded a different color than the surrounding area.

I could keep showing, but go check it out for yourself because... you know your home buyers (and home sellers) will be...