Season 8 Episode 4 - Garry Marsoubian from MLS Now

Garry Marsoubian from MLS Now is back once again in hot seat to talk to our ACAR members in conversation with CEO Mike Valerino. Hear what he has to say about MLS Now and how they operate, what drew him back to the industry and all about the concepts behind MLS Now’s recent rebrand!

Questions about the content in this podcast? Contact your ACAR Communications Director Kelli Moss by emailing kmoss@akronclevelandrealtors.com. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:08

Welcome back, everyone, to the ACAR Home for All podcast. We're glad to be back with you this week as we wrap up our 2025 podcast year. Today we are in the studio with a frequent guest that our members all are getting to know pretty well, and that's MLS Now's uh CEO, Gary Marsubian. Gary is going to bring everyone up to date on what's been going on at the MLS and uh all of the great changes we can expect for 2026. So it's time to grab your coffee and your earbuds and make this spot your home for the next 30 or so minutes. We're happy that you're here. The ACAR Home for All podcast is a bi-weekly production where we will host interviews, facilitate conversations, and talk about what's happening in the world of real estate. We'll introduce you to important people in your community and help you learn how to grow your real estate-related business. This is an adult show, and some adult language might occasionally creep into the conversation. This podcast is for educational and informational purposes, and the opinions shared on the podcast do not necessarily represent the views of Akron Cleveland Association of Realtors, Ohio Realtors, or the National Association of Realtors. That said, let's move forward and find out what makes Northeast Ohio the best home for all. Okay, well, here we go. Well, welcome back, everybody uh listening today. I'd like to welcome to the studio our guest host for today, ACAR CEO, our one and only Mike Valerino. Hey Mike, how are you doing today?

SPEAKER_02 1:42

Good. How are you, Kelly?

SPEAKER_00 1:43

I'm good. I'm really good. It's freezing cold outside.

SPEAKER_02 1:46

It is.

SPEAKER_00 1:47

I know. Welcome to Ohio, right? If we aren't used to it by now, we should.

SPEAKER_02 1:51

Only another five months of this. Oh my god. And it'll warm up.

SPEAKER_00 1:54

Don't say it like that. No. Five. Oh my heavens. Well, since you're here, it's time for me to throw the show to you to get started. So take it away.

SPEAKER_02 2:04

All right. Thanks, Kelly. Well, I'm happy once again to welcome back CEO of MLS Now, Gary Marsubian. Gary, thanks for being here today.

SPEAKER_03 2:12

Absolutely. Always a pleasure.

SPEAKER_02 2:14

Really appreciate the time. This is the third time that we've had Gary on this year. As you know, there's no shortage of topics in the world of MLS. So really happy to get into it here with Gary and find out what's going on at MLS Now. I guess maybe for the listeners who might not know you so well or haven't heard either of our earlier uh podcasts with you, maybe share a little bit about your background and what you brought you, what brought you into MLS leadership.

SPEAKER_03 2:43

Sure. Thanks, Mike. Thanks for having me again. I do uh it's become part of the Mike Cadence per quarter, so hopefully we can do more next year. Um I appreciate the opportunity. Um background, um business major. Uh believe it or not, Mike, my goal in life was to become a high uh high-level retail manager in departments in department stores, and I was well on my way. Uh worked in a cash office, worked in receiving, I worked in HR, I worked the floor, uh, I worked in merchandising, and that was the plan my mentor put me on, and it was great. Um I went away for college, that ended pretty quickly. Um I got into IT pretty quickly with my business background. I was I've been in the MS world since 1996. I won't give away my age. Uh you can see my hair. Um the background's really business and technology, and the technology was um something that what that triggered it was some help I was giving an individual. I met at a wedding in Montreal. He said, Wow, you can do that? Uh and I was self-taught at the time. I hadn't certified or anything like that. He goes, Why don't I just fly you in to Cyprus, uh, which is a beautiful island in the Mediterranean, get rid of my faxing. He was an import-export guy. Uh dealt a lot with the Asia, Hong Kong mainly. We go over there, we do it all. I'm like, I can do this. So I did certify and I got into technology, ended up in the MLS world, and have been stuck since, except for a small stint, uh, between 20 and 22, uh, which was still uh business and technology, but it was a software company. So what brought me here was the challenge. Not just uh I didn't know the inner workings of MLS now, but the challenge that the industry was facing. And believe it or not, when the opportunity came up, um I I got really excited about it because I wanted back in. I missed the hugs with the association heads. Uh I missed the camaraderie. Uh but what was the current the settlement had just gotten approved to continue March of whenever it was. Uh anyone in anyone that has ever been a mentor of mine in this industry yanked me by my collar and said, What are you doing? You're out of your mind. The more they did it, the more um I was driven to come back in. And believe it or not, the challenges that the inner she was about to face um was a big catalyst for me to come back in.

SPEAKER_02 5:14

Nice. So yeah, you'll you like the challenge, and I mean being in the MLS world since '96, so that makes you at least 30. Yeah. Um so yeah, we've got you pinned down. We've got you pinned down there. But what was it maybe about um MLS Now? What what do you think it is that makes MLS Now unique in terms of its mission uh and the value it brings to brokers and agents across our region? Uh, what's special about MLS Now to you?

SPEAKER_03 5:41

Look, we've done a lot of work since April of 2024. April 8th was day one uh when I became part of the team. Um everyone was committed, everyone was passionate, everyone like loved the marketplace. No broker or uh association I spoke to who was visited by what we call account executives, had anything bad to say. And we know that in this industry, if someone has something bad to say, they're gonna say it. And they're gonna say it right in your face. I've not once heard that. I saw the passion, I saw the dedication. I also saw in a in a several-month discovery that the organization needed some changes. Uh it needed some changes in spending, it needed some changes in organizational excellence, it needed changes in outreach, it needed changes in mending some bridges, um, enhancing others that were perfectly fine. Um what makes it special is the people. What makes it special is the people that are there who care so much, um, our shareholders, we're part of the family, um, and now uh the extension of that is our brokers and every single agent in the in in our marketplace. To have such a small group taking care of a market the size of ours fluctuates between 11 to 14,000, depending on what day you put your finger in the wind. Um it's pretty impressive. Uh it's pretty impressive. A lot of a lot of skilled, um, well-rounded professionals. Part of that uh organizational change I was talking about, everyone knew what they were doing, but some were clearly in the wrong spot. Let's move you over here. I bet you you're gonna shine more. Uh and I would have bet my bottom dollar on it, and I wish I had, because it came to fruition. Uh it's the people, it's the uh willingness to learn, to be open, to modernize. Uh it's it's our shareholders and their appreciation between last April and now, what we've done. The outreach program has showed them we care. I hope you see it. Um those are the small things that make a big effort successful, as far as I'm concerned. Yeah, absolutely. Absolute joy.

SPEAKER_02 7:50

I hear a lot of similar similarities there between MLS and Association World, too, because I would have answered many of those questions, many of that the same the same way. Um the people and the care uh and the fact that it's always changing and challenging and um and all of that as well.

SPEAKER_03 8:06

That includes that includes the uh the realtor uh relief fund, that includes our past, that includes all that. There's a lot of people in our industry who care a lot about each other, uh, their community and their marketplace. Uh it's hard to leave for more than a couple of years. That's all it took me to come back.

SPEAKER_02 8:23

Very well said. Um and and up, you know, it sounds like another thing that you you identified as as needing a change was the was the brand, uh, the branding for MLS Now. You you recently completed this effort, you launched it. I remember at the Ohio Realtors Convention in the in the fall, um in September. Uh, can you maybe talk about that a little bit? Why was now the right time for that that change and what what should uh brokers and agents take away from the the new direction that MLS Now is going in in terms of its brand?

SPEAKER_03 8:56

Yeah, I appreciate that. Look, at the very top of our one pager for our strategy, um we have goals and we have objectives and we have a business plan every year underneath those um objectives across all business uh uh functions and units. But at the very high level of that strategy are four um uh guiding principles. One of them is redefine the MLS and build trust or uh enhance trust. Redefine the MLS in any way we can to improve it. People, process, uh products, etc. Um, the second overarching principle is to become a technology leader uh and show incredible levels of higher value as to what the MLS does, both to the brokers and um the shareholders. And I'll explain. I I think we're gonna get into that in a little bit. I'll get into that. The third uh overarching principle was to evolve rules and rules of engagements. Um a lot of MLSs are working on decades-old, archaic rules that aren't up to speed and up to up to the current time. The last one is organizational excellence. If you just take those overarching principles and then listen to me carefully when I say that, the brand wasn't about a logo and colors. It's far more than that. It is about the logo, it is about the colors. The colors mean something innovation, care, thoughtfulness, leadership. Um we have a palette of purple and one green. Uh each one of those colors were carefully uh engineered for our needs because they mean something. Um the logo is um also a part of it, but it's not all it is, is edgy and it's radical. And and and that's a message we're sending out there. Uh we're trying to be edgy, we're trying to be recognized, uh, we want instant recall when you see the brand. Um we want people to understand our intent is to modernize, move forward, add value, um, and not hinder a transaction or uh progress. Uh it's about consistent communication. It's about an internal mantra, uh, which is the rally call is uh power and progress. So again, not about color and powering progress uh is all about what we can offer as powered by MLS now to every broker in the marketplace. And the progress is moving our marketplace and beyond forward. Um it's about marketplace empowerment, I think I've mentioned that. It's about the technology leadership always being on edge, if not on the bleeding edge, and taking slight risks when necessary. Uh and it's about clarity in a complex world. I mentioned rules. You're gonna get in the demo with me, I think. I'll talk about that clarity and why we didn't adopt Camel. We want to provide and present clarity. Uh we don't want to be a complicated group. We don't want to get in the way. The third or the fourth one is operational excellence. Uh what we do internally to better ourselves with tools, processes, vocabulary, etc. Uh, we want to take that, that's part of our strategy, and we want to take that and extend that out to our shareholders and associations as well. So, again, not about color, not about logo, although it is about those two things. All the things I just outlined are also a part of the rebranding. It's brand identity. So we're powering progress for your market and your moment. And your market, your moment kind of gives meaning to MLS now. Uh the market is the MLS, the now is the moment. Uh and we're not just in the moment, we're thinking ahead, not where the puck's going, but where the puck's gonna be. Uh, we want to be there when it happens. We want to think two years out as to what the brokers want and what agents want, and be there to meet them when the time is right.

SPEAKER_02 12:51

Nice. Yeah. Uh the the continuous uh pursuit of of improvement, the pursuit of excellence. And um you hope that that everybody connects with with that with that brand and sees that um in the organization. I mean, you've you've mentioned um uh already a few times about um all of all of the changes that have have come recently and and are on the way um ahead, and how quickly real estate is evolving um as as an organized industry from your vantage point right now, what are the biggest challenges and opportunities that that you're navigating as you lead this organization?

SPEAKER_03 13:31

Look, obviously the lawfare that's going on in our industry within and outside the MLS is a challenge, it's a problem. Um de-risking is uh uh an effort everybody should get behind and make sure that they're doing the right things with the right attorneys, the right boards, the right votes, and the right action. I think that is a uh a challenge. I think the barriers that MLSs present are a challenge. Uh a brokerage that goes across multiple MLSs shouldn't. It's an artificial boundary, and we need to do everything we can to lower those. I'm not saying go nuclear and take over other MLSs. There's with the technology we've put in place already that hasn't been spoken about a lot, there's new ways of collaborating, there's new ways of cooperating. Uh not just with our neighbor MLSs, but with the brokers, small, medium, and large. Uh I think the hot topics are still there. Uh there's debates around days on market, there's debates around coming soon, there's debate around privacy and private networks. Um there's challenges in governance. Uh, you know as well as I do, when we're at these conferences, you're up down the uh uh governance and association track, and I'm on the MLS track, and I'm meeting with vendors and MLS, but what you're hearing more than I'm hearing, I'm hearing as well, there may be a new way to look at how um the coexistence between associations and MLSs are. It's a challenge because a lot of people are scratching their heads. Um one of the challenges in that is don't get fooled, don't pay uh um invoices to people that are just out to to take advantage of the challenge. Uh work with the MLS. I intend on working with you and every other shareholder to overcome any challenge that's presented in that space. Um, I I mentioned at first is that lawfare, which is really disappointing, mainly with the portal wars, and then of course the brokers, and not to mention our settlement we went through. That's a long list of challenges. Uh the industry, from my perspective, since 1996, um, and I was in my teens, uh, so 32 may be a little over overkill, I'm just kidding, but um the challenges have always been there. Uh they just haven't been this intense, and it hasn't been this um uh consistent, I want to say, from the MLS front, Mike. You know, if any given MLS thinks that the traditional uh competitor to your MLS is the same, has lost their mind and is not in the same world that we're living in. Uh the new challengers and competitors could be uh legacy vendors, the new vendors, brokers even, in some cases, associations, um, cooperation, collaboration, innovation, uh, modernization, and forward thinking, I think can get through all of these uh with discussion and communication.

SPEAKER_02 16:35

Yeah, you you know you mentioned um associations and MLSs talking about or re-examining how they're supposed to work together or how they want to work together or not. I think many of them are contemplating separating for the first time ever. Well, right here in our market, um the association and the MLS have been separate entities for for decades. And in fact, we've we got we got so far apart, I think, that that that now, as you as you mentioned, we're we're starting to collaborate more and more uh together. And and you mentioned you know uh how important the the the shareholders are to you and to doing as much as you can with the association. You've been true to that. That's what you've done um ever since you've you've you've been here. You also mentioned de-risking, um, and and that's that's a definitely when you're when you're in the halls uh at NAR conferences, that's that's a phrase that's out there, and we hear more and more of because um that that's a NAR is in the de-risking mode, uh, which uh sounds like it gives a lot more discretion to local MLSs. Um and and so what does that shift mean for you? Does does that mean that a lot more of the risk is coming downhill and that you're taking it on? Um how might that influence future policy decisions and and how do you plan on handling that that uh risk environment locally?

SPEAKER_03 17:58

Look, there's no doubt the risk flows downstream. Uh, now that there is a loosening up at the NAR level. There's no ends, ups, or buts about it. Uh one of the first things that I recognized in my discovery last year was those rules that were decades old. It gives the MLS an opportunity to really hopefully already understand their market and deliver to the brokers what they need. The MLS is not here uh to be um a bureaucratic organization that gets in the way of a transaction. I'm not saying we need the Wild West. We don't need chaos. We need an uh organized, relevant, timely, accurate market that meets the needs of every real estate professional. The de-risking at the NAR level gives us the opportunity to reevaluate all of our rules. We're in the middle of a project to do that. Uh we've got 74 pages of rules. I think I mentioned that to you in our first podcast, and you and I talk about it often. It's a book. Yeah, it's a book, it's 74 pages. What we've done is evaluated and classified each and every one of those rules. Is it NAR mandated? Is it NAR suggested? Is it NAR recommended? Because those are the T three types. And then you've got the local rules. Every one of those is being dissected. Every single one. What we'd be what we're staying true to, to borrow your your your phrase of staying true, is that look, we're affiliated with NAR. Our shareholders are NAR-affiliates. So those mandated rules, um, we're not touching. Um we may reword them to make them more simple, but anything that's suggested, recommended, or is a local rule is on the table. Uh to simplify, to eliminate, or to modify. Modify would be change the rule. Simplify would be reword the rule. Eliminate is obviously scratch it because it's archaic and too old. Um we don't want to be too loose, we don't want to be too wordy and strict. We want to be uh pragmatic and logical and be somewhere in the middle. Uh our task force has been re-engaged. Uh we did a lot of legwork between last April and just last month. Um a couple of days ago, we brought the uh rules task force back. Uh and now we've built a cadence. It's in person. Um we've uh lowered the numbers of that rule so that it doesn't become committee debate, but a true task force that knows what the charter is. We've got a charter uh and just tackles it and gets it done. It'll be done in the first quarter. So that de-risking on their end is not a problem, just a problem of risk. It's a proper tunity. It's a proper tunity to show the brokers that we are listening to them and we're making changes to modernize our rules and regulations and the rules of engagement.

SPEAKER_02 20:54

So maybe 75 pages turns into 40.

SPEAKER_03 20:57

I'd like to see it a little bit lower than that, but um, yeah. So it's a serious project, it's a huge effort. Again, uh 14,000 people, but small numbers staff-wise, but we're getting it done. Um yeah.

SPEAKER_02 21:12

You you mentioned earlier the the delayed marketing exempt listing option, and I uh that's a that's a great example of what you're you're talking about now because we were able to see uh that this process that you're talking about in action this year as NAR introduced uh delayed marketing exempt listings as an option. Um and we know that that MLS now um took a look at this option and considered it and ultimately decided not to adopt it. Um and and we've talked quite a bit about this. Maybe you can walk our listeners through uh that decision and and what uh agents should understand about uh the reasoning not to adopt delayed marketing exempt listings.

unknown 21:53

Right.

SPEAKER_03 21:53

Um we did a lot of work on that uh with NAR, with our own attorneys, um with our the Executive committee and our board of directors. We waited patiently to see what the react market reaction would be to Demo. By the way, DEMO is now called the seller options for the MLS. So it's becoming a suite of rules, suggested rules. The other one is the office exclusive rule, which is a mandate. It has to happen in the MLS. When we looked at them, of course, clear cooperation is what really created this effort. Clear cooperation, two days within public advertising, the listing has to be in. That hasn't been touched. Office exclusive introduced a while back. It's an office exclusive, it doesn't go in the MLS. You can't publicly market. So you've got office exclusive and then you've got demo. With demo, it's a delayed marketing listing, exempt listing. Delayed marketing is that listing. You can have a space of time where you do not want the listing to be entered to be publicly advertised via IDX. It goes into the MLS, the marketplace, and all participants and subscribers see the listing. The difference between Office Exclusive and Demo is that demo can be publicly advertised by the broker on their websites, whatever they want, wraps around cars. Okay, so step back. We looked at our system, we have this option called no internet. No internet is demo. You enter it, it's available for viewing by the MLS participants and subscribers. It doesn't go out on an IDX feed, and the broker can do what they want with it.

SPEAKER_02 23:50

So this option was already here.

SPEAKER_03 23:52

It was already here. It was already here. If we had introduced demo, confusion, chaos, rumors and myths, because folks don't listen sometimes and understand what the rule means, I'll say it. I do the same thing. So we we decided no demo. Something we were gonna do is call it demo. And the board quickly scratch their head and says, this isn't demo, uh, with some pushing. No, this is no internet. Uh but what we did, Mike, is uh educate more on no internet, that it's there. Use it. Um and we left it at that. And demo to us is uh a non-issue, it just didn't need to be there. Uh we didn't want to again uh introduce confusion or chaos into the market and left it alone.

SPEAKER_02 24:41

Yeah, well, thank you for saving us and our members from more confusion because we've certainly had had plenty of it, you know, all this national conversation about uh MLS consolidation, the the cooperation policies, uh the evolving role of of the MLS, and and you're right in it, uh, and I'm sure that you see a lot of um uh confusion but also misunderstandings that that are out there. What do you what do you think um from from where you sit is most uh understood about MLS's today?

SPEAKER_03 25:16

Understood or misunderstood?

SPEAKER_02 25:18

Most misunderstood.

SPEAKER_03 25:20

Look, in many cases, um I just did a panel discussion at uh in Houston, um, and this question came up, and the question of uh the new uh options for governance came up. Um you have a situation number one where the MLS is a wholly owned subsidiary of a given association or a group of associations. Scenario number two, which is what we're in, is um you've got association shareholders um who run their associations very well, but have uh corporate folks running the MLS. It's a technology company supposed to deliver data in a timely way. Uh I think that's pretty much a sweet spot. The the the the previous uh example I gave gets to be problematic. Every there's a lot of people in this uh industry that think scenario number one is how all MLSs are run. Uh that's not true. To expect MLSs to behave like an association, when the MLS is a corporation, there to add value, um work with the brokers, work with the board, make sure the relationship with the shareholders are solid, tight, and communication is consistent and constant, uh where you should be. Now, next step uh could be other things, Mike. Um, we want complete separation. It's it's all over. It's not happening in backrooms, the discussions are happening. Um it's at every realtor conference, it's at every um uh MLS conference. Uh I think the misconception is that MLSs are associations, and we're not. We can't do what you do. And uh take no offense, you probably can't do what we do if you're doing the right things as an MLS and not operating it as a nonprofit association. I don't care what association, it could be uh um uh insurance, whatever it is. Um the the purpose of an MLS, timely, accurate, transparent marketplace, delivering value to brokers, uh, and making sure that we do our best to have a collaborative and cooperative system uh with new technologies and at every cost try to keep the cost down uh to our participants and our subscribers to reduce barriers, um, to add value, um, to facilitate the transaction, not get in the way of it, uh, not set up uh um um uh brick walls and firewalls that prevent that transaction from happening uh in the in the guise and form of rules and regulations, lower those barriers, uh, and hope that everyone's happy, which is nearly impossible, um, but we do our best. And um that's what that's that's that's what we're after. The biggest misconception in my eyes is the separation uh of church and state. Uh, you know, I always talk about that in um uh with my board of directors, they they talk about it as well. Uh let me micromanage, you govern. Uh make sure you watch over me, uh, but let me micromanage my staff and my organization. Uh you do what you do best. Same situation with associations. I think within all that litany of items I just brought up, uh in a nutshell is just what is the role and what is the function and how it operates is uh the misconception. It doesn't happen by MLSs or associations who are in scenario one or two, but it does happen from the marketplace. Uh, not just agents, but brokers as well. Some are very astute and some are not. Um I won't bring up I if you ask me about it, I'll talk about it. Um at the very end, I might see if you want to talk about it. But we were doing something recently, uh or for a long time. To me, it's not an MLS function. It was a real estate function, and that comes in a uh the form of forms, no pun on forms. Yeah. Uh we weren't experts in it. We didn't have the real estate knowledge. Uh we have MLS rules and regulations wired. Ask me a question and I got you. Uh but when it comes to real estate, that's really not our role. That's part of that whole um sphere of all the litany of things I talked about that people have misconceptions of.

SPEAKER_02 29:56

And you're so you're referring to MLS now's decision to uh to to separate from forms, uh, which uh we've had some questions about as well, and and uh you know our current position as the association is we see that our state association, Ohio Realtors, is very well equipped to handle this. They have staff attorneys, they have a very active forums committee, and a robust library of forms. So uh we're encouraging our our our broker members if um if if they have concerns or they're looking for some expertise uh to turn to the state association and and and consult their their attorneys as as as well for for help with that. But that that's great, a great explanation about that decision um and and kind of the logic behind why you chose to and my in many cases brokers uh it was the slap on the hand every time I saw a uh a good chunk of brokers because we were offering those forms and our agents were using it.

SPEAKER_03 30:54

Um on the flip side, what we've done is uh we've stripped our name off of them, we've cleaned them up, we've packaged them. If a broker wants it and they sign an indemnification, we're sending it to them. And there's some there's some um people that are are asking for it and and requesting it. We did the same with the shareholders. Everyone had an opportunity, it's still there. Um so yeah, we got rid of it, uh, but it's available. Um we've also discussed with uh Ohio State, two great attorneys who are the uh the uh the the public facing, they know all about it. Um they have copies of it. Uh as their committee meets and they there's a need for a form they may not have, they'll take ours, enhance it, and use it. So we feel pretty good about it right now.

SPEAKER_02 31:41

Yeah, absolutely. And so I I you know we started this conversation pretty pretty high level, uh, and now we're starting to get into the more of the the tangible stuff. And I I know this uh we're about to get into I I think what I kind of see as your wheelhouse and something that I think you'll get really excited about, and and um that that's innovations and upgrades. And you know, I I was just saying before we started this, every time we're at a conference, it's like you're back to back to back with with uh meetings with vendors and always checking out the latest uh products and and innovations that are um that are out there. So I'm I'm excited to learn what's in the pipeline now for uh for MLS now that brokers and agents should be excited about.

SPEAKER_03 32:24

Yeah, thank you for asking me that. I do get excited. Look, first of all, in a we're a small group. I've mentioned that three times now. Innovation doesn't mean I have a 50-person development team, a 10-person infrastructure and cloud uh computing team that does things. Innovation um is is legitimate and valid if you adopt things that are out there. Um, and that's what we've done. Our technology stack has significantly uh been enhanced since last April, and it will continue to be enhanced. Um when you see me running around sweating at these conferences, it's not just vendors I'm meeting with, it's partnership opportunities, Mike. Uh it's people that are willing to build alliances with us. One of the biggest things we're doing right now uh is not a vendor-client relationship, it's a relationship with another MLS who's got the 50-person development team, um, who is willing to ally with us and partner with us and work with us, um, um uh take care of the homeland type of thing and include us in that uh homeland first uh group of people. Um since last April, we introduced Kuba Casa, we introduced Enhanced Property Panorama, we introduced RAIS, we introduced Real Reports, all highly innovative products that show value for the agent and blow the existing products out of the water without mentioning them. Um and by the way, we have partnerships with two of those people. It's not a vendor-client relationship. Two of the largest ones we're allied with, and we're very happy about it, and they're happy about it as well. Um we are allied with an AI organization that understands real estate, but also has mainstream technology prowess that they bring to us in our partnership. Um so hopefully, yeah, I'd love to have that development squad in three years or five years, but right now we're innovating by differentiating and by making those partnerships with the right people at the right time, at the right place. Next year is pretty exciting. Um, Real Reports has significant enhancements coming. Raise has significant enhancements coming. Um, by the way, those two products aren't free. The MLS covers the base of those fees on a monthly basis. There are upgrades the participants and subscribers can do, uh, but we're giving them the base functionality, which is enterprise level, world-class systems anyway. We're changing our ad edit next year uh to a modernized solution. It's gonna reduce screen time to enter listings, it's gonna increase uh accuracy significantly. Uh, you know, that that individual that may be making the same mistake and getting that email from our data integrity group, formerly compliance, may significantly reduce those emails just based on the fact of tool that we've given them. Uh it gives interoperability and collaboration between the agent, the broker, and media providers, video, um photographers, things of that nature. Very slick, all riddled with AI. Um, the third item is a Teams module. Um we all know about teams, a lot of successful teams that are backbones of a lot of brokerages. Uh it has a Teams module that these teams can collaborate, communicate, work together better. At the same time, add a hint of uh uh competition by setting goals, showing those stats, showing your progress. This is all broker controlled. I told you that the broker has not been listened to enough. Uh the broker controls this entire suite of products that I just mentioned for ad edit with a permissions module. Uh very simple to operate. Uh click here, this person can do this, this, this. Very simple, very um uh in-depth, etc. We're looking really forward to it. Um, the other reason we did this ad edit, Mike, is to have data destiny, meaning our data is in our database. R is meaning MLS, brokerage. It's their data. Um when you're in the cloud with someone else, you really don't know where your data is, and you're commingled with others. Not to uh mistake commingled with two rules with no, meaning the data is in the database. Not not not.

SPEAKER_02 36:46

Commingling is a buzzword lately.

SPEAKER_03 36:48

Yeah, done with that. Um we control it, we have our arms around it, we are the data the custodians of that data, and we can be better custodians because of it. Number one, data destiny. Number two, um, it's data autonomy, uh, it's our database. It's not in a mix with other MLSs or the MLS that we're partnered with. It's separate, it's ours. We can write code against it, we can test against it, we can write mobile applications against it. Very excited about Ad Edit. Um, with everything I just mentioned, there are other things coming as well. AI tools for search, AI tools as assistance for your daily stuff, uh mess uh things like uh setting up appointments for you. What do agents do the best in Berger? Is sell real estate. If they can get the triviality of their life away from them, they can do better selling real estate.

SPEAKER_02 37:47

Yeah, you mentioned reducing screen time, that type of thing. That thing as well.

SPEAKER_03 37:50

But it'll recognize an email. And this is not all at once, by the way. It'll recognize an email and it'll know what your schedule is and go ahead and book them. Uh a showing or whatever it is. These are all coming. Um, we're partner with the right people at the right time for the right things. One thing I want to say about all this, um, because the staff, myself, um, you know, it's blood and guts and sweat. Uh, we've done all this now. Um, 2026 is going to bring four or five pieces of value that if people are paying attention, um their heads are gonna spin in a positive way. But have you heard any announcements about us raising MLS fees in 2026? That doesn't happen organically. What happens is back-end pieces of the solutions that we have or are going to bring in, we've modified a lot of them. They're better than what we had at a lower cost, negotiations, those alliances, those partnerships, at a lower cost so we can bring the value without raising fees. Now, this isn't a uh perpetual type of arrangement or promise. Uh things get more expensive. There's inflation, there's uh companies that have percentages they want increases on. But 2026, with the things we've already brought in 24 and 25, now the things we're bringing in 26, we have not a penny raised, Mike, and we're very proud of that. Um again, it's not it's not my good looks getting us that. It's hard work by um our our uh MLS director, it's hard work by our training folks who evaluate software. Me, it's partnerships that we've established. We're very, very proud of that. So your members and subscribers should be proud of it too. Yeah, look, um Ray's uh is a solution that shows value from the real estate professional. It records what you're doing so you can report back to the buyer or the seller what you've done on their behalf. Um a given buyer or seller, I may be slightly off of my numbers, thinks that a given real estate professional spends 20 hours on a sale or a purchase. That's ridiculous. I don't know any realtors who get away with that. It's untrue. It's a misconception, it's a myth. This thing shows you your value. Um there's enhancements to that product next year. But as far as the receptiveness, when you do things and it's not received because no one's listening, it's disappointing. It kill it, you know, you'd kick, you can't kick the can down the road. Get stronger on social media, get in front of them more and show them. Um the reason I'm bringing all that up, we had a webinar on RAIS last week. Yeah, it was last week. Um we're about 13,500 right now. Uh we had 600 people subscribe and 350 people attend. I can tell you right now, that's about three, four percent attendance, uh higher registration. But we get it. Real estate people are busy. I'm not gonna name names. There's a massive MLS in this country who didn't get 1% attendance to their webinar. That's hard work from our staff. We've got a communications guy that's just on fire. Uh so if we're doing all these things and the message not being received, shame on us. Uh, if we don't change it so that it's received, um, if they're not listening, shame on them. If we're not changing things so that they can listen and we're in front of them more, shame on us. So exciting year coming up, Mike. I can't wait. Um I'm sure I'll start working on my vacation before, just like you will, but you got kids, so it's a little different. Um, we're very excited. Um what I'd like to see in this outreach we're doing, uh just had lunch with another shareholder a couple days ago, and in January we're setting up with the with the rest. What can we do to help each other more? What is it? Uh, if we bring in, we talked about a tool the other day, I don't want to mention it, and you got excited about it, we were on the phone, remember? Those types of things we want to extend out to you and help with it. Like we love this, it's a great platform for education, whatever. Um, just using an example, we want to extend that out to you. We want to help you with your message and social media, we want you to help us with with your with with uh ours. Uh so it's not just the technology innovation and value uh to the broker and the agent. We want to hear the broker more, and and that's what these rules and regulations about. But um we we we just want to enhance, develop the relationship, further develop and enhance the relationship with our shareholders as well.

SPEAKER_02 42:27

Thank you. Well, I really appreciate that. That's uh it's been uh really awesome to see how far uh you all at MLS Now have come this year and really excited to see uh what's what's on the way for uh for 2026 because it sounds like uh some really exciting stuff uh and some stuff that that uh our our members uh are are really gonna benefit from. So um really appreciate that. And and and to to um you know go out uh and and finish this uh this this podcast with with kind of one last question. Uh what is one message um that that you could send, if you could send a message to every broker and agent listening, what is one thing that you would want them to know right now?

SPEAKER_03 43:14

Um I need to lose 25 pounds because my freshman 10 turned into a sophomore 25. Welcome to the club. Yeah, thank you, all of the good food in Cleveland. Um we are here to power progress, which is our internal rally call. We're here to do it for your market, your moment. Uh we want your trust, uh, we want your friendship, we want your alliances and your partnership. Um we want to deliver uh uh the the the most advanced world class uh enterprise class system products uh and services um that we can deliver to you. Uh we want you to talk to us, we want you to follow us on our social uh presence. We want you to attend the classes that we offer. We'll be in your face more and more. You just have to be willing to listen. But we're here to listen to you. We're here to listen and respond. Include everyone. Lead by example. Always innovate. And hopefully go to this marketplace even with our neighbors. Because like I said, there's new ways of collaborating and cooperating. Our neighbors, we don't need to fear our neighbor MLS's, and they don't need to fear us, but we need to get together so we can lower some of these barriers that exist. And that's my commitment to at least try. So we're listening. Please speak up.

SPEAKER_02 44:41

Fantastic. And I think you you heard that here, everybody, and and uh that there's your message and your marching orders. Uh pay attention to what's going on, follow social media, attend the classes, um, keep your eyes open, your ears open to what's coming from MLS now because it's uh it's it's really exciting and impactful stuff. Well, Gary, this has been a great conversation. You know, I'm hoping our members uh will will get a bunch of great information here uh from this discussion. Uh and that means it's time to throw it back to you, Kelly. Thank you, Mike.

SPEAKER_00 45:16

Well, thank you. Thank you so much, uh, Mike and Gary, for agreeing to be here. And God, what a fantastic QA this was. Man, I I wish I could like bring all of our listeners like right in here to like watch it and see it. So um, but that is all we've got for you for today's episode. We are glad to be back for a new season beginning in January, and we'll have more great programming headed your way. So be sure to come back. If you loved what you heard today, please do us a favor and share it on your social platforms. That would be great if you tag us as well. And every time, remember that you share the podcast, you're helping not just yourself and not just ACAR and not just MLS now, but hopefully a number another member along the way. We appreciate you and hope that everyone out there has a fantastic day and a wonderful holiday season ahead. And until we meet again, I hope that you're finding your very own meaning of home for all.