Listing Bits Episode 66: How Standards Streamline PropTech – with Sam DeBord of RESO

Policy may not be sexy, but without standards around how we format real estate data and build technology systems, we simply can't share data or integrate the tools we need to do our jobs well. Sam DeBord serves as CEO of the Real Estate Standards Organization, the trade group responsible for developing the open standards that drive efficiency and streamline technology for the industry. His resume includes a wide range of leadership positions in the real estate space, including President's Liaison for MLS and Data Management at NAR and VP of Government Affairs with Washington Realtors. Sam is also the VP of Strategic Growth for Coldwell Banker Danforth in Seattle and writes for REALTOR Magazine, Inman News and the Swanepoel Trends Report.   On this episode of Listing Bits, Sam describes RESO's role in the real estate industry, explaining how the standards set by his organization provide certainty for developers and support data shares and tech integrations. He shares the progress RESO has made in the last year, discussing what they have done to streamline compliance certifications and initiate the proposed Listing Exchange Access Policy. Listen in for Sam's insight on the constraints of the current market (and the new tech that's emerged as a result) and find out how he thinks about the kerfuffle surrounding the most recent mergers and acquisitions in the real estate space. What's Discussed:   What RESO does to create efficiencies and streamline tech for the real estate industry RESO's evolution to an independent trade organization and how it relies on thousands of volunteer SMEs to build its Workgroups RESO's recent work to streamline its compliance certifications and create a new development guide for vendors How RESO standards provide certainty for developers and support data shares and integrations Why Sam is a proponent of creating a single policy for how data is used and displayed (and how that would help brokers) RESO's work with the broker community and CMLS to draft the proposed Listing Exchange Access Policy The progress RESO has made in just the last year to align industry trade organizations, brokers and MLSs around common goals How RESO standards helped facilitate the NorCal MLS Alliance Sam's take on how the artificial constraints of the current market impact agents and the tech facilitating the trend to buy homes sight unseen How Sam thinks about the most recent mergers and acquisitions in the real estate space Why proptech companies need to recognize our cultural preference to work with an agent The potential problems associated with a broker-member of an MLS being paid by that MLS for a technology service Connect with Sam: Real Estate Standards Organization Email sam[at]reso[dot]org Sam on Twitter   Resources:   RESO Workgroups RESO Web API Tools & Software RESO's Broker Advisory Workgroup RESO Certification 2020 RESO Certification Updates Andy Woolley CMLS NAR NAR's MLS Technology & Emerging Issues Advisory Board Summary of NAR's 2021 MLS Policy Changes CMLS's Participant Data Access Policy LeadingRE The Realty Alliance CMLS's CCP Implementation Guide RESO Compliance Guide NorCal MLS Alliance Zillow Economist Jeff Tucker on Industry Relations EP059 CoStar Zillow's Acquisition of ShowingTime Greg on Twitter RESO's Unique Organizational Identifier (UOI) Victor Lund at WAV Group RESO Remix RESO's 2021 Fall Conference Our Sponsor: Cloud CMA