Chances are that Gregg Larson’s been there and done that. The chief executive of Clareity Consulting has 23 years’ experience in the MLS and real estate information industries, including sales, market research, new product design, market development, mergers and acquisitions, strategic planning, MLS regionalization and governance, MLS vendor selection, contract negotiations, online transaction management and Internet consulting.
Larson has worked for organizations such as REDI/Multi-List, the National Association of Realtors, DATOR, and Moore Data Management Services. During his tenure at Moore, he led new MLS product development and created CyberHomes, the first real estate advertising Internet site updated daily from MLS systems.
In 1996, Larson co-founded Clareity Consulting, a real estate information and Internet consulting firm. He has consulted for many of the nation’s largest online and media companies as well as brokerages, franchisers, title companies, lenders and MLS vendors, among others.
In July of 2004, Larson launched a new company, Clareity Security LLC, to provide security education, improve the IT security practices of the industry, and provide industry-specific security products and services.
Larson will speak during Real Estate Connect in San Francisco, July 27-29, 2005.
Here are his answers to a set of questions posed by Inman News:
Panel or session at Connect: Going Digital: Case Studies of the Paperless Transaction.
What type of home did you grow up in and where?
I was born in a small town in northern Minnesota and grew up in a two-story stucco home across the street from my elementary school.
What style of home do you live in and when did you buy it?
I live in a California ranch-style horse property home in Scottsdale, Ariz., that we purchased in 2004.
What worries keep you awake at night?
Occasional consulting clients or projects that need my attention.
Describe your dream home?
NeverLand (just kidding). A small house on the beach of a tropical island.
What lesson did you learn in the last year?
To spend more time on your family than your career, and also how to deal with the loss of a parent.
What was your first job?
Shoveling snow, raking leaves and mowing the lawn for several widows in my neighborhood. Then making pizzas at Pizza Hut.
What’s the strangest thing you ever packed in a suitcase?
Empty CO2 tanks for my son’s paintball gun that were promptly seized and destroyed by the TSA.
What would your second career choice be after real estate?
Bartender at a golf course.
What kind of music do you listen to?
Classic and alternative rock.
Who is your hero?
My father.
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