Who joined forces in the real estate industry in June to help agents up their game? Here’s our rundown, in chronological order.
June 2
The Heller Real Estate Group announced that Virtuance, a real estate photography provider, is now the exclusive photography and marketing partner for the group. The Heller Real Estate Group is led by Keller Williams CEO Chris Heller. “Since switching to Virtuance, our sellers are happier, our team is earning more money, and our listings on our website have never looked better,” said Mitzi Jasnicki, chief operating officer of The Heller Real Estate Group, in a statement.
June 9
Public record information provider CRS Data signed a three-year agreement with the Central Oregon Association of Realtors. The association’s members will have access to the CRS Data MLS Tax Suite. “After an extensive review process, CRS Data’s MLS Tax Suite emerged as the most logical tax data service to meet the needs of our 1,500-plus members,” said Casie L. Conlon, CEO of the Central Oregon Association of Realtors, in a statement.
June 10
Jorg Hackemann / Shutterstock.com
Mortgage originator Sindeo and Climb Real Estate Group formed a strategic agreement to partner and connect with and engage San Francisco Bay Area millennials. “We are thrilled to work with Climb to reach the next generation of consumers and reinforce our shared vision to upend the real estate industry as we know it,” said Sindeo’s co-founder and CEO, Nick Stamos, in a statement. “We’re super excited to team up with Sindeo as we continue on our mission to connect with millennials, the new homebuyers in San Francisco and the Bay Area,” said Mark Choey, partner and co-founder of Climb Real Estate Group, in a statement.
LoanLogics announced that it has integrated its product eligibility and mortgage loan pricing platform with Vantage Production‘s enterprise-class CRM platform, VIP. “This integration increases the benefits that loan originators get from the LoanDecisions Product Eligibility and Mortgage Loan Pricing platform and VIP by unifying access to real-time pricing data and the marketing and sales resources they need to compete and win business, especially in the current competitive marketplace,” said Matt Thoman, product manager of origination technologies at LoanLogics, in a statement.
June 12
Cloud Streams and Cloud CMA are now available as a free benefit to members of Sacramento, California’s MetroList Services. “Cloud Streams was the most well recommended and reviewed software application our MLS Committee has ever considered,” said Tom Beede, president and CEO, MetroList Services, in a statement. “Offering Cloud Streams along with Cloud CMA will give our MLS subscribers best-of-class industry software to help them compete.”
June 17
International property portal Lamudi announced its acquisition of Propertykita.com. Traffic from Propertykita.com will be merged with Lamudi Indonesia. “Lamudi is continuing to strive to provide its customers and clients with the best possible service. This acquisition brings together two players in this market to improve the value and experience for house hunters, real estate agents and developers,” said Paul Philipp Hermann, Lamudi Global’s co-founder and managing director, in a statement.
Zillow Group and the Miami Association of Realtors have signed a distribution agreement. “South Florida is an extremely attractive and affordable market — it’s getting a lot of interest from foreign and domestic homebuyers alike,” said Errol Samuelson, Zillow Group’s chief industry development officer, in a statement. “We are very pleased to have reached an agreement with the Miami Association of Realtors to bring their listings directly to Zillow and Trulia.”
June 18
Re/Max of Western Canada has partnered with RankMyAgent.com to help connect prospective clients with real estate agents. “At Re/Max, we pride ourselves on a history of innovation and a strong entrepreneurial spirit. Recognizing similar qualities in RankMyAgent.com makes for a natural partner. RankMyAgent.com
June 22
DIAKRIT has agreed to offer high-definition 2-D and 3-D floor plans for ForRent.com. “For Rent Media Solutions provides the latest and most innovative tools available in the industry,” said Terry Slattery, president of For Rent Media Solutions, in a statement. “Our partnership with DIAKRIT provides our users and advertisers the latest products available.”
June 23
LRES announced that its integration hub, LRES DirectConnect, now fully integrates with appraisal quality technology RealView, a Platinum Data Solutions product. “Smart companies like LRES realize that quality, compliance and transparency attract customers and prevent loss,” said Phil Huff, president and CEO of Platinum Data, in a statement. “We’re pleased that LRES is benefiting from the tangible benefits and ROI that RealView provides.”
Zillow Group signed another listing distribution agreement with the Bay East Association of Realtors and the Contra Costa Association of Realtors. “Our goal is to improve the listing search experience for consumers and the agents who represent them,” said Rob Baldwin, president of the Contra Costa Association of Realtors, in a statement. “Now that brokers can send their clients listings directly to the Zillow Group sites from the MLS system, buyers and sellers can have greater confidence that the property details are current and accurate,” added Mike Fracisco, president of the Bay East Association of Realtors.
June 24
Simplilearn, a global tech-ed company announced a $10 million deal to acquire Market Motive, a digital marketing training company. “As a hiring manager, I see the need for short-term certification to put knowledgeable workers in higher-paying roles,” said Michael Stebbins, co-founder and CEO of Market Motive. “Degree or not, the economic value of these courses is huge and it is rewarding to see lives changed through the training.”
June 26
Prospect Mortgage, an independent mortgage lender, acquired assets of CapWest Mortgage, a call center operation. “During the last several quarters, we conducted extensive market due diligence on an array of strategic opportunities that would complement Prospect’s business and drive growth and profitability,” said Prospect Chairman and CEO Mike Williams in a statement. “We believe CapWest’s sophisticated call center operations and seasoned management team will provide Prospect with significant growth opportunities and an enhanced competitive advantage in the marketplace.”
June 29
Valligent, which provides appraisal review and collateral due diligence services, announced its integration with Clearbox, which provides appraiser credentials and compliance for valuation service providers. “Too many lenders rely solely upon appraisal management companies for appraiser selection and appraisal quality, yet it is the lender and only the lender that is responsible for both,” said Jeremy McCarty, CEO of Valligent, in a statement. “Now that regulators are starting to focus on appraisal due diligence, we are delighted to partner with Clearbox to provide lenders a full spectrum of solutions in this increasingly prominent area.”
Software and online marketing provider Boston Logic added Hilton & Hyland and Pacific Union to its list of client brokerages. “We searched extensively for a technology partner that could deliver a flexible, ‘mobile first’ platform upon which Pacific Union could pursue its long-term technology vision with confidence,” said Pacific Union CEO Mark McLaughlin in a statement. “Boston Logic was, and is, head and shoulders above the rest.” “We’re the leader in the Los Angeles luxury market, and that means we need to lead in technology too.” said Jeff Hyland of Hilton & Hyland, in a statement. “Boston Logic delivered a mobile and desktop website experience worthy of our brand, and back-end technologies worthy of the best professionals in the business.”
The HOPE NOW Alliance and RealtyTrac announced a partnership to co-sponsor regional housing roundtables in different U.S. cities through the end of 2015. “These housing roundtables are a unique opportunity to bring together the industry and all housing stakeholders for thoughtful dialogue on housing and community repair issues,”said Eric Selk, executive director of HOPE NOW, in a statement. “By adding RealtyTrac as a partner, we will now have a clear and focused voice on housing data at the table.”
June 30
Nations Valuation Services, an appraisal management company, is partnering with Comergence, a provider of third-party risk management platforms, to perform background checks and monitor field appraisers. “When our customers asked us to verify that we were thoroughly vetting and monitoring our appraisers, we did our own due diligence in searching for the right partner to support us,” said Stephen French, executive vice president with NVS, in a statement. “We looked at several companies and found that Comergence offered the most comprehensive solution which best fit our needs, and the needs of our appraiser panel.”
Realcomp II announced the introduction of its RealcompMLS app in collaboration with CoreLogic. The app is compatible with both Android and Apple smartphones. “Mobility is vital in the real estate industry, with office time shrinking and remote time in the field increasing, mobility solutions that extend MLS technology tools are more crucial than ever,” said Karen Kage, Realcomp CEO, in a statement. “This new offering, technology provided to Realcomp by CoreLogic, allows us to offer subscribers innovative technologies to improve productivity and overall customer service.”
Latter & Blum has merged with Century 21 Acadia Realty. “Our shared vision of providing excellent customer service allows our Thibodaux agents to remain local experts, but now with the regional, national and global presence of our Latter & Blum Family of Companies,” stated Richard Haase, president of Latter & Blum, in a statement. “Our affiliation with Cartus, the leading global relocation provider, gives our agents the ability to service relocating families.”
Email partnership announcements to press@inman.com.
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