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REinventing MLS

Category Archives: MRED in the News

MRED’s All-Stars Selected for Real Estate Hall of Fame

MLS Giant’s Brokerages Well Represented on Swanepoel’s Top 200 List

RealSure, Inc., a real estate information services company, has announced its first Swanepoel Power 200 (SP200), a recognition of the 200 most powerful people in residential real estate in 2013. In addition to CEO Russ Bergeron, a number of MRED participants are also included.

Along with Bergeron, MRED customers included in this first SP200 include:

  • Michael Golden and Thaddeus Wong, Co-Founders of @properties
  • Steve Baird, President and COO, Baird & Warner
  • Fran Broude, President and COO, Coldwell Banker Residential
  • Nancy Nagy, President and CEO, Koenig & Strey
  • Michael Pierson, President and Chairman, Prudential Rubloff

Other Chicago connections include:

  • Pam O’Connor, President and CEO, Leading Real Estate Companies
  • The management and leadership teams of the National Association of REALTORS®
  • Glenn Shimkus, founder of Cartavi, a DocuSign company

Stefan Swanepoel, Editor-in-Chief of the SP200 is one of the most respected and sought after speakers and consultants in the residential real estate industry. The Executive Editor of the SP200 is well-known and highly esteemed real estate writer and commentator, Rob Hahn.  They created the SP200 to be the most comprehensive analysis published of the most powerful key decision makers, trailblazers, influencers, company chieftains, thought leaders, and innovators in residential real estate.

“I am honored to be included among such a prestigious group of industry leaders both nationally and locally,” said Broude. “The Midwest has always been forward thinking as it relates to the real estate industry. Fortunately, MRED drives much of the conversation and ideas by being the most innovative and progressive data and MLS provider servicing a major metropolitan area.”

“I am thrilled to be included with such an esteemed and accomplished group of professionals,” said Bergeron.  “This list confirms what I already know, there is significant influence wielded by the industry titans in the Chicagoland marketplace.  MRED congratulates these leaders on their recognition and pledges to continue our efforts to positively champion and support the real estate industry, at both local and national levels.”

About MRED

Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED)
is the real estate data aggregator and distributor providing the Chicagoland multiple listing service (MLS) to nearly 40,000 brokers and appraisers and 8,000 offices.  MRED serves Chicago and the surrounding “collar” counties and provides property information encompassing northern Illinois, southern Wisconsin and northwest Indiana.  MRED delivers over twenty products and services to its customers, complementing connectMLS™, the top-rated MLS system in the country for two years running according to the WAV Group MLS Technology Survey.  MRED is the 2013 Inman News Most Innovative MLS/Real Estate Trade Association.  For more information please visit MREDLLC.com.

MRED Customers Finding Winter Vacation Homes for their Clients

Enabled by MRED’s Growing Stable of MLS Data Co-Op Partners

LISLE, ILLINOIS (November 26, 2013) – Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED), Chicagoland’s multiple listing service (MLS), announced today that it has reached agreement with twelve other MLSs around the country to jointly participate in the MLS Data Co-Op™ from CoreLogic, recognized worldwide as the premier supplier of U.S. real estate, mortgage, consumer and specialized business data,   As a result, MRED listings have gained significant national exposure, and MRED customers can easily search and view listings and public records from other MLSs around the country.

MRED currently has agreements with the following organizations:

  • Realtor® Association of Citrus County (Florida)
  • Daytona Beach Area Association of Realtors® (Florida)
  • Greater Las Vegas Association of Realtors® (Nevada)
  • Greenville Pitt Association of Realtors® (North Carolina)
  • Houston Association of Realtors® (Texas)
  • My Florida Regional MLS
  • North Carolina Mountains MLS
  • New Smyrna Beach Board of Realtors (Florida)
  • Realcomp (Detroit)
  • Miami Association of Realtors® (Florida)
  • SIRMLS (Illinois)
  • Western Arizona Realtor® Data Exchange

The MLS Data Co-Op is not a public-facing website.  It is reserved for use solely by MLS participants and subscribers, providing access to more detailed listing content and far more data than available on consumer oriented websites.  MRED will continue adding reciprocal access with other MLS partners of the Data Co-Op, focusing on those areas of most interest to Chicagoans.  The MLS Data Co-Op provides MRED customers with the ability to widely market their listings; opens the doorway to expanded referral networks; and enables them to demonstrate their expertise over a larger market footprint.

The MLS Data Co-Op also provides MRED customers with a wealth of information with which to enhance their already powerful real estate database.  Via the Co-Op’s map-centric interface, users can display a myriad of information about each MLS listing on a single screen, and access underlying detailed data with the click of their mouse.  The Co-Op delivers valuable property data and reports such as RealAVM™ valuations, tax and ownership records, listing history, nearby schools, neighborhood data, community demographics, real estate trends, foreclosure information, and more.  The MLS Data Co-Op works with all popular browsers and platforms, and uses a common format for listings across MLSs without sacrificing locally unique data values.

“We are very pleased with the progress made so far in creating this true MLS Data Co-Op,” said MRED CEO Russ Bergeron.  “It is a priority for MRED to enhance our customers’ ability to have access to the best information, increase their business and establish networks with other professionals around the country.  We view the MLS Data Co-Op as one of the most effective ways we can support our brokers and their associates.”

About MRED

Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED) is the real estate data aggregator and distributor providing the Chicagoland multiple listing service (MLS) to nearly 40,000 brokers and appraisers and 8,000 offices.  MRED serves Chicago and the surrounding “collar” counties and provides property information encompassing northern Illinois, southern Wisconsin and northwest Indiana.  MRED delivers over twenty products and services to its customers, complementing connectMLS™, the top-rated MLS system in the country per the latest WAV Group MLS Technology Survey.  MRED is the 2013 Inman News Most Innovative MLS/Real Estate Trade Association.  For more information please visit MREDLLC.com.

 

MRED’s Newest Thing – Better Than the Old Thing

Infosparks Has Taken Chicagoland by Storm

LISLE, ILLINOIS (November 7, 2013) – Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED), Chicagoland’s multiple listing service (MLS), announced today that the new interactive market analytics tool Infosparks has gotten a tremendous reception from MRED customers.  Infosparks is the latest version of The Thing, the extremely popular service that MRED customers have been using for over two years.  MRED customers are able to deliver timely, relevant, detailed metrics in their markets thanks to this cutting-edge program provided by 10K Research and Marketing.

Infosparks has some great new features, including the ability to be used on the iPad and other tablets.  Its introduction has resulted in some very positive feedback from its users.

Leslie Ebersole, a top producing broker at Baird & Warner in St. Charles, loves to incorporate the newest tools available for improving her business.  She said, “The number one question that agents are asked is probably ‘how’s the market?’  Infosparks is a really slick new tool provided by MRED that lets agents show real time data on their website, blog or in email marketing. It’s incredibly easy to make dynamic interactive charts that show exactly what is happening in any MLS area. The charts are automatically updated so that clients can see the most recent data at any time. If you’ve spent endless hours writing market reports in the past — or never taken it on because it’s too time consuming — then give Infosparks a try. Put this killer content on your website, sit back and wait for the compliments to roll in.”

Lynn Madison, Managing Broker of Lynn Madison, REALTOR, owner of Madison Seminars, and current Treasurer of the Mainstreet Organization of REALTORS®, said, “Infosparks is an amazing tool that helps real estate practitioners communicate the reality of the market to the public.  The information out there on the Internet just isn’t accurate.  Our clients need real information, and Infosparks is an easy and efficient way to deliver that information to our buyers and sellers.  Any time we can show them in easy to read charts and graphs rather than just tell them the information, it enhances their knowledge of what is really happening in the market.”

“When we launched our first interactive market analytics product, The Thing, it was a revelation,” said Greg Sax, Vice President of 10K Research and Marketing. “Infosparks has addressed former limitations of mobile-readiness, multiple-area comparisons, the sharing of live-data widgets and more options in less physical space.  Working with MRED is awesome because they know every nuance of their market data and frequently advance the scope of our tools for the betterment of the Chicagoland marketplace.”

“MRED’s dedication to progress and improvement never ceases,” said MRED CEO Russ Bergeron.  “As popular as The Thing has been for our customers, Infosparks is a significant step forward.  It is like having a brand new product, and we are thrilled to have it available now for MRED customers.”

About MRED

Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED) is the real estate data aggregator and distributor providing the Chicagoland multiple listing service (MLS) to nearly 40,000 brokers and appraisers and 8,000 offices.  MRED serves Chicago and the surrounding “collar” counties and provides property information encompassing northern Illinois, southern Wisconsin and northwest Indiana.  MRED delivers over twenty products and services to its customers, complementing connectMLS™, the top-rated MLS system in the country per the latest WAV Group MLS Technology Survey.  MRED is the 2013 Inman News Most Innovative MLS/Real Estate Trade Association.  For more information please visit MREDLLC.com.

About 10K Research and Marketing

10K Research and Marketing, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Minneapolis Area Association of REALTORS®, is a growing research and technology firm that serves REALTOR® associations, MLS organizations, brokers and other real estate companies in more than 150 markets throughout North America. 10K creates interactive market analytics products, statewide data-reporting initiatives and an abundance of easy-to-read market reports. www.10kresearch.com

 

MRED to Participate in Real Estate Technology Hackathon

CEO to Judge at Upcoming Realogy Innovation Summit

LISLE, ILLINOIS (November 5, 2013) – Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED), Chicagoland’s multiple listing service (MLS), announced today that MRED CEO Russ Bergeron has been chosen to serve as a judge at the upcoming “Realogy Innovation Summit – Powered by Retsly”, being held later this week during the National Association of Realtors® meetings taking place at the Moscone Center in San Francisco.

The summit will feature a two-day (November 6th and 7th) competition for software developers to create new applications for residential real estate during an around-the-clock hackathon using current MLS data content. Nearly 300 software developers will be selected to participate at the event.

In addition to MRED, contributing MLSs include California Regional Multiple Listing Service (CRMLS), Sandicor, Connecticut MLS (CTMLS), InterMountain MLS, and MLS Listings. Developers will have access to approximately 2 million listing records during the two day event with which to create property related applications using Retsly’s state-of-the-art API.  Besides Bergeron, the judging panel includes other MLS industry leaders:  Art Carter, CRMLS CEO; Ray Ewing, CEO of Sandicor; Cameron Payne, CEO at the CTMLS; Greg Manship CEO from InterMountain; and Realogy’s President and CEO Alex Perriello.

Participants will have the opportunity to compete for top honors and cash prizes in a variety of must-have application categories – mobile, search, analytics, marketing, farming and more. After the competition, the winning developers will get to present their innovative ideas in front of more than 25,000 real estate professionals on the trade show floor at the National Association of REALTORS® Expo.  More information about the “Realogy Innovation Summit – Powered by Retsly” can be found here.

“I am honored to have been chosen to participate on such a distinguished panel at the Realogy Innovation Summit,” said Bergeron.  “Everyone in our industry should support efforts such as this to produce ideas from the best and brightest.  I’m very excited to see what they come up with.”

About MRED

Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED) is the real estate data aggregator and distributor providing the Chicagoland multiple listing service (MLS) to nearly 40,000 brokers and appraisers and 8,000 offices.  MRED serves Chicago and the surrounding “collar” counties and provides property information encompassing northern Illinois, southern Wisconsin and northwest Indiana.  MRED delivers over twenty products and services to its customers, complementing connectMLS™, the top-rated MLS system in the country per the latest WAV Group MLS Technology Survey.  MRED is the 2013 Inman News Most Innovative MLS/Real Estate Trade Association.  For more information please visit MREDLLC.com.

MRED Reports Third Quarter Monster Numbers

Analysis of Third Quarter Numbers Shows a Mixed Bag of Treats

LISLE, ILLINOIS (October 31, 2013) – Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED), Chicagoland’s multiple listing service (MLS), reported today that its analysis of recent  transaction data for 2013 uncovered some notable metrics.  While it is no secret that this year has produced a remarkable volume of real estate business, there were significant productivity shifts for offices, brokers and agents in MRED’s marketplace.

The third quarter numbers included:

–       over 75,000 closed transaction sides, more than double the amount from the first quarter of 2012;

–       over 3,500 producing offices averaged over 21 transaction sides;

–       producing agents averaged almost 4-1/2 transaction sides, down from the previous quarter’s average of 5-1/2;

–       an increase of 1,200 agents, yet over 4,000 more agents closed transactions than did in the 2nd quarter;

–       a year-over-year transaction side increase of almost 18,000, a 31% increase;

–       17,112  producing agents had transaction sides , up 30% over the 2nd quarter; and

–       14 individual agents who closed over 100 transaction sides – just in the third quarter!

Comparing the 2013 year-to-date figures to the same period a year ago shows that:

–       there has been a 28% increase in transaction sides; and

–       the average number of sides per producing office increased 24%.

“This September’s slowdown was typical for this time of year, even though it was the best September since 2006,” said MRED CEO Russ Bergeron.  “The big difference is that more people are becoming actively engaged. What may seem like a major slowdown is actually a flattening of the curve. We have more agents in the marketplace with a higher percentage of them completing transactions. It only seems like there’s less candy in each bag this Halloween.”

About MRED

Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED) is the real estate data aggregator and distributor providing the Chicagoland multiple listing service (MLS) to nearly 40,000 brokers and appraisers and 8,000 offices.  MRED serves Chicago and the surrounding “collar” counties and provides property information encompassing northern Illinois, southern Wisconsin and northwest Indiana.  MRED delivers over twenty products and services to its customers, complementing connectMLS™, the top-rated MLS system in the country per the latest WAV Group MLS Technology Survey.  MRED is the 2013 Inman News Most Innovative MLS/Real Estate Trade Association.  For more information please visit MREDLLC.com.

MRED Delivers Another Fall Classic

Two New Services and a Photo Enhancement Added to its Leading MLS System

LISLE, ILLINOIS (October 23, 2013) – Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED), Chicagoland’s multiple listing service (MLS), announced today that it has completed a major enhancement of the photo browser/upload functionality in its MLS system, while introducing two new products to its suite of services.  Just another typical month for one of the largest MLSs in the country.

MRED premiered a new Photo Manager in its connectMLS™ system.  A key feature allows users to take full advantage of the newest browser versions, including Internet Explorer 10 (IE 10), Firefox, Chrome, Safari, and Opera.  With this upgrade, it is now even easier to view, add, and edit photo titles and captions, while also simplifying the reordering and repositioning of listing photos.  New advanced features support photo editing for brightness, contrast and cropping. The new photo management capabilities work on most mobile devices for the Realtor® on the go.

MRED has also introduced a way for its customers to become television stars.  Well, at least their listings.  Realtor.com and MRED have launched a Real Estate channel in the Chicago area.  In collaboration with the Home Tour Network, this interactive On Demand channel shows virtual tours of home listings in the Chicago area on Comcast Cable Searchlight (channel number 888).  For additional information and to guarantee listings get placed on the network, MRED customers should visit the realtor.com TV product page on MREDLLC.com.

One of MRED’s more popular products, The Thing – an interactive statistical package – has been upgraded.  Its newest version is called Infosparks, and takes interactive market analytics to the highest level yet.  Featuring compatibility with the iPad and other tablets, MRED real estate professionals can now choose multiple areas with more variables and expanded metrics.  Infosparks offers the ability to create customizable price ranges and place a live data widget on their own websites.  The classic version will remain within the Infosparks platform during the transition period.

“At MRED, we strive to be innovative in delivering services to our customers,” said MRED CEO Russ Bergeron.  “With nearly 40,000 demanding customers, our MLS has to be the best. The products and services we provide to complement connectMLS™ are always held to the highest possible standard.”

MRED goes three for three in October…

About MRED

Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED) is the real estate data aggregator and distributor providing the Chicagoland multiple listing service (MLS) to nearly 40,000 brokers and appraisers and 8,000 offices.  MRED serves Chicago and the surrounding “collar” counties and provides property information encompassing northern Illinois, southern Wisconsin and northwest Indiana.  MRED delivers over twenty products and services to its customers, complementing connectMLS™, the top-rated MLS system in the country per the latest WAV Group MLS Technology Survey.  MRED is the 2013 Inman News Most Innovative MLS/Real Estate Trade Association.  For more information please visit MREDLLC.com.