Compass Markets to Experience Year-End Lift
There are 2,400 Compass culture carriers returning to work in markets all over the United States today. Coming off an exceptional Compass RETREAT in San Diego, Compass real estate advisors' spirits are high, confidence is contagious, and skills are sharpened to meet market opportunities. For a business that grew from start-up to the top brokerage company in the United States by sales volume, Compass prides itself a technology business empowering real estate advisors. The verdict is in that the technology stack is second to none in the industry and now Compass is pivoting to the second rail of its agenda – to the human connection side of real estate. Since entering the residential real estate business in 2006, I have always said I was in the people business and our people, our real estate advisors, are in the real estate business. "Connectivity" is now clear as the second rail to the core of Compass. In 2023, a full 16% of Compass trades, 28,000 trades, are Compass to Compass referrals – this is a human connection machine! People, E2E and F2F, leveraging relationships to make the American dream of homeownership come alive. I led two sessions at Compass RETreat, each ~500 real estate advisors, on the future of our industry and client relationships. At the core of our industry and the client relationship is trust. We covered every topic in this word collage. Preparing the audience on the practical issues surrounding our industry's hot topics and its "noise." It's vital to remember our industry noise is not our clients' noise. We get the pleasure of managing our industry noise and then transitioning to our clients' priorities. Our experience, knowledge, advice, and recommendations are the attributes that earn our clients' trust. If you think you are close to your clients, get closer! This is Where We Are Now! Mark McLaughlin serves as CEO of McLaughlin Ventures and M&A Advisory at WAV Group. To view the original article, visit the McLaughlin Ventures blog.

Vision, Trust, and Community: Get Closer
Last month, I participated in the Compass Summit at the Hyatt Regency in Incline Village, NV. More than 250 real estate professionals, managers, and professional staff gathered and consumed content surrounding everything from the current economic climate to building personal wealth outside of residential brokerage. One panel discussion was about "When is enough enough, and when does quality of life become your north star?" The answer is different for everyone, but the question itself is powerful. My presentation was on the future of our business against the backdrop of all current influences. The presentation touched on every topic in this word collage. It's my view that the relationship between a client and the real estate professional is based on trust. Trust is developed over time and is a direct result of the real estate professional's experience, knowledge, advice, and recommendations. Trust is a loyalty card, only the client can extend and only the client can take away. I expanded my view that the three core tenets real estate professionals value in a residential brokerage business are: Vision, Trust, and Community. Three words that are easy to say, but difficult to execute on one without the other. A sense of community is our offices, weekly meetings, collaboration among professionals, and celebrations of success. This sense of community thrives in a trusted environment. Try following a leader's vision without trust. My closing thoughts had two focuses. First, I am optimistic about the future of the real estate advisor and so optimistic that business plans, growth strategies, and succession planning are vital areas of focus. Second, the trust clients place with real estate advisors is being chased, on a consumer direct basis, by the disruptors plus the financial services, mortgage and insurance industries. If you think you are close to your clients, get closer! This Is Where We Are Now! Mark McLaughlin serves as CEO of McLaughlin Ventures and M&A Advisory at WAV Group. To view the original article, visit the McLaughlin Ventures blog.

What Can You Expect at RISMedia CEO Exchange 2023?
Victor Lund, co-founder of WAV Group (a leading real estate consultancy business and our proud affiliate), recently posted about what the executives and thought leaders at some of the biggest companies in real estate will be doing in September between the 5th and 7th of the month: the RISMedia CEO and Leadership Exchange. You can find Lund's personal recommendations for some of the best content at RISMedia CEO Exchange and get a discount code in the post below: Each year, all of us at WAV Group circle the dates for the annual RISMedia CEO and Leadership Exchange. For the real estate industry, this is our Davos meeting. RISMedia brings together the leadership of franchises, large brokerage firms, mega boards, NAR executives, MLS CEOs, and the top technology minds in real estate. This year's 2023 RISMedia CEO and Leadership Exchange will take place September 5-7 in Washington, D.C. at the historic Mayflower Hotel. If you are getting back into the conference track post-Covid, you will notice that they have moved the venue out of New York City. The event outgrew the historic Yale Club. Link for registrationDiscount code for $150 off ticket price: WAVPromoCode The staff and editorial team at RISMedia deliver excellent speakers – featuring more than 100 executives talking about the topics that matter most right now. A few sessions that I have circled include: Getting to Profitability – Bess Freedman of Brown Harris Stebens, Chris Kelly of HomeServices of America, Laura O'Connor of JPAR, Charlie Oppler of Prominent Properties, and Greg Rand of Coldwell Banker Realty. Under Siege – Is the real estate as we know it at risk? – Mary Lee Blaylock of BHHS California Properties, Scott Durkin of Douglas Elliman, Bob Goldberg of National Association of REALTORS, and Hoddy Hanna of Howard Hanna. Getting a Bigger Piece of the Pie in a Shrinking Market – Tami Bonnell of EXIT Realty, Helen Hanna Casey of Howard Hanna, Dan Kruse of Century 21 Affiliated, Lis Nunan of Houlihan Lawrence, and Todd Sumney of HomeSmart. How AI is changing your business – Shayne Farley of Stellar MLS, Tracey Hawkins of Safety and Security Source, Rebecca Jensen of MRED, Shaleen Khatod of CoreLogic, and Dan Weisman of NAR. WAV Group partner, head of our M&A Division, and co-author or our newly published book Acquiring More Profit, George Slusser, will be speaking on M&A Strategies in a Shifting Market with Peter Luft of RE/MAX, Christina Pappas of The Keyes Company, and Larry Rideout of Gibson Sotheby's International. Our book is now on sale on Amazon, but the best price is on the WAV Group website. It is available in hardcover or soft cover and as an interactive download. We are providing discounted pricing for bulk orders – just reach out to Monika Sollee on our team for more info. To view the original article, visit the WAV Group blog.

C5 Summary: How RPR Commercial Is Scoring 10s for Its Simplicity
This month's RPR Commercial update is a Q&A style chat with Emily Line, RPR's VP of Member Experience. Emily recently attended the NAR-sponsored C5 Summit. Billed as "3 Days of Commercial Real Estate Networking, Learning, & Deal-Making," the C5 is one of commercial estate's premier events. Held in New York City from August 15-17, the event encouraged leaders, stakeholders and potential partners to engage, build relationships and network with like-minded influential leaders and decision makers in the commercial real estate space. As a guest on the main stage panel for commercial real estate tech, Emily shares her experiences and takeaways from the event, from a uniquely RPR user and commercial practitioner perspective. Q. Hello Emily, thanks for giving us a recap of the C5 show. What was the name of the panel you were on? EL: It was called "New Tools for Getting Deals Done," and it was a great opportunity to represent RPR Commercial. Q. What kind of questions were you asked? EL: After a quick introduction, they hit me with "What keeps you up at night?" Q. Great ice breaker! EL: Right?! So of course I said, "Will my beloved Michigan Wolverines make it back to the playoffs?!" (For the record, Emily is a rabid and die-hard Michigan fan, who travels from Southern California to Michigan for most of the home football games.) My real answer was the number 70. The number 70 keeps me up at night because that is RPR's current Net Promoter Score for commercial users/members who use RPR. Q. Please explain what an NPS is and why 70 is a good number and not average… EL: Exactly. NPS is a proven metric that has transformed the business world and is by far the most effective way to measure satisfaction and loyalty. Brands with high retention are companies with a high NPS score. (For reference, Apple scores a 47 NPS, which is considered very good.) An NPS of 70 means our members love us and thankfully we generate a lot of positive word-of-mouth as a result. So why does this keep me up at night? I never want the score to dip, not even a point! At RPR, we continue to grind in order to keep up with the word-of-mouth and our satisfaction rating. We do not take our foot off the gas when it comes to monitoring the application, documenting training questions that arise, listening to call center concerns, and slotting enhancements. We want RPR users to be productive, efficient and we want to help them close deals. And, of course, we don't want to lose the member lovefest! Q. Spot on! Any other good tech angles covered at C5? EL: This came up: "Is technology going to replace the role of the commercial real estate practitioner in the future?" I see it like this: those who elect not to validate their expertise with data will be left behind because clients are informed and expect support to back the direction. Technology is a validation station in many regards that supports top notch expertise, and serves as a guide for clients to ensure their position. Technology is not a replacement for the professional, but it is a big enchantment. However… Q. I feel a flip side coming on… EL: Right! More of a bonus side, really. Now that I covered the importance of the CRE practitioner's position to remain successful in a world filled with tech and data support, I should also note that CRE practitioners do have a voice to shape the technology. That means participating in usability testing and offering feedback so the tech is easy to use and lessens their pain points. Good technologists lead with their users' needs: the design is straightforward and there shouldn't be too many steps. It's all about simplifying. This way, CRE practitioners can grab the info needed to validate a deal's viability for a client, without investing too much time and effort. Based on my experience with many CRE practitioners, the biggest reason, besides cost, for avoiding tech is that it drains time and causes fatigue when trying to learn how to use technology. When an application is difficult to use, the CRE practitioner simply quits trying. Q. Any questions about RPR Commercial, specifically? EL: Someone asked about "wins" in relation to the RPR platform. I mentioned the book, Don't Make Me Think by Steve Krug. It's a great read about human–computer interaction and web usability. The book's premise is that a good software program or website should let users accomplish their intended tasks as easily and directly as possible. Well, I'd say RPR's "W" is that after the redesign and relaunch of our website, 75%-plus of our users think RPR is easy to use, which is a badge of honor to Steve Krug's premise. Our recent refresh of the site stayed hyper-focused on existing strengths and features that were well received when they were discovered in testing. So our lesson learned when we studied commercial users in RPR was the realization that key features were being missed by commercial users because of their location or as a result of having too many steps. For example, when we better incorporated trade area data and mapping layers into the commercial member's journey, we started getting success stories back about winning more clients, and investors reaching out about other areas of the country because of the quick visuals. We even had feedback that EDCs (Economic Development Councils) were asking REALTORS® for economic area reports to aid in community business growth. And, of course, I never get tired of hearing, "RPR is my No. 1 go-to!" Great insight, Emily. Thanks for the feedback and your take on the C5 tech panel. If you haven't tapped into RPR Commercial lately, now's the time. A whole suite of easy-to-use tools and simple property searches will make you a fan, too. If you want to learn even more, try one of our free commercial webinars. Save your seat today! To view the original article, visit the RPR blog.

RISMedia's CEO and Leadership Exchange Set for Sept. 6 in Washington D.C.
There is nothing better than visiting our nation's capital in the fall. That is the location of the RISMedia CEO and Leadership Exchange! RISMedia has outgrown the Harvard Club and changed locations. WAV Group partners Victor Lund, Marilyn Wilson, Mark McLaughlin, Kevin Hawkins and George Slusser will be in attendance to participate. If you are a real estate broker or an executive with a company that partners with brokers, this is the main event of the year. WAV Group moderated sessions RISMedia and John Featherston have invited George Slusser, WAV Group's M&A leader, to moderate two special sessions on mergers and acquisitions. The first sessions is called "M&A Strategies Part 1: Getting to the Yes." Having a successful transaction requires a determined execution of a process that allows both parties to find the center. Obie Walli, Pat Riley, and Peter Luft will be contributing their insights. Pat Riley recently got to a "Yes" with Beverly-Hanks Realtors, one of the nation's Top 200 firms, representing the twenty-second transaction by the Howard Hanna family of companies in the most recent five years. Of course, getting to the "yes" is when the real job starts in an M&A transaction. Slusser will moderate a panel on how successful mergers allow companies to maintain agent retention, growth, and developing stronger profitability for both companies. When great teams unite, there is an enormous new recruiting opportunity. There will be a special session from the Broker Resource Network on brokerage operational effectiveness and their efforts to advocate for brokers in NAR forums. This session will be moderated by Marilyn Wilson. Save on registration To register at the generous discounted price that Mr. John Featherston provided, follow this link! More than anything, the RISMedia CEO & Leadership Exchange is a place for brokers to meet and learn from each other. It has been a long time since brokers have gathered to shake hands and reconnect on a professional and social level. My favorite event is the Newsmakers' Reception and Dinner, held on on Sept. 7, celebrating the newsmakers and Hall of Fame inductees. Being a newsmaker is a crowning achievement for both Marilyn and I – we are forever grateful for RISMedia's consideration of our decades of contributions to the real estate industry. Please watch this video from Mr. Featherston, who shares the meaning behind this important gathering of brokerages. On Sept. 6-8, 2022, more than 500 of the most powerful residential real estate decision-makers, representing virtually every major real estate brand and business model, will gather at the historic Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C., for RISMedia's 34th Annual CEO and Leadership Exchange. Click here to register at a special, discounted rate. In conjunction with the 2022 CEO and Leadership Exchange, RISMedia will celebrate and honor its 2022 Real Estate Newsmakers and Hall of Fame inductees during the Newsmakers' Reception and Dinner on Sept. 7. To view the original article, visit the WAV Group blog.

Industry Experts Discuss Technology's Role in Transforming How Realtors Do Business During the Pandemic
The coronavirus pandemic significantly disrupted real estate transactions and accelerated the reliance on innovative technologies to conduct business, according to a group of industry experts featured at the 2020 REALTORS Conference & Expo. Jeb Griffin, director of Strategy and Innovation for the National Association of Realtors, moderated the discussion, "COVID-19 – Transforming How Realtors Do Business," and reached a consensus with the panelists that technology has played a central part in residential real estate's strong resurgence after the initial strict economic lockdowns and subsequent market downturn in the spring. "Real estate experienced some significant challenges during the first several months of the pandemic, but we've witnessed a remarkable v-shaped recovery in housing demand and sales," said Griffin. "By necessity at the beginning, and now by design, technology is playing a much more active role in nearly all aspects of the real estate transaction." "There was a moment of panic when the pandemic first started, but several technologies are making it easier for agents to stay in touch with clients and in front of them on a regular basis," said Marilyn Wilson, managing partner of WAV Group and president of RETechnology.com. "For many real estate professionals, the pandemic reminded them about how much they love working with people and not just to sell real estate, but to check on their customers and families." Many Realtors® now rely on videoconference platforms in their interactions with clients, but an even broader acceptance of the technology hasn't yet occurred, possibly due to an unexpected reality. "This technology was adopted very quickly following the lockdowns because the virus was hitting everyone – agents, lenders, consumers – all at the same time," said Nick Bailey, chief customer officer, RE/MAX, LLC. "Videoconferencing technology isn't new, but we're slower to adopt technologies than we'd like to admit. The reason is that we don't want to see or hear ourselves. We have to get over that and use it." Electronic signatures and remote online notarizations are two technologies experiencing an ever-growing appeal during a time when social and physical distancing measures are required to maximize safety. However, some challenges still remain. "There is some amazing technology that exists and remote online notarization is one of those technologies," said Andy Ambrose, practice lead at DocuSign Notary. But there's a whole ecosystem of technologies that should work better together and seamlessly." "Integrating those core programs like e-signatures and RON are key," Ambrose continued. "Unfortunately, there isn't uniformity at the county level for doing electronic signings and closings. Embracing title companies and lenders who have that ability for full electronic signings and closings will be important." Each speaker emphasized that many of the technological advancements currently in use will remain relevant and sought after by Realtors® and consumers alike, well beyond the pandemic's conclusion. "Some of these technologies are here to stay, like 3-D virtual tours, as some consumers will continue to be uncomfortable with seeing homes in-person," Griffin said. "It's amazing how some of the virtual platforms can take an empty room and fill it with furniture and dynamic lighting. Artificial intelligence and automation are helping drive consumers through the sales cycle." "The pandemic isn't going anywhere anytime soon," Wilson added. "Consumers love the idea of virtual tours, especially live virtual tours, which they can do with their agents and narrow down their home selections to two or three. "Imagine how much time you and your client can save without having to drive around and see 10 different homes," Wilson said. "It's so much more efficient. The technology tools are allowing us a lot more flexibility." Bailey agreed with that sentiment. "If every agent can take away two pieces of technology to be more efficient, it will improve their business," said Bailey. "The one really bright spot – it has reminded every agent that they are the most important part of the real estate transaction and that's not going to change anytime soon."

10 Things to Do in San Francisco during NAR Annual
The 2019 Realtors Conference & Expo is just around the corner! Running from November 8th-11th, this expo is going to be packed with great vendors and educational seminars. While we fully encourage you to take in everything the expo has to offer, we also want you to see a bit of the city. Here are ten things you should do in San Francisco while you're at the NAR expo!

WomanUP! Celebrating Empowerment with an Excellent Leadership Conference in San Diego
As Managing Partner of WAV Group, I was trained early on by my father that every person has an equal opportunity for greatness. He used to tell me "everybody puts their pants on one leg at a time just like you do, so never get intimidated by someone in a position of authority or power." His counsel taught me to ignore any thinking that I may somehow not be good enough because I am a woman. I have charged through situation after situation where I was the only woman in the room without ever thinking I wasn't good enough to be there or worthy enough to have an opinion or lead an initiative.

A Glance at America's Most Prominent Minority Homebuyers
Last week felt like I was drinking from a fire hose--my partner Marilyn Wilson and I attended the 54th Annual Real Estate Journalism Conference for the National Association of Real Estate Editors. From the buzz created by Marilyn's participation in the disruption panel to connecting with faces new and familiar, the event marked an exciting opportunity to connect over the industry's latest research findings. NAREE celebrates its 90th birthday this year and includes most of the nation's most prolific real estate reporters. I have attended more than two dozen conferences since I joined NAREE. This gathering took place in Austin, which I mentioned in a previous article is one of my favorite cities, and it did not disappoint. Nearly 200 journalists and communicators showed up for a packed agenda that revealed, among other things, some terrific new housing research. Here I want to share some of the key findings from a study by another great organization, the Asian Real Estate Association of America (AREAA). Through advocacy, business development, and education, AREAA aims to improve homeownership statistics for Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI), a community comprised of over 50 ethnicities and 26 languages. I first got to know AREAA when I worked at Great Western Bank in California. Later, when I was head of Fannie Mae's housing affordability office in Seattle, I became intimately familiar with the research surrounding Asian Americans. One of the newest efforts, sponsored by RE/MAX LLC and Freddie Mac, is its "State of Asia America 2018-2019" report. It's packed with insight into a community that too often goes overlooked in the real estate market—the numbers for AAPI homeownership, education, and economic advancement often stagger those who are unfamiliar with this demographic. Opportunity arises The AAPI community comprises America's fastest-growing demographic. As 2019 AREAA President Tom Truong notes in this report, AAPI families are relocating into every region of the country, and not just the coasts. Driven primarily by the search for homeownership, these families are also migrating toward the Midwest and the South. This demographic is economically vibrant: the average Asian American household income is $73,000. That's $20,000 more than the overall U.S. median income. AAPIs rank highly when it comes to maintaining a savings account, with a stunning 86% of the population having some established savings. Nearly 30% of all AAPIs currently own stock in their savings or investment portfolio. AAPI buying power has increased by 257% from 2000 to 2017. Asian Americans as spenders are equivalent to the fourth largest state's economy in the U.S. or the 17th largest economy in the world, just behind Mexico. Their future is even brighter: AAPIs comprise the fast-growing student population in the U.S. The growth rate is striking: undergraduate enrollment rates have ballooned from 198,000 in 1976 to 1.7 million in 2019. More than half (52%) of all AAPIs earn a bachelor's degree versus the national average of 30%. The top fields of study for AAPI students: engineering, business and management, math and computer science, social studies, and physical and life sciences. Employment rates among AAPIs are the highest of any minority at 61%. Asian Americans rank number one in average weekly earnings ($1095). That's significantly higher than both Black ($712) and Hispanic ($684) Americans and tops white Americans by about 18% ($931). AAPIs are often successful entrepreneurs: there are over 2 million AAPI-owned firms in the U.S. Between 2007 and 2012, AAPI-owned businesses grew by 24%, and their sales grew by 38%. Of 87 startup firms valued over $1 billion, 19 were founded by Asian Americans. Homeownership is a hallmark of AAPI achievements. AAPIs have the highest rate of homeownership among minorities. Since 2010, AAPIs have been the most active minority participant in the housing and mortgage markets. More AAPI families applied for conventional purchase mortgages last year than any other minority group, as measured by both the number of loans and their total value. While AAPI homeownership still falls behind the national average, the number of AAPI homebuyers has increased by 27% since 2001. AREAA shows that continuing to close this gap by expanding access to credit and ensuring home affordability for these communities benefits America's economy directly, creating clientele and strengthening business partnerships. The report has a LOT more data and is well-worth digging through, but one fact jumps out at me. With the non-Hispanic white homeownership rate north of 73% and an Asian American homeownership rate of 58.1%, based on all the AAPIs data, the opportunity for real estate professionals to serve better this historically underserved market is as enormous as it is ready for lift-off. Request a download of the report on AREAA's website. To view the original article, visit the WAV Group blog.

Real Estate Journalists Heading to Austin
For more than 50 years, the National Association of Real Estate Editors (NAREE) has met three times a year to hold journalism conferences. Of all the events that WAV Group Communications attends, none pack more value into a few days than NAREE. The peer exchange is unmatched in our business. If you are not familiar with NAREE and you do corporate communications, PR, or real estate coverage as a journalist, blogger or author, this is a "must-join" organization. Membership information is here. Their gatherings, coupled with their annual NAREE Network Membership Directory that includes everyone's contact details and profiles, make your membership investment worth every penny. Since 1929, the non-profit NAREE has been a place where real estate writers, editors, columnists, authors, and communicators come together to learn, as well as exchange ideas and best practices and get to know one another better. More than 600 professionals—active (journalists) and Associate members (communicators)—meet three times a year, a winter meeting at the International Builders Show (IBS), a fall meeting typically help during the NAR Annual Convention, and one every spring. This year, the spring conference is in Austin, June 26-29 at the Hyatt Regency Austin on the banks of Lady Bird Lake. Yes, attendees will get a great view of Austin's famous "Bat Bridge." Awesome Austin NAREE was last in Austin almost ten years ago, in 2010. Former NAREE president Shonda Novak wrote the condo explosion in Austin, which has changed the city's skyline since then dramatically—from the 58-story The Independent (nicknamed the Jenga Tower) at the western edge of downtown to the 38-story Northshore, across from the Hyatt. On the docket, Novak reports, is the tallest building yet at 66 stories and to include apartments and office space. Austin is a hotbed of high tech, and it is home to top real estate innovators OJO Labs (AI leader), the Austin Association of Realtors®, and Redfin. This tech drives massive economic growth, impacting real estate on two fronts: the overall market and the significant number of hot real estate related tech startups. In addition to OJO Labs, according to BuiltinAustin hot real estate related tech startups include Opcity, Homads, ListingSpark, Rabbet (construction), RealHQ (Agent Pronto), RentHub, RealMassive (CRE), RealSavvy, REThink CRM, TenantCloud, and Turnkey Vacation Rentals. I love going to Austin—despite the horrific traffic to and from the airport during rush hour. Like its famous music scene, the food scene also rocks. My two top shares: Clay Pit for Indian food and Franklin's for BBQ (worth the wait and reopened a year and a half ago after a fire closed it for several months). NAREE Line-up The tentative NAREE Spring Conference agenda is online and will be updated as we get closer. The highlight for me comes Friday afternoon—the "Meet the Press" function. It's speed dating with reporters. NAREE attracts the "Who's Who" of reporters who cover real estate. Name a top US news publication or real estate trade and they are likely to have someone in attendance—or even several folks. NAR gives a Midyear Economic Forecast, and we typically get insight into cutting-edge firms. My colleague, WAV Group founding partner Marilyn Wilson, will be helping out on one of those panels. The annual NAREE Awards will be Friday night—honoring top reporting and now in its 69th year! The social aspect built into the spring conference makes it the most special NAREE event of the year and an excellent opportunity for newcomers. Wednesday and Thursday evenings, the NAREE current president hosts a hospitality suite with an open bar and delectable treats. Because of generous sponsors, there's often a giveaway item (or two) that you won't toss away but use. Bottom line: if you work with real estate journalists or are one, join NAREE and we'll see you in Austin at the end of the month! To view the original article, visit the WAV Group blog.

Realtors Discuss Benefits, Advancements in New Real Estate Technology
Automation is very much a part of the real estate industry and should be embraced by Realtors and other industry leaders, panelists said at Thursday's Emerging Business Issues and Technology Forum during the 2019 REALTORS Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo. The session, "Automation and Sharing Economy: How it will Affect the Way We Work and Live," discussed artificial intelligence or AI components, including Alexa, bots and OJO labs, and explained how each tool could be used by Realtors in various home sale transactions.

Can't Miss Spring and Summer REALTOR Conferences and Expos for 2019
The best way to further your education and develop new real estate knowledge and skills is by attending local and national conferences. Ranging from $10 to few hundred dollars, chances are a real estate convention is happening near you in 2019. Here is a list of favorite events happening this spring and summer.

2019 Real Estate Events and Conferences
From national conferences to regional and local association events, each real estate event can give an agent or broker new ideas on marketing initiatives, lead capture opportunities, and the latest real estate trends for the year. The following are ten conferences and events to not miss in 2019:

NAR Boston 2018: Home Runs and Strikeouts in Beantown
My dad grew up, pre-Depression, on Beacon Hill in Boston. As a kid, we took a lot of road trips. Because my dad worked for Westin Hotels, we stayed at a lot of nice places in big towns for free. My favorite road trip when we lived in Chicago was visiting Boston and the New England area. I had been back a couple of times for business and always loved visiting this city. After this last week at NAR, I absolutely want to go back – but next time for a vacation.

Top 7 Things to Do and See at National REALTORS Conference 2018 in Boston
NAR's Conference in Boston is shaping up to be one of the best events yet. That doesn't mean you should spend all day couped up in the conference center. We've pulled together a list of seven things you should do while at the convention and while you're in Boston. If you can spare them, consider spending an extra day or two in the area before or after the conference to take full advantage of the city and its surroundings.

NAREE Conferences Continue to Break New Ground
WAV Group attended the NAREE conference for the fifth consecutive year. More than a few of our team members, like Kevin Hawkins, have attended nearly every year of their career. Here is the inside word. If you want to be heard, you need to be a newsmaker. The key to getting access to be heard is establishing a relationship with journalists – otherwise, you are a whisper.

NAR Midyear: Looking for the Tech Enablers
Tech enablers. That's what I will be looking for at the REALTORS® Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo in Washington DC this week, best known as NAR Midyear. I'll head down to the trade show floor and spend the rest of my time shuttling between the Marriott and the Omni lobbies talking to influencers and tech leaders. My goal is to get a handle on what new tech firms – and tech tools – are likely to dominate real estate pros' lives in the next few years. The NAR REach new program participants are high on my list. Booth 1731 – including zavvie (Hyperlocal marketing), Active Pipe (email marketing automation), Quigler (compliance checklist app), BoxBrownie.com (magic-like photo editing, virtual staging, CGI – Booth 1836), RealKey (browser-based transaction management), CurbCall (mobile lead routing), Hurdlr (like a Fitbit for agent financial performance), and Glide (transaction coordination).

Hits and Misses from NAR Chicago
Chicago is a baseball town. Even with the Cubs disappointingly not returning to the World Series this year, you can't escape seeing someone wearing a Cubs or White Sox hat or shirt every day in Chicago, even in November. McCormick Place, home to this year's Realtor Convention and Expo, sits just two-and-a-half miles north of Comiskey Park, where the Sox play – the South Side team. So you get an idea of how far away this convention center is from the heart of downtown. And the proximity to a pro baseball park also gives me the perfect excuse to use baseball terminology to review some of the hits and misses I found this year's conference in the City of Big Shoulders. Host city Grand slam for hotels choices, restaurants, entertainment, and bars. But it's a strikeout as a convention city when half your meetings are located 30-45 minutes away at hotels on Michigan Avenue. Even with the fantastic busway, an express lane that takes only convention busses from downtown hotels directly to McCormick Place, it took door-to-door, between the average shuttle wait time, at least 30 minutes because traffic clogs the arteries to the hotels. For me, that's just too much wasted time spent on a bus, even with all the technology we have in the palms of our hands today. Oh, and the weather sucks in November. 2018 Woman NAR President Elizabeth Mendenhall, a Realtor from Columbia, Missouri was a refreshing sight as she stepped up to the plate at the annual new NAR President press conference to field reporter's questions. First, it's been way too long since NAR has had a woman president. Second, she's at least a generation younger than most of her predecessors. She came across as energetic, smart and politically savvy. She gave props to CAR's WomanUp, a powerful new Women's Initiative, and she laid out NAR's agenda for 2018. She adeptly fielded questions from reporters. She was hitting the questions reporters were throwing at her solidly. That was until Inman News' Bernice Ross threw a curveball at her. Bernice is spearheading a woman's initiative of her own. So she asked Mendenhall – since it's been so long since we've had an NAR female President – if she had specific plans to support women Realtors during her tenure at NAR. Elizabeth just stood there, and let that beautiful slow pitch Bernice threw at her sail over the middle of the plate and didn't swing. She just kind of froze and didn't have much of an immediate answer. She did rebound later, with one of my favorite quotes of the conference. She said, "Better decisions are made when diversity is at the table." That's so true. It's hard not to root for Elizabeth, as she has charisma, just like her dad, 2001 NAR President Richard Mendenhall. Economic Forecast Lawrence Yun, NAR Chief Economist, every year, hosts a press conference at NAR to give his forecast. This year he brought along Ken Rosen, chairman of Rosen Consulting Group and UC Berkeley's Fisher Center for Real Estate and Urban Economics. They just issued a joint white paper, "Rebuilding the American Dream: Strategies to Sustainably Increase Homeownership." No surprises in what he shared: inventory is bad, the tax bill is bad, Millennials are missing out on opportunities to own a home and build wealth and that's bad, income isn't increasing as fast as home prices and that's bad, affordability is getting worse and that's bad, the homeownership rate is being depressed as a result and that's bad, home builders need to build more middle class homes yet they make more money building higher end homes and because we're not getting inventory where we really need it that's bad, home prices are going to increase by 5.5 percent next year and because home prices are outpacing income that's bad, and he predicts mortgage rates climbing to 4.5 percent, which, if you ask first-time buyers, is also bad. If you were counting all the "bad" things he said as strikes, the bottom of the inning is over. Expo Explosion When I first become a young PR Turk for a bank (I really was pretty radical in the kind of things I created for them), I heard the saying, "When times are good, Realtors drive Mercedes, and when times are bad, they drive Toyotas – it's a feast or famine business." When I looked inside the entrance to the McCormick Place West Hall, the proof we are in a time of great feasting was evident and my jaw dropped. Good times, indeed. Massive exhibits by all the biggest brands and the newcomers who want to be a big brand. Rewind not too long ago and it looked, well, about as popular as a White Sox game midweek during a day game in mid-April. It's been years since an NAR Convention not only looked this good, but delivered business to companies exhibiting. Talking to exhibitors, such as the Denver-area based predictive lead analytics firm Revaluate (full disclosure: they invited our client, Lane Hornung, CEO of zavvie, to speak on HyperLocal marketing) as well as Tricia Stamper, who oversees Florida Realtors Tech Helpline, the traffic may have been a little light on Sunday morning, but before that, they told me what others also did: It was packed with some of the best booth traffic that exhibitors have seen in years as agents were eager to engage. Best OBP (On Base Percentage) goes to Homes.com. Their exhibit was pure marketing genius, as they found ways to attract, engage, reward, create stickiness, get return traffic—you name the Expo strategy, and they nailed it. A shoutout to my fellow NAREE member and marketing superstar Patty McNease at Homes.com for her role in this. My take is that over the last few years, Homes.com has really hit it out of the park. All you had to do was look around the corner at a completely empty Quicken Loans booth (except for their staff) and you could see the contrast. Reporters are back A funny thing happened on the way out of the Great Recession—travel budgets for reporters came back, and now they are able to make important away games like this. The NAR media reception, followed by the National Association of Real Estate Editors (NAREE) dinner on Friday night had a terrific turnout, with familiar and fresh faces attending the annual installation of new officers. It was quite the bullpen: professional writers from Reuters, The Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Cleveland Plain Dealer, Atlanta Journal Constitution and a gaggle of folks from the host-city paper Chicago Tribune and Tribune Syndicate, including alumni Mary Umberger and Illyce (Think) Glink! And no rain delay for this game. Biggest Goose Egg of the Convention Uber and Lyft in Chicago should be sent back to the minor leagues to fix their problems. Is it the tall buildings that screw up the GPS? Probably, but not completely. The Lyft app has my hotel's address three blocks from where it actually is. I also watched as my Uber app moved my dot, the thing that's supposed to represent me, all over the map as I stood completely still on the street. It had my dot moving around 3 to 5 blocks in every direction nonstop. Also, apparently my drivers didn't look at the address I input. Not a single Uber or Lyft driver was able to pick me up and drop me off at the correct place. Either the pick up or the drop off was botched. It was if they were intentionally trying to strikeout. I took more than 10 trips in Chicago and I've used Lyft and Uber in more than a dozen cities. Chicago has the worst record in the league for rideshare. I asked many other people at NAR and they had the same experiences. I even started asking drivers and they admitted it's messed up. A big double zero on the scoreboard for Uber and Lyft in Chi-town. Cracker Jack event I am sure every NAR party was spectacular because Chicago excels at bars and restaurants, as long as you pick the right venues. MRED and CAR co-hosted a great opening bash, with the who's-who of the hyper-connected in attendance. They had all the bases covered with the spread they provided in a terrific place inside the Tribune building. But when I walked into the CoreLogic party a couple of nights later, it was off the hook. People were having way too much fun. Then again, for Realtors, there probably is no such thing as too much fun. Because when you work as hard as these folks do, they deserve to let their hair down and party hard in the dugout. After all, this is a winning year (financially) for the folks attending. We forget how many weekends, nights, birthday parties, sporting events and school plays are missed by agents working, trying to close a deal to make a better life for their families. I get that, so when I see the joy and celebratory atmosphere that I saw at the Hard Rock, I understand why the CoreLogic folks were grinning ear to ear. It felt like a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 12th against your archrival. Bottom line My kind of town, Chicago is (it's actually my hometown). But Frankie, it's just not major league caliber for what a national Realtor Convention needs, unless everyone is forced to hold every meeting at McCormick. Oh, and in November, the weather sucks. To view the original article, visit the WAV Group blog.

10 Things to Do in Chicago During NAR Expo 2017
This week, 20,000 real estate professionals will travel to Chicago to check out the latest industry updates, build their networks, and discover tools and technologies to grow their businesses. After that, why not see the sights? Continue reading to hear about the top 10 things to do in Chicago during this year's NAR Convention!

Bigger Conferences Are Not Better
The real estate industry is going strong. It's healthy and vibrant, full of bloom and exciting change. As agents, brokers, MLSs, franchises, and tech firms explore a deeper understanding of the industry's best practices, they look to conferences to gain insights and meet the people that are powering new ideas. Conferences are good, and we attend a lot of them. Our annual conference tour includes two NAR conventions, two Inman Connects, CMLS, two RESO conferences, T3, RISMedia, and a variety of franchise, state AOR, LeadingRE, The Realty Alliance, 1000Watt, Clareity, and large AOR or MLS events. Yup – that is a lot of travel. If you add up the flight costs, hotel costs, convention fees, etc., it's expensive, especially when you have multiple people attending. I remember a conversation with the event manager at Trulia a few years ago before the Zillow deal. They were attending over 450 events a year at the time. Yikes! It's old school business development – belly to belly, burnin' shoe leather. With the economic rebound, these conferences have become overwhelming. When you have thousands attending a conference, it gets out of control. Hotels are sold out, restaurants are impossible, service everywhere is stressed out. But most importantly, you can go to conferences without seeing or meeting many of the people that you want to see. It's a struggle, not fun. I remember a few years ago when conference guru Brad Inman expanded ConnectSF to New York, London, and Miami. New York stuck, Miami and London did not. I think that Inman must feel the same as I do regarding conferences. His conferences have always had tracks, but he is building micro events at his Connect conferences now. This year, he is launching the Indie Broker Summit – a meeting for independent brokerage firms that will examine how they can pursue success and excellence in the wake of franchise domination. Also, Inman is returning to his roots for CEO Summit by returning to the site in Sonoma where it all started.

Deducting Travel to Conferences and Seminars
Travel to business-related conventions, seminars, or similar meetings can be tax deductible. This can include deductions for your transportation, lodging, and 50 percent of your meal expenses while on business. Learn about how to do this, as well as some of the IRS restrictions. It is much easier to deduct trips to destinations that are within North America. Such trips need only be an "ordinary and necessary" expense to be deductible. That is, these trips must benefit your business in some way. Trips outside North America are deductible only if it was reasonable to hold the event in such a distant location. For example, it would be hard to deduct a convention for New York plumbing contractors held in Tahiti. For this reason, you should generally avoid attended business conventions outside North America. Fortunately, the IRS has recently expanded the definition of what constitutes "North America."

Your Last Minute Guide to NAR Annual
In just a few days, thousands of Realtors will descend upon Orlando, Florida for NAR's annual REALTORS® Conference and Expo. While NAR Annual is a great place to hear industry leaders speak and participate in educational sessions, don't forget about the educational opportunities available in the expo hall itself. That's right, within that maze of booths, agents and brokers can learn about new products--and also about the solutions you already use. While you're at NAR annual, take a moment to visit the booths of the tech vendors your brokerage works with. There, you can learn about important new developments, watch demonstrations, and even listen in on short talks about topics like impressing clients and closing deals. Here's a short list of tech company booths you can visit at NAR Annual (see the full list here). Each vendor also appears in our 2016-17 Technology Guide. Use the Guide as a resource to research vendors before approaching them at the conference. (And don't forget to use the Guide's handy lists of questions to ask when evaluating a solution--it can help you make better technology decisions!) Cloud CMA - Booth 1185 CoreLogic - Booth 1065 CRS Data - Booth 1747 DocuSign - Booth 419 Form Simplicity - Booth 753 Lone Wolf - Booth 465 Real Estate Standards Organization (RESO) - Booth 609 Realtors Property Resource (RPR) - Booth 327 Sentrilock - Booth 765 Tech Helpline - Booth 753 WolfNet - Booth 792

Learn About RPR at the 2016 REALTORS Conference & Expo
It's hard to believe November is just about the corner, and that means one thing—it's time for the 2016 REALTORS® Conference & Expo in Orlando, Florida. For those of you attending the conference this year, as you plan your schedule of events and prioritize your meetings, we want to make sure you are aware of a few RPR sessions and learning opportunities. Visit the RPR Booth / #327 Be sure to stop by the RPR booth (#327) in the NAR pavilion during convention hours. RPR staff will be around to answer questions and demo the RPR platform, the RPR app, and your questions. For REALTORS® RPR is always looking for ways to help REALTORS® become more efficient and profitable. Come and see Impressing Clients and Closing Deals with RPR ... Anytime, Anywhere on Friday, Nov. 4, 2PM, room W315 A, Orange County Convention Center West.

T-3 Summit: Another Swanepoel Masterpiece
As everyone knows, there is a plethora of industry conferences these days. Some serve as open markets for industry programs, products and services, while others serve as cultural gatherings for specific industry communities, and yet others serve as destinations for those whose annual budgets provide for a wide range of discretionary travel. Each services the needs of a specific industry constituency. Over the past three years, Stefan Swanepoel has become the Michelangelo of the real estate conference circuit and his T3 Summit has become its Sistine Chapel ceiling event. Swanepoel has achieved this status through innovative program design, quality production, the right attendance mix and attention to detail. This author has had an opportunity to be involved in the production of all three T3 events and is in an excellent position to share the wonderment of the "inside track" that makes T3 an astounding experience. Anyone who has ever experienced a Swanepoel presentation, publication or analysis can testify to the thoroughness and expertise that goes into its design and substance. The T3 Summit is the flagship of this standard. Swanepoel and his team spend months designing the T3 experience. By way of example, going into the initial planning for the 2015 event last fall, the Swanepoel team was tracking 23 specific and unique game changing issues. Over the three days of the 2015 T3 Summit at the Four Seasons Hotel and Resort in Las Vegas, participants and attendees had an opportunity to gain in-depth knowledge about the historic basis of each of these issues, plus another five that didn't even exist six months ago, their up-to-the-minute status and their likely destination over the next year. Each of these discussions incorporated the expertise of its own "recognized" industry thought leader(s), from a cast of 29 such experts, as well as the benefits of a superb facilitator who was responsible for the full range of each subject being developed.

#ICNY Day 2: Rupert Murdoch, Big Data, and Beyond
The second full day of Inman Connect NY began with Rupert Murdoch's highly anticipated keynote speech. Murdoch offered a glimpse of what realtor.com may become under News Corp's guidance, including how he intends to grow the portal by promoting via News Corp's other media properties like the Wall Street Journal. Day two also saw other real estate luminaries like Trulia's Pete Flint and RE/MAX CEO Dave Liniger take the stage. We continued to follow the action today by keeping up with the conference's attendees via Twitter (see our coverage of day one here). See below for our compilation of the best tweets of the day. ### Rosemary Buerger - Why Realtor.com? It has the most up to date data and attracts transaction ready consumers via Rupert Murdoch #ICNY Ben Kinney - Rupert Murdoch to leverage media assets ie papers, tv, etc to grow realtor.com #ICNY @rupertmurdoch humble well spoken gentleman Chris Nichols - Is REALTOR.com the right name? "I think so, what the hell does Zillow mean? - @rupertmurdoch #ICNY .LUXURY - "Be ambitious, take risks, and don't be afraid of failure." - Rupert Murdoch #ICNY #wisewords Robert Gil - Rupert Murdoch on Move acquisition: "We don't want to replace agents; you are crucial" #ICNY" Ethan Beute - "We want the shortest distance between the American dream & a family's reality to be through @realtordotcom" - Rupert Murdoch #ICNY

Leadership Lessons from a Former U.S. President
This post comes to us from the Market Leader blog: Last month, I traveled to Dallas to join over 370 leaders of the real estate industry at the annual Gathering of Eagles conference. Sponsored by REAL Trends, the event is something I look forward to with great anticipation, but this year it was more amazing than I envisioned. While REAL Trends sponsored the keynote speaker, former President George W. Bush, Trulia and Market Leader hosted a special, private session with him. Whether the attendees agreed with President Bush's politics or not, I think Steve Murray, president of REAL Trends and the moderator of the question-and-answer session, sums up on his blog how many of us felt after the session: "The President shared some deeply personal thoughts and convictions of what great leaders do when confronted with unexpected challenges." In a nutshell, the former president identified three things that effective leaders do: Surround themselves with the right advisors. Benchmark all decisions around the mission or core values of the organization. Be prepared to make the right decisions, even if they might not be popular. The key takeaway for me and several other attendees was how we can apply the former president's leadership style to our individual circumstances.

The Keystone Cops Needed the Work
It was almost as if all the other things happening in the industry these days weren't enough to capture everyone's attention. Apparently some were searching for just one more things to fixate on. Craig Cheatham, President and CEO of the Realty Alliance, apparently provided that opportunity when, on October 4th, as a participant in a panel presentation entitled "Reducing Conflict Between Brokers and MLSs," during the Council of Multiple Listing Services meeting in Boise, he raised a number of unwelcome issues. Cheatham shared with the assembled MLS executives the fact that the members of the Realty Alliance had come to the conclusions that their often and specifically expressed concerns (this was the sixth year in a row that they had been expressed at a CMLS meeting) were falling on deaf ears, both at NAR and within the MLS community. In an attempt to ensure that his points were received this time, the 2013 message was delivered complete with a detailed list of very specific issues that the Realty Alliance was concerned about, and a very clear notice that the group would probably deliver another message during its Fall meeting in Boston later in October. Response to Cheatham's comments echoed like a fire alarm throughout the industry, and like a bomb blast through the blogosphere. Literally dozens of pages of blog posts appeared within 36 hours (when did blog posts turn into novels?). All matter of theories, acquisitions and counter acquisitions were raised. Responses ranged across three groups: those who wanted to attack the Realty Alliance, those who wanted to attack its message and those who were on their way to dinner.

The Eagles Gather, Learn, Share and Adapt
It was the 26th iteration of the Gathering of Eagles. The conference, a Real Trends 'by invitation only' conclave, is generally recognized as the premiere learning and networking event for those within the top 250 North American real estate brokerages. Real Trends entrepreneur and "Gathering" impresario Steve Murray set the tone during his opening. "We are here to learn and share together." Sherry Chris, CEO of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate (BHG), followed up and built on that theme with a creative facilitation of a panel of brokers from Atlanta, Houston, Boulder and Austin on the "New Generation Brokerage Business Model." The room was packed as Sherry, using the "Are You an Alpha or a Beta Brokerage?" title, carefully wove the comments of both the panel members and a number of brokers in the audience into a profile of what the new business model was going to look like. The discussion provided information regarding cultures that work in the new era, space allocations, the use of new media, branch staffing levels, emerging technologies, orchestrating company growth and leading edge customer service practices. The panel included both BHG brokers and non-BHG brokers. The industry should appreciate the fact that Sherry and BHG use sponsorship resources to bring valuable information and learning experiences to everyone in the industry, regardless of franchise or brand.

NAR Midyear Highlights for Brokers
So many spectacular ideas, decisions, and movements arise out of events like NAR Midyear. In a perfect world, we’d all be able to attend – but the reality is that we can’t. That’s why I was so excited that the WAV Group took some time to share with me a presentation they’ve created to summarize NAR Midyear, with a special emphasis on the topics of interest to brokers.  I’m going to share a few of the key points here. 1) Articulating the value of NAR. Ways that NAR provides value to their membership include: HouseLogic A powerful social media presence - 300,000 “likes” on Facebook A radio show with 3.3 million listeners 2) An economic update. The point that really stood out to me here is “Sequestration,” which means that spending cuts go into effect automatically on January 1st, 2013, unless a new budget is passed. 3) A legal update. There are three main legal issues relevant to NAR right now: FHA and eSign – helping to gain acceptance of electronic signatures on REO properties Home warranty (legal case: Edwards v. First American) – Home warranties are not part of the closing costs and should not be considered as such under RESPA Qualified Mortgage Standards – Frank-Dodd needs to be cleaned up. 4) Political fundraising. As you know, NAR recently increased their dues $40 per member per year. One of the main objectives for this dues increase was to raise funds for political lobbying to support home ownership rights. There has been a shift in the focus of this lobbying, however, from candidates to issues. Quite simply, the political objective of NAR is to help fight for property owners.

“Best of” for Inman Real Estate Connect
Some of the RE Technology team members and many of our friends in the industry are headed to NYC for Inman Connect. We spotted this helpful blog post on the Onboard Informatics blog. They give some suggestions for places to eat and things to see in NYC. Onboard Informatics would like to welcome you to our home base of New York City during the Inman Real Estate Connect conference from January 11 – 13, 2012. And, as the “Best Of” experts, we’d be remiss if we didn’t provide you with our recommended hotspots for those of traveling in for the conference. Best place to grab a slice of pizza: Bleeker Street Pizza “Thin and crispy crust…the way its supposed to be. And you’re likely to rub elbows with a celebrity.” ~ Ira Monko, Implementation Engineer Best place for a hot dog: Papaya King “Not Gray’s Papaya or Papaya Dog or any other fake “Papaya” knock-offs…The Original.” ~ Charlie Panoff, National Sales Manager

Post-Conference Checklist
Ricardo Bueno of Diverse Solutions published this article several months ago and we covered it on RE Technology as well. I was thinking back to the excellent post as I drove home from the NAR conference in Anaheim yesterday. As I think many of you may be new to our site (and many of you attended the NAR event), I'm republishing it today. To view Ricardo's original post, click here. A lot goes on after a conference, especially a week-long event like Real Estate Connect San Francisco! But mostly, you just wanna get home, shower and sit or lay there and decompress. So many people, so little time, lots of knowledge consumed, connections made, follow up to get done! In this post, I wanted to offer you some suggestions for settling back in and making sure you're following up on everything you got out of the conference... 1. Send out emails & or make follow up calls – personally, I like to connect with folks on LinkedIn first and foremost (it serves as my digital rolodex and I use it frequently tho I also keep business cards; lots of 'em!). Of course we then connect in all of the other usual social media hotspots like: Twitter, Facebook, Posterous, etc. If you really wanna follow up and show 'em you care, nothing says so more than the sound of your voice on the other end of the line.

'Nimbility' at the National Council of State Housing Agencies Annual Conference in San Diego
We subscribe to the Down Payment Resource newsletter. We spotted this interesting article today: Steve Auger of the Florida Housing Finance Corporation was credited as the originator of the term “nimbility.” Bob Kucab, Executive Director of the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency, quoted Auger while giving Housing Finance Agencies (HFAs) a bit of a pep talk during a special session at the NCSHA conference called “Innovating Amid Adversity.” To be sure, the HFAs need some optimism during these challenging times and achieving “nimbility”, becoming nimble, creative, innovative and fearless is surely what’s needed in the face of today’s reality. However, the frequency in which the word “fear” came up at the conference was, well, a little frightening.  Whether as-in, “fear is a great motivator” or “overcome the fear of trying new things,” and “I don’t buy into fear—don’t let fear drive decisions,” fear was definitely on the minds of many speakers and panelists. And, understandably so, given the uncertainty about the future role of HFAs. During one of the last sessions, “Housing Finance of the Future,” Garth Rieman, Director Housing Advocacy and Strategic Initiatives for NCSHA, outlined various finance reform proposals crafted by House members that could drastically affect or even eliminate the ability of middle class households to finance homeownership in the future.

Video: Real Estate Connect San Francisco
We had a blast at Inman Real Estate Connect in San Francisco. For me, the best part was getting to meet some of the wonderful people in our industry. I thought I'd share this experience with our readers, too. So, I hassled a few people with my handy Flip camera and made this video. Click on to the next page to watch.

Gear Up for Conference Season with the 2011 Buyer's Guide
Every year thousands of real estate professionals and the "who's who" of the real estate industry flock to attend national industry conferences from Washington D.C. to San Francisco. With top notch seminars, engaging networking events, and world-class trade shows, real estate conferences can help re-energize and direct your business. For thousands of professionals, the value far outweighs the cost. For an industry of extroverts, conference season is a juggling act for managing meetings, seminars, and social events. It's easy to overbook and get overwhelmed when faced with so many options.