Welcome to another edition of “Ask the MLS.” Here, we talk to people running innovative MLSs around the country and ask them questions about their markets, their members and what keeps them up at night.
Today’s post features Karen Kage, CEO of Realcomp. Realcomp is the largest MLS in Michigan, serving the greater Detroit area. Realcomp launched Homesnap Pro in September 2018 and is a member of the Broker Public Portal. Here’s what Karen had to say:
1) Your motto is “let your yes mean yes and your no mean no.” What does that mean for you on a day-to-day basis in your role at Realcomp?
This “motto” is one of my favorite scriptures. It is so simple and yet so important.
I want my leadership, partners, shareholders and staff to know that they can trust me at my word. The way to do that is to speak the truth – yes means yes and no means no.
Even when it’s hard, it’s important to speak the truth.
2) As an MLS, Realcomp is very active on social media. How do you use social media to reach your members and keep them informed? What are the most successful tactics you’ve used?
We love the results we get from social media! I think the greatest benefit is that it is instant! We post something on Facebook and get comments almost immediately and throughout the day (and night!).
Boosting the posts is a very inexpensive way of getting our message out along with targeting our audience.
One piece of advice – make sure you respond to the comments quickly! It’s expected.
3) As we approach the end of the year, which 2018 initiative or accomplishment by Realcomp are you most proud of?
I’m always most proud of our Realcomp family. We are extremely blessed to have a staff that has been together for a very long time. We have five managers and the least amount of years any one of them has been with Realcomp is 19!
We really are a family and we respect each other, strive to learn new things, and help where it is needed. This year we launched several new products, Homesnap Pro being one of them. I think you will agree by the number of agents that signed up to quickly that we do a good job of keeping our customers informed.
4) What do you think is the most challenging thing about being a real estate agent today?
Change. There are so many changes happening in our industry, and agents need to stay current with the technology. Also, data access. This is a long-time challenge.
We have heard so often that consumers have access to more information than the agents do! That’s where we come in.
We need to continue to pursue more consolidation to be able to provide the data our customers need.
And, we need to continue to introduce our customers to current technology and make sure that we offer constant training.
5) Which is your favorite of the Great Lakes, and why?
Funny question, but I really had to think about it. I have been out on Lake Huron more often because of the location, but I do like Lake Michigan. It’s like a mini ocean at times. Nice and wavy, but cold!