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"To Our Friends and Industry" ⸺ A message from Joe Skousen

Published Date
Author Joe Skousen


To Our Friends and Industry,
 

If you haven’t felt your mettle had been tested coming into 2023, you are hard-pressed to not feel it now. In the last 3 years we’ve witnessed a worldwide pandemic, the virtualization of the economy, historic economic investments - all fueling 18 months of wild-haired growth. Then this year’s whiplash market shifts test your resolve with rates and market conditions that surprised every one. And somehow 2023 is still serving up a couple more. In the last 48 hours, the gavel dropped and commission lawsuits delivered industry-shifting dynamics in how teams, agents and brokerages earn their income.  On top of that, large industry portals and tech players are casting the dice on your data, making bets on just how much of your data and commission you’ll allow them to own, control and monetize. 

This is all happening as the real estate agents, teams, brokerages and brands work tirelessly to serve their clients, powering dreams of homeownership.  The Inside Real Estate team and I truly tip our hats to the resilient professionals we have the privilege of serving every day.

Our Job Has Never Been More Important 

Inside Real Estate was founded in the midst of other market uncertainties more than 15 years ago. Since that time, I’ve used the words “technology partner” to describe our role and responsibility to you, our clients, partners and friends.  Those words captured what I saw then, and continue to see now, as a statement of a commitment to make your problems our problems, your wins, our wins.  While simple, those worlds have carried a lot of weight and some specific obligations that have acted as our north star through the years.  

Acting as a partner means backing your brand, and keeping you at the center of the real estate relationship. It means that we build the best results-oriented technology solutions in the space, and we constantly push ourselves to innovate, and look around the corner for what our clients need next.  But it means more than the technology itself.  It also means we are an independent technology partner and not driven by someone else’s strategic goals. We’re thinking about your data and your security.  We’re investing, have been investing for years, and will continue to invest in the future to protect your data and your privacy. Your data is not owned by anyone else, we’re not selling your data, and we’re not shipping your data overseas.  Surprisingly few companies in the space can truthfully make that statement.

It also means we go to battle for what is in our clients best interests. With communication lawsuits and other pressures affecting your daily business operations, you need a tech partner who has the experience in dealing with these ongoing challenges, at scale, across all of North America.  

Powering some of real estate’s largest brands and over 500,000 brokers, teams and agents on our platforms, we bring that experience to the table, and we also bring a scale of investment innovation, cost negotiation and synergy that our customers could not accomplish on their own. Our obligation and mission is to continue to use that to drive ROI and competitive advantage for you, as your technology partner, even when others fail to do so. 

So what should you expect from the industry next year?  There may be no absolutes, especially in this industry, but some things are certain. 

  • More consumers are choosing to work with their trusted real estate professional today than ever before. They prioritize that relationship, and so do we. 
  • Technology plays an increasingly pivotal role in your business to facilitate profitable operations and agent-centric and consumer-centric experiences that truly empower relationships.  
  • Your fundamental value proposition won’t change, but the specific offerings and approach–whether for agents, teams or brokerages–must evolve and keep up with innovation. Relying on a technology partner is vital. 

As we look forward, there is another certainty. The future brings change, but good relationships remain. Inside Real Estate will be here, independent, and leading the way, arm in arm with you, driving the innovation that champions the agent, and empowers you to serve this industry every day. 

I see a world of opportunity in 2024 and beyond. It’s seized by delivering value to your clients in fresh and innovative ways, creating stronger, more profitable, lifelong relationships. On behalf of the entire Inside Real Estate team - thanks for allowing us to serve you.  Let’s go get it!

To the future,
Joe