HomeLight and NAREB Launch the Black Real Estate Agent Program to Support Aspiring Black Agents
Program is the first of its kind in the United States, providing financial, educational, and career support for aspiring Black real estate agents to help them achieve high-production success. SAN FRANCISCO (FEBRUARY 09, 2021) -- HomeLight, the real estate technology platform that empowers people to achieve better outcomes when buying or selling their home, announced today the launch of the Black Real Estate Agent Program in partnership with the National Association of Real Estate Brokers (NAREB), the largest and oldest minority professional real estate trade association in the United States. The HomeLight-NAREB Black Real Estate Agent Program — the first program of its kind in the United States — will provide financial, educational, and career support for aspiring Black real estate agents across the country, helping them achieve high-production success. According to the latest U.S. Census Bureau data, Black Americans represent less than 6 percent of all real estate professionals. The HomeLight-NAREB Black Real Estate Agent Program will seek to increase the number of top-producing Black agents in real estate, with the ultimate goal of helping improve the rate of homeownership for Black Americans across the country. As part of the program, HomeLight and NAREB will help cover many of the onboarding costs for new agents up to $5,000, including pre-licensing classes, agent exams, and select marketing and technology needs. Each program participant will be paired with an experienced NAREB Realtist who will serve as a mentor and advisor. Participants will also receive ongoing training and education above and beyond that which brokers typically provide. "Our goal is to drive sustainable, structural change by increasing access to job opportunities as well as education around how systematic racism has impacted the real estate industry," said Sumant Sridharan, Chief Operating Officer at HomeLight. "We're excited to partner with NAREB to offer this program to aspiring Black real estate professionals. Together, we believe we can fundamentally shift diversity and equality in our industry by increasing access to training, education, and support for Black real estate agents." "NAREB applauds and welcomes the partnership with HomeLight. Our association's goal to achieve Democracy in Housing cannot be reached without the increase in the ranks of Black real estate professionals. Agents are the frontline and introduce homeownership to prospective clients. We are confident that this new program will not only equip Black American program participants with the knowledge and practical experience to become top producers in their communities, but also significantly expand Black homeownership in their communities," said Lydia Pope, President-Elect at NAREB. Applications are open immediately. HomeLight and NAREB are actively seeking aspiring Black real estate professionals who are: Between the ages of 18 and 35 Interested in a career in real estate, but not currently established as an agent Willing to work with a NAREB broker during at least their first year in real estate Committed to spending five to ten hours per week working with mentors or on continuing education Located anywhere in the United States "In the aftermath of the racially stoked unrest in 2020, NAREB and HomeLight formed a working partnership to increase the number of Black Americans in the real estate profession. This initiative works to close the income and racial wealth gap in the industry. As important, our efforts are designed to increase Black homeownership. Together, we're holding open the door that would otherwise remain closed to Black professionals and consumers," said Antoine Thompson, National Executive Director for NAREB. For more information and to sign up, visit https://www.homelight.com/black-agent-program About HomeLight HomeLight is a real estate technology platform powering the best real estate agents in the United States, building the future of how people buy and sell homes. HomeLight provides a variety of software and services to home buyers, sellers, and real estate agents at every step throughout the real estate journey, from finding a top real estate agent, to accessing a network of cash buyers through HomeLight Simple Sale™, and providing innovative financing solutions through HomeLight Trade-In™. Each year, HomeLight facilitates billions of dollars of real estate on its platform. HomeLight is headquartered in San Francisco and has offices in Manhattan, Scottsdale, and Seattle. For additional information and images, visit https://www.homelight.com/press. About the National Association of Real Estate Brokers The National Association of Real Estate Brokers (NAREB) was formed in 1947 to secure the right to equal housing opportunities, regardless of race, creed, or color. NAREB has advocated for legislation and supported or instigated legal challenges that ensure fair housing, sustainable homeownership, and access to credit for Black Americans. At the same time, NAREB advocates for and promotes access to business opportunity for Black real estate professionals in all of the real estate disciplines. NAREB annually publishes the State of Housing in Black America (SHIBA) report. For more information, visit https://www.nareb.com.

Florida Realtors Tech Helpline Surges to Serve 600,000 Members
Recent Deals Adds Over 63,000 New Users, 10% Growth in Just Four Months ORLANDO, Fla., May 7, 2018 -- Tens of thousands of real estate professionals from the states of North Carolina, Louisiana, California, Montana and Colorado now have access to tech support services provided by Florida Realtors Tech Helpline for the first time. Agents and brokers from two state associations and three local associations can receive a wide range of expert technical assistance that covers both software and hardware issues, including smartphones, laptops, tablets, desktops, printers, email setup problems, viruses, lost files, wireless connections issues and more. Today, nearly half of the REALTORS® in U.S. and Canada – more than 600,000 real estate professionals – have access to Tech Helpline, a service created and owned by Florida Realtors. Its U.S.-based staff of professionals have nearly 300 years of combined IT experience and offer technical support services in both English and Spanish. Tech Helpline is the real estate industry's number one technology support service. Dubbed "the Genius Bar" for real estate, Tech Helpline has grown more than 10 percent this year. Since January, it has contracted with two state Realtor Associations – the North Carolina REALTORS® (43,000 members) and the Louisiana REALTORS® (13,800 members). Tech Helpline has also contracted with three local associations including the San Francisco Association of REALTORS® (5,100 members); Gallatin Association of REALTORS® (1,250 members) based in Bozeman, Montana; and the Gunnison Country Association of REALTORS® (160 members) based in Gunnison, Colorado. Last June, Tech Helpline also began serving the South Bay Association of REALTORS® (4,700) based in Torrance, California. "The remarkable growth of Tech Helpline is because of its popularity as a top member benefit," says Bill Martin, Florida Realtors CEO. "Easy access to exceptional tech support services keep agents happy. Every MLS, Association, and brokerage that provides Tech Helpline to its members moves us closer to our goal of making Tech Helpline available to every Realtor in North America." Martin notes that Tech Helpline is often the highest rated member benefit offered by Realtor Associations, Multiple Listing Services (MLSs) and real estate brokerage firms. "Because Tech Helpline works with Realtors every day, they understand what an agent does and the deadline pressures they experience," said Martin. "They have earned a reputation for being the friendliest tech support around. That's why agents and brokers are not afraid to call and ask any of their technology questions." Martin points out that Tech Helpline's growth also is supported by the success of Florida Realtors Form Simplicity transaction software and its retention of highly satisfied clients. Tech Helpline provides technical support for Form Simplicity. "As we improve and refine both Form Simplicity and Tech Helpline, we expect our growth to continue," Martin said. Tech Helpline and Form Simplicity from Florida Realtors will be exhibiting – Booth 818 - next week at the 2018 REALTOR® Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo in Washington, D.C., May 14-19, 2018. More information about Tech Helpline is available online at www.techhelpline.com. About Tech Helpline Tech Helpline began seventeen years ago as a service for members of Florida Realtors. Known for its no-nonsense technical advice and warm, friendly, customer service, Tech Helpline rapidly grew by offering its service to other REALTOR® Associations, Multiple Listing Services (MLSs) and real estate brokerage firms. Tech Helpline is the real estate industry's #1 tech support service, available to nearly half the Realtors in North America – more than 600,000 in the U.S. and Canada. Tech Helpline's office and staff of professional tech analysts, with almost 300 years of combined IT experience, are located in Orlando, Florida, and are available to provide technical support by phone, chat or email. More information is available online at www.techhelpline.com. Florida Realtors serves as the voice for real estate in Florida. It provides programs, services, continuing education, research and legislative representation to its 180,000 members in 54 boards/associations.

Florida Realtors® Tech Helpline Adds 15,000 More New Users
Orlando, FL – May 3, 2016 – Tech Helpline, a service owned by the Florida Realtors® and the real estate industry's number one tech support service for a wide range of software and hardware, hit another growth spurt this month. More than 15,000 real estate professionals in Maine and Pennsylvania now have access to Tech Helpline for the first time, which assists real estate agents and brokers with their smartphones, tablets, desktops, laptops, email problems, virus issues and more. Nicknamed "the Genius Bar for real estate," Tech Helpline is available for nearly half of the Realtors® in U.S. and Canada: more than 510,000 real estate professionals in North America have access to Tech Helpline. Last month, Tech Helpline announced that it had added 9 local and state Realtor® Associations in just 50 days. The latest Associations to add Tech Helpline include: Maine Association of Realtors® Suburban West Realtors® Association (PA) Bucks County Association of Realtors® (PA) Montgomery County Association of Realtors® (PA) "Tech Helpline is a member benefit that has become a must-have as technology empowers the day-to-day business of real estate agents and brokers," said Ed Gardner, President of the Maine Association of Realtors®. "Members are now supported by a highly-trained and responsive staff who understand real estate agents and their tech needs and challenges," Gardner said. "Membership in these four Associations, which total more than 15,000, will benefit from Tech Helpline's office and staff of professional tech analysts, who possess more than 250 years of combined IT experience," noted Tricia Stamper, Director of Technology Products at Florida Realtors®. "Associations across the nation tell us that once they add Tech Helpline, the member feedback is so immediate and positive that it is the best received and most popular new member benefit they offer," Stamper says. Stamper explains that when agents are renewing memberships in their association, they often scrutinize their benefits to make sure they are getting great value. Tech Helpline has been remarkably successful in helping with member retention, Stamper says, because there are so few options for IT support to small businesses. John Gormley, Chief Executive Officer of the St. Louis Association of REALTORS®, which added Tech Helpline just two months ago, echoes Stamper's comments. "We received great feedback from members almost immediately," said Gormley. "It really adds to the value we provide our members as clearly there is a need we are able to fulfill with Tech Helpline," he adds. "Tech Helpline was created by Realtors for Realtors," says Stamper, "and because they uniquely understand the real estate business it makes a huge difference because real estate agents live a highly deadline-driven business life." Uniquely, Tech Helpline services are unlimited and free for real estate agents through their association, MLS or brokerage: There is no limit to the number of calls an agent can make and no limit on the length of a call. Moreover, because the service is provided to agents as a benefit, there are no direct costs to agents. A U.S.-based staff offers assistance in both English and Spanish, and it is available by phone, online chat or email. About Tech Helpline Tech Helpline began almost fifteen years ago as a service for members of Florida Realtors®. Known for its no-nonsense technical advice and warm, friendly, customer service, Tech Helpline rapidly grew by offering its service to other Realtor® Associations, Multiple Listing Services (MLSs) and real estate brokerage firms. Tech Helpline is the real estate industry's #1 tech support service, available to one in three Realtors in North America – more than 500,000 in the U.S. and Canada. Tech Helpline's office and staff of professional tech analysts, with more than 250 years of combined IT experience, are located in Orlando, Florida, and are available to provide technology support by phone, chat or email. More information is available online at www.techhelpline.com. Florida Realtors®, formerly known as the Florida Association of Realtors®, serves as the voice for real estate in Florida. It provides programs, services, continuing education, research and legislative representation to its 155,000 members in 56 boards/associations.

New Freddie Mac Online Resource Aims to Help Real Estate Professionals Do More Business
MCLEAN, VA — 01/21/16 — Today Freddie Mac launched an online Real Estate Professionals Resource Center, a comprehensive resource designed to keep real estate agents, brokers, housing counselors and other practitioners on top of the latest affordable mortgage products, training and networking opportunities, and customizable promotion tools from Freddie Mac. "America's real estate professionals are critical in guiding and informing homebuyers about their best options to become successful homeowners. Freddie Mac's Real Estate Professionals Resource Center will give agents and brokers up-to-date information on the mortgage products and solutions offered through our lenders to responsibly expand affordable homeownership opportunities, especially for first-time homebuyers," said Jerry Weiss, executive vice president and chief administrative officer of Freddie Mac. The new Real Estate Professionals Resource Center is a single, easy-to-navigate webpage that connects users with information to help them strengthen customer connections, educate clients, and do more business as their market's trusted advisor. Real Estate Professionals Resource Center users can access separate sections dedicated to increasing referrals, becoming a stronger housing expert, and finding and registering for networking and training opportunities hosted by Freddie Mac with the National Association of REALTORS® or other professional organizations. The new Freddie Mac webpage displays Twitter updates on related and significant housing developments. A special section called "In the Spotlight" focuses on the latest market challenges, changes and solutions. "In the Spotlight" currently covers ways to dispel widely held myths about the need for 20 percent down payments to buy a home. It also discusses alternative sources for covering closing costs or down payments. Because trends are always changing, housing professionals should subscribe to the Real Estate Professionals Resource Center for the latest updates to Freddie Mac's website. Freddie Mac was established by Congress in 1970 to provide liquidity, stability and affordability to the nation's residential mortgage markets. Freddie Mac supports communities across the nation by providing mortgage capital to lenders. Today Freddie Mac is making home possible for one in four home borrowers and is the largest source of financing for multifamily housing. Additional information is available at FreddieMac.com, Twitter @FreddieMac and Freddie Mac's blog FreddieMac.com/blog.

Tech Helpline Now Available to Orange County Association of REALTORS®
ORLANDO, FL (Oct 28, 2015) — California's Orange County real estate agents are more dependent on technology to help them buy and sell homes than ever before, and now when a computer crashes or a smartphone glitches out, they can get immediate assistance. Tech Helpline, the real estate industry's #1 tech support service, is a new, included member benefit available to more than 13,600 members of the Orange County Association of REALTORS®. These Southern California agents and brokers join nearly 400,000 REALTORS® throughout the U.S. and Canada that have access to this service. "Tech Helpline will help our members boost their productivity by increasing their 'uptime'," says Rita Tayenaka, President of the Orange County Association of REALTORS®. "Technology has become a key part of every real estate transaction, and that's why we want to help our members to quickly and conveniently resolve technical problems by simply making a phone call," she adds. OCAR REALTOR® and Affiliate members can call the dedicated OCAR Tech Helpline number or access support from its online chat service. Once connected, Tayenaka says a friendly US-based analyst — located in Orlando, Florida — verifies membership in the Association and then assists with all computer and technology-related issues. For OCAR REALTORS®, the new Tech Helpline member benefit includes: No limit to the number of calls No time limit per call Multiple questions and topics may be addressed in a single call Analysts connect to one's computer via remote software to diagnose and repair (if needed) Assistance is available in English or Spanish Support Monday–Friday, 6:00 am – 5:00 pm and Saturdays 6:00 am – 2:00 pm PT Tech Helpline was created by Realtors® for Realtors®, notes Tricia Stamper, Director of Technology Products at Florida Realtors®, which owns and operates the services. "Realtors think of us as the Genius Bar for real estate staffed by a team of savvy tech advisors who specialize in supporting real estate agents and brokers," she says. Today more than 70 Realtor® Associations, Multiple Listing Services (MLSs) and real estate brokerage firms offer Tech Helpline to their members and agents, which has become the fastest growing company of its kind in real estate. Tech Helpline supports both Windows and Mac operating systems, smartphones, tablets and more than a dozen different hardware products from computers, monitors and printers to scanners and storage devices. "If an agent is in the middle of a transaction and a printer freezes, one phone call or a click of the mouse is all it now takes to get immediate help," Tayenaka says. She also believes her members will especially appreciate the ability to ask for assistance with multiple issues on a single call, a benefit not widely available in the tech support industry. "Agents have lots of questions about technology and now they can get those questions answered, and it won't cost them a dime as it's part of their core member benefits," she said. Tech Helpline has grown organically since it was first offered to Florida Realtors in 2001, primarily through recommendations from existing clients. In addition to the support it provides through MLS firms, Realtor® Associations and real estate brokerages, Tech Helpline also provides support for Form Simplicity, one of the industry's most popular transaction management software programs. About Tech Helpline Owned as a service by Florida Realtors®, Tech Helpline began almost fifteen years ago as a service for members of Florida Realtors. Known for its no-nonsense technical advice and warm, friendly, customer service, Tech Helpline rapidly grew by offering its service to other Realtor® Associations, Multiple Listing Services (MLSs) and real estate brokerage firms. Today Tech Helpline is the real estate industry's #1 tech support service, available to one in three Realtors in North America — nearly 400,000 in the U.S. and Canada. Tech Helpline's office and staff of professional tech analysts, with more than 250 years of combined IT experience, are located in Orlando, Florida, and are available to provide technology support by phone, chat or email. More information is available online at www.techhelpline.com.

Press Releases Zillow Forms New Customer Support Team Exclusively For Real Estate Professionals
SEATTLE, Jan. 13, 2015 -- Zillow, Inc., the leading real estate information and home related marketplace, today announces the formation of a new customer support team specifically to support MLSs and brokerages who send direct feeds to Zillow, as well as providing support to agents and brokers who use Zillow services. Zillow has hired experienced customer support expert JR Gast to lead the new Client Experience and Account Management Team as director of client experience and account management. Gast brings nearly 15 years of customer support experience to Zillow. Prior to joining Zillow, Gast served as a senior director of global support for online music service Rhapsody, helping 2 million customers across 35 countries. "We are developing a new, world class customer support experience," said Greg Schwartz, Zillow chief revenue officer. "Real estate professionals have very different needs than the consumers who use Zillow, and they need a dedicated team of people who can quickly resolve any issues that may arise. Under JR's experienced leadership, this team is streamlining the customer experience and taking customer support at Zillow to a new level." In addition to providing customer support to agents and brokers, the new team has a specialized group of support specialists who will focus on direct feeds, including multiple listing services and brokerage feeds, as well as the new Zillow Data Dashboard. Now, customer support will be available to industry professionals seven days a week. "I'm very excited to be building this world class support team from the ground up," said Gast. "Real estate pros are critical to Zillow's success, and my team will ensure that the services we are providing them are working flawlessly. I'm looking forward to making the customer support experience as seamless as possible." About Zillow, Inc. Zillow, Inc. operates the leading real estate and home-related information marketplaces on mobile and the Web, with a complementary portfolio of brands and products that help people find vital information about homes, and connect with the best local professionals. Zillow's brands serve the full lifecycle of owning and living in a home: buying, selling, renting, financing, remodeling and more. In addition, Zillow offers a suite of tools and services to help local real estate, mortgage, rental and home improvement professionals manage and market their businesses. Welcoming more than 74 million unique users in November 2014, the Zillow, Inc. portfolio includes Zillow.com®, Zillow Mobile, Zillow Mortgages, Zillow Rentals, Zillow Digs®, Postlets®, Diverse Solutions®, Mortech®, HotPads™, StreetEasy® and Retsly™. The company is headquartered in Seattle.

TRIBUS Announces Full-Service Concierge to Brokerage and Agent Clients
Chicago, IL (November 17, 2014) -- TRIBUS is excited to announce its newest addition that will serve both agents and brokerage clients to the utmost level: Concierge. Assisting in alleviating stress and confusion, Concierge offers proactive support to keep brokerages and agents working at top speed from the launch of service with TRIBUS. TRIBUS' team will work directly with brokerage staff members to create a customized launch for their company, including interviews with stakeholders, launch marketing plans directed toward agents, an on-site visit, and ongoing live chat, phone and email support directly to the agents. "We love being able to fully customize our systems and marketing for our brokerage clients, and because of all the intricacies we wanted to offer our clients a service that makes them feel comfortable every step of the way," says Director of Strategy Eric Stegemann. "By launching Concierge, we are able to be a full-service solution to our clients so they don't have to get consumed by the technology and the support aspects of our products and services." TRIBUS' knowledgeable support team will be available Monday through Saturday via phone, ticket and chat, and will work proactively to reach out to agents regularly to ensure that the products and services are working to the best ability. Not only that, but agents and brokerages will have full access to a library of resources, including marketing collateral and informative webinars. "We're so excited to launch this program to our brokerage clients since we understand that introducing new technology can be an internal challenge," says Director of Marketing Rachel Rusnak. "It's great to know that we'll be assisting in making adoption of TRIBUS services just that much easier." Concierge eliminates the need for brokerages to spend unnecessary money on in-house support and management teams to assist agents, allowing them to allocate those resources to more productive areas of the business. "We strive to be able to answer agents' questions before they even have them," says Brian O'Connell, Client Care Manager. "With Concierge, we're taking a proactive approach to making sure agents are 100 percent comfortable and happy with their services." ABOUT TRIBUS Founded in 2009, TRIBUS provides a suite of integrated products and services created to make the lives of real estate brokerages and top-performing agents not only easier, but also more productive and efficient. Through fully custom websites, CRM tools and a suite of marketing and concierge services, TRIBUS assists clients turn more leads into sales, enhance brand identity and build lasting relationships with past, current and prospective clients. Headquartered in Chicago, TRIBUS serves over 7,500 brokerage and agent clients throughout 33 states and Canada. TRIBUS most recently announced its acquisition of Displet - an IDX and VOW company that offers 100 percent responsive design, endless API integration and WordPress capabilities. The announcement marks the company's dedication to providing a fully-integrated suite of high-quality services to its clients.