Do you enjoy mysteries? Puzzles? Do you like to eavesdrop? Guess what will be the topics will be at the private summit Microsoft has arranged for the real estate industry's top brokers and CEOs. The industry leaders will be meeting at the Microsoft Corporate Campus headquarters on Thursday, March 16 in Redmond, Washington. And it is all very hush-hush.

According to a company spokesperson, no press, no affinity partners, or any other affiliates have been invited to attend - just top real estate brokers.

That fueled this nosy reporter's imagination about what could possibly be discussed at such an exclusive event, which the company reports will have dozens of brokers in attendance. "They don't want to miss this," said the spokesperson, confirming a large acceptance rate by brokers.

Rumors have been circulating about the real estate industry that Microsoft is about to unveil a huge new advertising initiative on behalf of Microsoft HomeAdvisor, the company's real estate portal, but that is not the focus of the conference, says a spokesperson.

Neither are the Gold Alliance agreements, Realtor.com's contract arrangements with some MLSs designed to capture exclusive listings, and shut other portals out of the listings wars. Many of the Gold Alliance agreements are up for renewal. Will Microsoft ask the brokers whether they plan on backing their MLSs to renew or not? Will incentives be offered to the brokers to play ball with Microsoft? Sorry, spokespersons would not confirm incentives as part of the agenda.

"Besides," interjected Ian Morris, product manager for HomeAdvisor, "Microsoft doesn't sell anything to Realtors. Their listing site and the marketing opportunity it affords is free of charge." Hmmmph, another empty rabbit trail for this reporter.

Also unconfirmed is whether the company will be making a presentation of its new broker business management tool, Realty Desktop. The product was recently introduced on Realty Times, but a marketing plan and firm business model is still in development. Will they take advantage of the captive audience? No commenting on the agenda, say the spokespersons.

Now its reach time. Will the company be using the opportunity to unveil a new site feature such as an enhancement to its one-of-a-kind, side-by-side listing comparison?

"Again, I can't comment on the specific agenda, but we don't advertise that feature enough, that's for sure. And enhancements sound like a good idea," teased product manager Ian Morris.

Morris also could not confirm that the summit agenda will cover the Broker Direct program, in which agents and brokers can input their listings in real time to HomeAdvisor. This program has resulted in 13 times as many click - from - our - site - to - the - agent's - web - page leads to Realtors as the nearest competitor, Realtor.com, claims the company. But no, that's not it, either, say the mum's-the-word stonewallers.

Well, what is it then?

Morris did confirm that the brokers have been told that they are invited to participate in discussions about the future of the real estate industry. To set the tone for the meeting, Steve Ballmer, Microsoft's new CEO, will present a talk, and HomeAdvisor officials will also be on hand.

"Ballmer's presence should clue you as to how significant this event is going to be," said the spokesperson.

Okay, I can take a hint. So this is more than a power pageant. I went to the Microsoft company bio page, where Ballmer's profile states that his responsibilities include "boosting the business discipline and performance of all Microsoft's existing and emerging businesses as well as continuing to improve customer satisfaction." He is also focused on "reinventing the Microsoft working environment so that the company is even more responsive to changing customer needs, new technologies and market dynamics."

Hmmmm. So Microsoft is getting serious about its real estate business, and at the highest levels. Let's review the clues - future of real estate, business leaders, Microsoft's highest level officers, possible big initiative of some sort. Could it be that the agenda will include ways that Microsoft can help real estate brokers grow their businesses and increase their profitability? That's just a guess, but can you do better?

What do you think Microsoft and the top brokers of the country will be discussing? What do you think they should discuss? What impact from the summit will be felt around the country?

Post Your Comments

Published: March 8, 2000

Use of this article without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.

Blanche is a renowned author of five real estate books. Her newest, Bubbles, Booms and Busts: Make Money In Any Real Estate Market, McGraw-Hill, was rave-reviewed by The New York Times. She was also selected from hundreds of real estate experts to contribute to Donald Trump's book, Trump: The Best Real Estate Advice I Ever Received: 100 Top Experts Share Their Strategies, Rutledge Hill Press, and is featured on page 68. Order Now Review - Honors In 2006, Blanche was selected among scores of candidates to author two consumer real estate guidebooks for the National Association of Realtors: The NAR Guide to Home Buying, and The NAR Guide to Home Selling, Wiley & Sons. She is currently planning two new books for the NAR and its members.       Known for her keen insight into real estate industry issues and for her ability to make complex subjects easy to understand, Blanche is a sought-after keynote and continuing education speaker. Real estate organizations from MLSs, to brokerages, to franchisors, to associations hire her to provide up-to-the-minute analysis of real estate industry news and advice on how to improve revenues. Her passionate delivery, peppered with stinging wit, is a huge hit with audiences and fans. Don Klein, CEO Greater Nashville Association of Realtors, Blanche Evans, Richard Courtney, president 2007, GRAR "The GNAR membership meeting last week featured Blanche Evans as the keynote speaker. Her comments and insights resonated extremely well with those in attendance and we have had many requests for copies of her PowerPoint Presentation. She was a terrific part of the membership meeting and convention program!" - Don Klein, CEO Greater Nashville Association of Realtors Coverage from WSMV, Nashville - 8-14-2007 That Interview Guy - Get Inside The Head Of Today's Generation 2007 AE Institute Session - To purchase 2006 AE Institute Session - Parts 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 HouseValues Mastermind call - Parts 1 2 Blanche's fireside chat with Jeremy Conaway, HAR - Click here. For more articles by Blanche, click here.