On June 26, 1995, I received this letter from Russ Bergeron, who, at the time, was the General Manager of one of the largest MLSs in the United States, the Orange County MLS (OCMLS).
Russ is truly the father of real estate listing web portals as we know them today. He championed and fought diligently with his board of directors to place broker real estate listings on what was then known as the World Wide Web. In 1995, Netscape Navigator was the leading “Browser” and Netscape’s IPO was in August of 1995.
Very few understood the magnitude of the internet, and very few understood how there could possibly be a “Member” benefit…. Russ Bergeron had the vision and most importantly trusted me to manage and protect his data.
And so, HomeSeekers.com was born 27 years ago ushering in a new era for Real Estate as the “Real Estate” book was transformed digitally and for the first time made public.
As I have often stated, “Being a pioneer, is not an easy job. Settlers have it much easier”. This I learned from personal experience as I fought with Russ to bring what can only be described as a miracle, the Internet, to the world of buying and selling real estate. Brokers were not happy and believed that they were giving up their only real asset “The MLS Book” and giving “public access” to consumers. This was a frightening thought for most brokers and agents.
Of course, in time they learned that this new tool gave them more to offer their clients, not less, and over the next 10 years, they embraced the technology, and with the internet, they prospered.
Many portals have followed. Russ Bergeron had the courage and vision when few were willing to step up and help move the residential real estate industry into the future. He pioneered what has become an absolute necessity for the successful practice of real estate sales for agents, brokers, and consumers. And in 1995, it was not easy to find someone who was willing to risk their occupation on a crazy new idea.
It has been an amazing journey, thank you, Russ.
John Giaimo
CEO / Publisher Realty Times
Former CEO HomeSeekers.com
OCMLS letter