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Pam O’Connor has joined the advisory board of Maverix Advisory Group, an industry consulting group working with proptech startups and growing brokerages.

O’Connor retired in 2018 after serving as president and CEO of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World since its founding in 1997.

“I worked with Jeff [Kennedy] for almost a decade, and it’s been fun watching him grow Maverix over the past year. I’m excited to be involved and look forward to supporting the shared mission,” O’Connor said in a statement on her placement.

Maverix was launched by Jeff Kennedy, a longtime industry player, who most recently served as vice president of sales and partnerships for Leading Real Estate Companies of the World (LeadingRE). His new firm’s intent is to guide executives and real estate entrepreneurs on go-to-market strategies, product direction and relationship building, among other advisory services.

Kennedy was joined by Kevin Van Eck in February, who previously worked at @properties Christie’s International Real Estate. Kennedy expressed gratitude for O’Connor’s presence in the industry and at Leading RE.

“Pam is one of the most respected leaders in residential real estate,” said Kennedy in the statement. “She’s a visionary, and her ability to see around corners and build world-class organizations is second to none. We’re honored to have her involved as we continue to grow a top-tier advisory platform for our clients.”

At the time of her retirement, Paul Boomsma of Leading RE also praised O’Connor’s leadership.

“With incredible passion, talent and dedication, Pam has spent decades building programs that support the success of independent brokerages. Her influence across the industry is undeniable, and we are immeasurably thankful for her years of leadership.”

O’Connor is joining former MoxiWorks CEO York Baur on the Maverix board, which was created to provide additional guidance to its principals.

The Maverix client list includes Curbio, Final Offer, Rechat, Notable and Courted, among others.

Email Craig Rowe

Bigger. Better. Bolder. Inman Connect is heading to San Diego. Join thousands of real estate pros, connect with the Inman Community, and gain insights from hundreds of leading minds shaping the industry. If you’re ready to grow your business and invest in yourself, this is where you need to be. Go BIG in San Diego!

Local Logic’s community-based marketing content is slated to assist property managers and leasing agents who use Rently, according to a recent company announcement.

“By integrating Local Logic’s proprietary location insights, covering everything from walkability and nearby schools to access to parks, transit, restaurants and more, Rently is enhancing the digital experience for renters while helping operators attract more qualified leads,” according to a May 19 statement.

Renters often make living decisions based on an apartment’s proximity to retail and lifestyle amenities, and Local Logic’s software surfaces such data and insights to add value to the sales efforts of real estate professionals. It provides 18 in-depth location scores and analytics on neighborhoods, parks, walkability and school rankings, among other local residency drivers.

The information is graphically presented alongside rental listing pages to enhance property appeal as well as cut down on information that needs to be provided directly by a leasing professional.

Last year, Local Logic released a series of APIs (application programming interfaces) and SDKs (software development kits) under the name NeighborhoodWrap. The tools allow marketers to enrich omnichannel marketing campaigns with tightly integrated local insights, the company’s primary value proposition.

Local Logic co-founder and CEO Vincent-Charles Hodder said in the release that the software partnership reflects its mission to “improve every real estate decision.”

“We’re excited to partner with Rently to give renters a better understanding of what life looks like around a listing, helping them move forward with confidence and helping operators convert interest into action,” he said.

Rently offers a range of automation benefits for rental property operators at all levels, including single-family portfolios.

Part of Rently’s experience is secure applicant self-touring, a feature they deployed in 2022. However, it goes beyond the specific apartment as it also assists people in navigating parking lots, interior walkways and property grounds to arrive at the exact doorstep scheduled for showing.

“After implementing Local Logic, we saw a noticeable boost in user engagement — prospective renters were more informed, more interested and ultimately scheduled more tours. It’s all about creating a smarter, more delightful journey with Rently,” Jared East, VP of Product at Rently, said in the statement.

Email Craig Rowe

Bigger. Better. Bolder. Inman Connect is heading to San Diego. Join thousands of real estate pros, connect with the Inman Community, and gain insights from hundreds of leading minds shaping the industry. If you’re ready to grow your business and invest in yourself, this is where you need to be. Go BIG in San Diego!

Ocusell, which creates software to modernize MLS listing data input, has inked a partnership with Restb.ai, an industry leading computer vision solution, Inman has learned.

The deal will benefit users of Ocusell List, the company’s core product. The integration will speed property information input through automated AI descriptions as well as improve RESO-compliant tagging.

The Real Estate Standards Organization (RESO) works across the industry to define common terminology to ensure property characteristics are described consistently across regions and working environments. Standardized data is better data, and assists AI models in their learning, as well as software developers.

“This partnership embeds Restb.ai’s advanced computer vision technology directly into Ocusell, giving agents and brokers powerful time-saving tools while maintaining the highest standards of accuracy and reliability,” said Hayden Rieveschl, CEO and founder of Ocusell, in a statement.

First Multiple Listing Service (FMLS) will be the first to deploy the integrated system from Ocusell. It’s the largest such organization in Georgia and fourth nationally, serving over 57,000 members.

“FMLS is leading the way by bringing an AI tool to help agents collectively save thousands of hours,” said Dominik Pogorzelski, president of MLS at Restb.ai, in the release. “With Ocusell List, agents can create more detailed, engaging and data-rich listings efficiently.”

Ocusell’s software empowers users to create listing profiles using an intuitive, modernized content management system, much like they would when working on a website.

Home photos, beds, baths and pertinent details are input only once and subsequently delivered to the brokerage’s partner MLS. Listing status updates and other changes are input and controlled from Ocusell as well.

Rieveschl talked about the importance of offering MLSs new ways to take in data and assist member bases in 2022.

“MLSs are accelerating the integration with technology partners, and more MLSs are merging and changing their systems provider or adding others. These trends create a vital and pressing need for accurate, complete and fully updated business rules. MLSs need to add powerful new tools for their members, and they need to do it smoothly and quickly,” he said.

Agents across residential real estate consistently battle their MLSs over outdated software, lack of innovation and fragmented technology partnerships intended to fix the problems. Restb.ai’s AI has been one of the central players actually making headway toward a consistent experience.

Still, interaction with their respective MLSs is a source of pain for brokerage leaders and has led to a wide range of individual efforts from industry insiders to stand-alone entrepreneurs and technology companies. It’s part of the reason companies are refusing to cooperate with NAR and challenging Clear Cooperation regulations.

“Presently, there are over 500 MLS networks in the United States, with each one setting their own rules, creating forms, contracting with MLS software providers and monitoring listings for accuracy and compliance,” said Michigan broker Chris Marzke in an Inman editorial.

The pipe dream is a single national platform, but it remains only that at this point. Ocusell’s market isn’t going away anytime soon.

Email Craig Rowe

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Software company Rechat has named Audie Chamberlain its head of strategic growth and communications, Inman learned in a May 22 statement.

The position will marry Chamberlain’s knack for building relationships with Rechat’s momentum and proven technology, blanketing duties like growth strategy, brand building, increasing social media presence and developing go-to-market strategies for customers.

Rechat has been growing quickly thanks to its largely AI-driven marketing solutions for brokerages and industry professionals. It facilitates the creation of email marketing campaigns, social media content, and video and CMA delivery, among other digital business needs. It was founded by CEO Shayan Hamidi.

“We’re excited to welcome Audie to our leadership team,” said Hamidi in the statement. “Brokerages are telling us they want one platform to power their entire business — marketing, CRM, transactions and beyond. That’s exactly what Rechat delivers, and Audie is the right leader to help us expand that message to more customers and markets.”

Chamberlain founded and led industry public relations brand Lion & Orb after serving as Realtor.com’s Director of Marketing. Lion & Orb will continue operating under new leadership.

Chamberlain has long been a vocal advocate for real estate agents and their evolution through smart marketing and technology. He’s led public outreach campaigns for the likes of Concierge Auctions, Luxury Portfolio, Hawaii Life, Contactually and Zillow, among others. The relationship with Rechat developed after Chamberlain was hired to advise Hamidi on new ways to broaden the company’s national presence.

Chamberlain said in a phone call with Inman why he decided to join Rechat.

“It’s the best technology I’ve seen, and after working with them for more than a year, I knew they were building something special,” Chamberlain said. “Seeing how it impacts agents is very exciting, and it’s what I want to do right now. They’re obsessive about what they’re building, and there’s a reason top brokerages like SERHANT. run their entire operation on Rechat. I’m joining because of the product and from what I’ve seen on agents’ faces when they see it.”

Rechat states it has 16,000 users in place among brands like Douglas Elliman, Carolina One and prominent Sotheby’s International Realty affiliates.

The application was reviewed by Inman in 2024.

“Rechat does a lot of what a lot of other apps do separately. It can consolidate a tech stack for tech-savvy brokers wanting to provide a single-point solution for lead nurture, brand-building, sales support and lightweight deal management. The mobile UX is tight and engaging, and that commitment to using front-end design as a tactic to invigorate adoption is reflected in the web version,” the analysis said.

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