B&W platform built to meet real estate tech’s ‘next evolution’ 

Editor's note: Technology is a driving force in real estate. From startups to established players, tech companies are constantly innovating, growing and forging partnerships. Here we highlight some of the latest news about the companies that help power the industry. 

Baird & Warner launches new tech platform for agents

Baird & Warner has launched BWCONNECT, an integrated technology platform that brings business tools, marketing resources and support services into one system designed around agents' daily workflows.

The platform, which integrates with the brokerage's existing agent technologies, provides a dashboard with access to listings, buyer activity, sales pipelines, production history, goal tracking, market reports and customer relationship management tools, according to a news release. Agents can also manage leads, generate market insights, access marketing materials and order client appreciation gifts.

BWCONNECT will complement the Chicagoland indie's existing marketing services, including its in-house Image Services division, which provides photography, video and floor plans, as well as discounted access to Zillow Showcase. The brokerage said it plans to add Canva Enterprise at no extra cost starting in January.

"The next evolution in real estate technology isn't about adding more tools; it's about making those tools work together around the way agents actually do business," Baird & Warner President and CEO Steve Baird said. When new tech is paired with coaching and development resources, "we give agents the tools to build the life they want," he added.

FBS adds AI assistant, making MLS data easier to search

FBS has introduced Flexmls Scout, an AI assistant built into its Flexmls platform that enables real estate professionals to search MLS data, review market activity and access business insights through natural-language prompts.

Available to Flexmls MLS customers as an enterprise solution, Scout works across desktop and mobile applications. Users can search listings, retrieve market statistics and contact or production details, generate comparative market analyses and ask questions about MLS rules and policies without leaving the platform, the company said.

Scout operates within Flexmls' existing security and permissions framework, limiting users to information they are authorized to access. MLS organizations retain control over data access and use under their licensing terms and policies. FBS said MLS data is not retained or used to train or retrain AI models.

"By combining our technology with AI and the authoritative data our MLS partners maintain, we are extending the value of the MLS into the daily work of every subscriber," FBS CEO Michael Wurzer said in a news release. "Scout reflects our greater vision of providing a more intelligent, capable MLS platform that grows with the needs of the market."

LoKation debuts voice-first AI assistant

LoKation Real Estate has introduced Jefe, a voice-first AI assistant designed to help agents work across the brokerage's technology platforms and other business applications without switching between tools.

Built for the brokerage by Lundy, Jefe operates within BoldTrail CRM, MAXA Design and the firm's transaction management platform Sphere, as well as agents' email, calendars and other apps. Jefe is designed to carry out tasks through voice interaction, with no separate download or connection process required, according to a news release.

LoKation said the system gives its leadership team visibility into whether agents are using the technology and whether work is being completed across the company. The brokerage plans to expand Jefe's integrations and capabilities over the coming year.

AI "represents an important opportunity to rethink how we operate as a real estate organization," LoKation COO Jonathan Lickstein said. "AI is not about replacing the expertise, judgment, or personal relationships that define our business. It is about giving our professionals better tools to do what they do best."

New loan officer database launches

LenDb.ai has announced the launch of a new mortgage loan officer public database. It will comprise over 224,000 loan officers working in states across the country, according to a news release.

Borrowers will be able to ask an AI assistant to help them find a loan officer using natural language prompts. A prompt can include specific preferences, such as a loan officer who speaks Spanish or specializes in government-backed loans, and users will then see a list of mortgage professionals in their area who meet those qualifications.

The new free database will be run by an AI CEO dubbed Andrew, which will operate under the review of the company's board of directors.

"Your next borrower is going to ask an AI who to call," said Alon Goren, a co-chair of the LenDb.ai board. "We built LenDb so the answer is a real, licensed loan officer, not whoever paid for the ad. Those assistants need good, neutral data about the people who actually do the work, and we give it to them for free."

More tech news

RealReports has partnered with LERA MLS to provide the organization's more than 15,000 subscribers across San Antonio and south Texas with property intelligence and AI-powered tools for prospecting, market analysis and client engagement. The move extends RealReports' reach in Texas and follows similar recent expansions in Georgia and New York. The company's offerings give LERA MLS subscribers "deeper property knowledge and practical AI support to offer more informed advice in every client conversation," said Gilbert Gonzalez, the MLS's CEO. "We're investing in tools they can use to give better advice and create more opportunities for their businesses," Gonzalez added.

EquityProtect has reached an agreement with Real Estate Business Services, the for-profit subsidiary of the California Association of Realtors (CAR), to make its property-fraud prevention platform available to the association's nearly 190,000 members. The deal equips agents with tools to help their clients monitor and protect properties after closing, according to a news release. It also gives CAR members "a practical way to lead with education, help clients understand property-specific risk and put the lawful homeowner in control before an unauthorized transaction can move forward," EquityProtect CEO Ryan Marshall said.

Utility Wallet has partnered with SkySlope to provide brokerage users with a single link that can identify and arrange utility setup and services before a transaction closes. Buyers can use the tool to arrange electric, gas, water, trash and internet service, replacing a process that often requires agents or transaction coordinators to research providers and buyers to contact multiple companies individually, according to a news release. Agents are "often stuck researching utility providers for the new home themselves," Utility Wallet VP of Growth John Raley said. "Utility Wallet and SkySlope users can now skip that whole process. It's one less task to do while under contract, and their homebuyers get a much better move-in experience."

ATTOM has expanded its Rental AVM, making the platform capable of estimating monthly market rents for nearly 100 million single-family homes, condominiums and townhouses nationwide. The enhanced model — which uses multiple machine-learning tools to assess property characteristics, values, rental histories and recent rental activity — reports a 5.9% median absolute error for properties that have not yet been listed for rent, according to a news release. The company said its updated Rental AVM is trained and benchmarked using rental listings that have been cleaned to remove duplicates, placeholder rents and unrealistic prices.

Editor's note: AI was used in the initial drafting of this content, which was then thoroughly reviewed, fact-checked and revised by a Real Estate News editor.