by G. Sax, Head of Communications, RESO
This edition of RESO Three Questions is with Ethan Bailey, Senior Director at Cotality. We discussed the pressing need of applying data standards to the influx of AI in the real estate industry, global data standards and the best aspects of North Carolina – with two bonus trivia questions. Enjoy!
Q1: You have an MBA from Wake Forest, a Bachelor’s in Computer Information Systems / Development from High Point and a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from UNC-Greensboro, along with a range of scholarship awards and scholarly activities, including a coveted recognition as a Summa Cum Laude for being among the top 3% in one of your graduating classes. That’s quite a smarty party.
Lately, you have turned that education and a 30-year career in real estate toward RESO, chairing the RESO Global Subgroup and making another tour of service on the RESO Board of Directors. Have you always had this passion for leadership in your life and for RESO in your real estate career?
Ethan: You are quite the LinkedIn sleuth! Yes, it’s safe to say that I have always had this passion for leadership. My first undergraduate degree focused on psychology, and it provided a grounding in motivational theory, incentives, emotional intelligence and so on. These are key themes in leadership, which have helped me as a leader and mentor.
Business school certainly enhanced my leadership toolkit, but nothing is as gratifying and energizing as helping amazing people like Al McElmon grow in their career. Al is a legendary contributor to the industry and RESO. Being a small part of his journey – and many others – is an honor, and has by far been the most meaningful aspect of leadership.
I’ve been involved in supporting RESO for a long time. This is my third term on the RESO board, as I also served from 2015 to 2018. During that time, I sponsored a motion to make certification a free member benefit, resulting in significant savings for member organizations. I also worked with Tim Dain, the current CEO of NorthstarMLS who was at the Austin Board of REALTORS® at the time, on a reference server for the industry to use and learn the practical “ins and outs” of RESO standards.
I wanted to return to the board for several reasons. We are now at an inflection point with AI. It’s becoming easier to access data with models and AI-enabled tools and browsers, but it comes with increased compliance risks.
I know that RESO is a standards body and not a policymaking group, per se, but we have experts who can work with other trade groups and practitioners to advise on acceptable use of data in this new world. We can also work on practical approaches to better support these evolving policies at the metadata or payload level.
Unfortunately, the various model providers handle data protection in varied ways. The free or public AI ecosystems typically don’t have the same privacy and controls as the pro or private tools. A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server can “talk” to the Web API or access a data source with ease but has no inherent regard for usage rights. We need to move beyond basic filtering and access control and help shape evolving directives to prevent caching, archiving and training through design principles like Zero Data Retention (ZDR).
I’d also like to help increase our focus on core standards, like the Data Dictionary and data transport. There are still opportunities to improve data synchronization, currency and consistency to further lessen barriers and increase efficiency for data consumers.
Focusing on global real estate and use cases outside of North America is also a passion I will bring to the board.
Q2: Speaking of which, we have a dedicated group of people contributing to the RESO Global Subgroup, where international differences in architectural styles, addresses, apartment units, money and measurement are accounted for in the Data Dictionary. The community has been clamoring for this for years, but we could use more volunteers. What is it going to take to get folks to shift to an international mindset, and what do you consider measures for success for the group?
Ethan: It’s a huge opportunity area, and we have begun the process of “eating the elephant.” That said, we can only focus on regions and countries where we have expert volunteers.
Some in the RESO community have attended events like the International MLS Forum. We should encourage these interested individuals and enlist their help. We have been actively working on this in the subgroup.
We can get answers from AI all day long, but are they practical? Only subject matter experts (SMEs) and evidence can validate the accuracy of things like architectural styles in other countries. We want to know specifically what is missing and important to practitioners and consumers outside of North America.
For example, we want to know more about precisely locating a property everywhere. Again, local expertise and an evidence-based approach are essential.
You asked about my measures for success, and I would say that it comes down to two things.
First, participation. I would like to see eight to ten more SMEs join us this year. We currently have coverage in Latin America, France and Czechia, and we’re working on getting more folks engaged. | JOIN THE GLOBAL SUBGROUP
Second, I would like to see significant global extensions to the Data Dictionary ratified this year. We’re readying an artifact with around 100 new fields and enumerations for the Data Dictionary Workgroup to review, but this is barely scratching the surface.
Oh, and before we move on, shout-out to Jason Darrough from the RESO team. He’s been phenomenal to work with – and instrumental in organizing us and helping research suggestions.
Q3: Let’s go back to your education. Greensboro, High Point and Winston-Salem are all nestled right next to each other in North Carolina. You currently live in Greensboro. What is it about North Carolina that appeals to you so much?
Ethan: I have lived in North Carolina all my life – it’s just in my bones. I’ve traveled quite a bit, but there is just no place like NC. I love that we have four distinct seasons. I am located in the Piedmont, which is in the middle of the state. I can get to the mountains in two hours and the ocean in three.
There is almost too much to highlight about my home state, but I’ll try: the Outer Banks, the Blue Ridge mountains, deciduous trees with their vibrant fall colors, Southern hospitality, pork barbeque, craft beer and so much more. Asheville is the East Coast capital of microbrews. We have ACC basketball with storied programs like Duke, North Carolina State, Wake Forest and UNC.
I could go on, so I will: we have pro sports teams, like the Hurricanes, Panthers and Hornets; great museums; and excellent universities creating a pipeline of top talent in medical, law, technology and pharma – especially around and the Research Triangle Park near Raleigh. It’s growing rapidly, with a relatively low cost of living – homes are comparatively affordable and there is a lot to do outdoors. If you are unfamiliar with North Carolina, I encourage you to visit.
Q4: We have two fun bonus questions for you. It is evident that you are book smart. Let’s see how you do at trivia. What are the nicknames of UNC-Greensboro, High Point and Wake Forest?
Ethan: UNC-Greensboro is the Spartans. It started The Woman’s College of North Carolina before going coeducational. My mother is an alumna. During those days, I believe the mascot was Minerva, the Roman goddess of wisdom.
High Point is the Panthers. HPU has grown exponentially in recent years. Dr. Nido Qubein, the President of HPU, was the Executive Chairman of the Great Harvest Bread Company and is also a well-regarded motivational speaker. Dr. Qubein initiated a $2 billion transformation that has resulted in remarkable growth. In the last couple of years, they have sprung up schools for dentistry, physician’s assistance, nursing and more.
Wake Forest is the Demon Deacons. “Deacon” because Wake was originally established by Baptists, and the “Demon” aspect represents our fighting spirit in competitive sports. It has sometimes been called “Little Old Wake Forest” due to its small student population compared to other ACC and D1 powers, but we have some great sports and academic history – and the fan base is rabid, me included!
Q5: You crushed that one. Next trivia question: Who is the all-time most famous attendee of Wake Forest?
Ethan: Oh, that’s interesting. There are many distinguished alumni, but I would have to say Chris Paul, Arnold Palmer or Tim Duncan.
RESO: Those are all excellent answers! Also acceptable would have been Muggsy Bogues, Carroll O’Connor and Jesse Helms.
Three Questions is a lighthearted interview series that features real estate industry professionals, their businesses and how they interact with real estate standards.
