Seventy five thousand folks showed up in Orlando for the International Builders Show in Orlando this past week. It was great to see so many friendly faces, and meet new ones, all working to propel the construction landscape forward. Meanwhile, in resi-land, Homes.com went all in on AI...I'm not convinced it'll be enough to make a dent in the portal wars though.

This year's international excursion is approaching, walking the Camino for six days May 9-16th…I share why GEM Walks the Camino is the perfect way to slow down and find a state of calm to ensure the priorities guiding your life and business, are the right ones. I call it finding your quietude.

Quietude: a state of stillness, calmness, and quiet in a person or place.

-DM

NEW GEM MEMBERS

• Troy Palmquist from HomeCode Reviews
• Flynn Waters
• Nic Pigni from SimplyTC

UPCOMING GEM EVENTS

• Denver: Innovators Roundtable Dinner (February 25th)
• San Francisco: Innovators Roundtable Dinner (March 12th)

Interested in learning about future dinner opportunities? Sign up for GEM Primer.

In this Weekly Radar, we cover:

• Homes.com goes no filters with AI, but it's not enough to win the portal wars.
• Coral was the lone 3d printing exhibit at IBS. Why was there such a lack of robotics at the show?
• Simon Sinek interview on friendship + leaders with deep, strong friendships are better leaders than those without them.
• The GEM Proptech Index increased 1.70% from the previous week.

Latest from Geek Estate Blog:

Rental Fee Transparency and the Software Test for Property Managers

The compliance clock is ticking for property managers. What once started as a best practice in rental listings is rapidly becoming a regulatory expectation that demands real action. Fee disclosures that were previously buried in fine print, PDFs, or buried conversations during the leasing process…

GeekEstate BlogMerrick Lackner

Unlocking Donor-Advised Funds to Address the Homeownership Crisis

For the first time in modern history, an entire generation faces the prospect of being permanently priced out of homeownership, with long-term consequences for wealth accumulation, community stability, and economic mobility. At the same time, the philanthropic landscape has quietly changed. Donor-advised funds have accumulated…

GeekEstate BlogFrank Rohde

Privacy vs. Security: The Growing Battle Reshaping Real Estate Technology

In my twenty years in real estate technology, I’ve watched the industry shift through waves of advancing technology, regulatory change, evolving tenant expectations and new market pressures. Today, one challenge stands out from the rest for tech leaders in our industry: navigating the increasingly complex…

GeekEstate BlogNathan Miller

As always, links surrounded by the ❇️ emoji indicate exclusive GEM content. If you would like to have access to all links or attend our curated gatherings, please consider GEM membership.

Transmission Recap:
Last week, Drew Meyers pressure tested two startups that have announced funding lately. In Part I, he poked holes in Sekra's mission to reimagine what rental living can look like with community at the core. In Part II, he ❇️explored Oro and whether employer housing benefits can finally take hold❇️. Most recently, Jeff Turner wrote an important essay about AI voice, perhaps the most important topic of the whole year. If you're not thinking deeply about the implications of AI voice technology advances, you're building in the past. Dig in.

BIZ INTEL

PROPTECH INDEX WEEKLY - AS OF 2/20/2026
By: Community Relations

Consisting of 25 stocks, the GEM Proptech Index had a combined market cap of $239.928B, an increase of 1.70% from the previous week.

QUARTERLY EARNINGS SUMMARIES
Read full summaries for: ❇️Opendoor, Airbnb, Zillow, News Corp, and ProCore❇️ (will be published to Crystal subscribers once all ten earnings summaries are completed).

GEM MEMBER NEWS

• REACH announced its first Middle East Programme cohort. — Tyler Thompson and Dave Garland
• OneKey® MLS selected Broker Public Portal (BPP) to power the consumer search experience on OneKeyMLS.com. — Dan Troup
• Hive MLS has been integrated into the Maverick Systems platform. — Diana Zaya
• Powered by Notable, (at) properties Christie’s International Real Estate launched Concierge, a program offering sellers up to $50,000 for home prep costs, with repayment at closing or after 12 months. — Austin Lane and Max Kuhl
• Lula is officially open for business in Seattle. — Nate Smoyer and Bo Lais

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

THE HOMES AI PLAY
By: Drew Meyers

Homes.com released a filterless portal, with the announcement of "its artificial intelligence search assistant, aptly named Homes AI," according to Inman. The experience is powered by Microsoft Azure, OpenAI, and "draws on proprietary CoStar data, including Matterport 3D digital twin technology, images, school data, neighborhood insights and market intelligence, to help homebuyers pinpoint their dream home with greater ease and precision."

The Homes.com promo video:

I'm underwhelmed. I mean, is...