EasyDigz launches real estate podcast with first episode on commissions and MLS control

EasyDigz has launched How It Runs, a biweekly podcast hosted by CEO Michael Walliser to examine how real estate deals, technology, and finance shape the industry. The debut episode with Principal Partner Christopher Britt focuses on market bias, portal lead-selling, and the case for an open MLS as the industry weighs how commissions and control are changing.

Why it matters: - EasyDigz is trying to position How It Runs as a conversation about the mechanics and power structure of real estate, not just industry chatter. - The podcast comes as brokers, portals and MLS operators debate who controls the transaction pipeline and how much influence single platforms should have. - The episode centers on the roughly $78 billion in annual commissions that shape the economics of the housing business. - The discussion also touches a broader industry reality: independent brokerages still account for 53% of Realtors, according to the National Association of Realtors 2026 Member Profile.

What happened: - EasyDigz launched How It Runs, a biweekly podcast hosted by Michael Walliser, EasyDigz CEO and founder. - Walliser has worked as a licensed North Carolina broker for more than 20 years. - The show features candid conversations with guests across real estate and related fields, including the technology and finance sectors. - The first episode, "$78B in Commissions: Who Controls Real Estate?", features Christopher Britt, EasyDigz principal partner and chief people officer. - Britt entered real estate after 25 years in operations and state government. - The first episode is available now on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and the EasyDigz website.

The details: - The show is built around conversational, specific interviews that dig into how deals actually get done. - Walliser uses his two decades in the business to press past surface-level answers. - Guests walk through where systems break down and how the business is changing. - Britt and Walliser discuss what it took to get started as the 2008 market collapsed. - The conversation covers what changes when someone moves from being a client of a real estate business to operating one. - The episode highlights the work agents do that clients do not see. - The discussion addresses how market cycles and broker bias can distort pricing. - The conversation argues that the MLS is often blamed for problems it did not create. - Walliser and Britt say portals sell agents leads that are already under contract. - The episode builds toward a case for open ecosystems built around a common MLS rather than any single company controlling the pipeline. - Walliser says the industry will likely evolve into multiple ecosystems that can interoperate through a common MLS. - Walliser also says real estate is a functional part of the U.S. economy and a matter of government and economic security. - Britt says operating from the inside after years as a client feels completely different and involves "tons of moving parts."

Between the lines: - EasyDigz is framing the podcast as a platform for industry criticism as much as commentary. - The focus on open ecosystems signals support for interoperability over closed platforms. - The debut episode places portal lead-selling and MLS control at the center of a larger fight over who captures value in real estate. - The emphasis on independent brokerages suggests the market still has room for non-dominant players even as large platforms compete for influence.

What's next: - EasyDigz says new episodes will be released every two weeks. - The company plans to bring in guests from across real estate and adjacent industries to keep exploring how the transaction system works. - Future episodes are likely to continue the debate over MLS structure, brokerage control and the role of technology platforms in the transaction flow.

The bottom line: - EasyDigz is using How It Runs to argue that real estate's biggest question is no longer just how homes are sold, but who gets to control the system that sells them.