Innovator Network Recaps
Fail Fast and Not Below the Water Line
2 days ago
By Arianna Marino
On June 25, the PropTech Innovator Network welcomed Walt Baczkowski, CEO of the San Francisco Association of REALTORS®. On the verge of his retirement, Walt shared with the network a look back at his impressive career, and the main lessons he's learned after five decades in the industry.
From the Darkroom to Realtor.com
Walt Baczkowski’s real estate journey began in the darkroom of his father’s MLS, cutting book pages with scissors. That early exposure set him on a decades-long path of innovation across multiple associations — from Toledo to San Diego, New Jersey to Detroit — and eventually to San Francisco. Along the way, Walt helped regionalize systems, launch syndication networks, and push the boundaries of consumer-facing tech. One of his most enduring legacies? Naming Realtor.com.
“At 4 AM, sitting on the floor of that hotel suite, is how Realtor.com got named,” he recalled. That mix of instinct, timing, and practicality has defined his leadership style ever since.
Solving the Off-MLS Problem with Just Five Fields
In 2013, as San Francisco’s market exploded, agents were selling homes so fast that listings never made it into the MLS. Walt saw the danger of off-market deals and turned to his members for answers. One broker told him, “I need five things to sell a property: bedrooms, bathrooms, area, price, and compensation.”
Walt ran with it. Working with vendors and NAR advisors, he built a lightweight “Coming Soon” system that required only those five fields — and funneled listings into the MLS within 30 days. The result? A 98% participation rate and an Inman Innovator Award.
Zenlist as a Backup, Then a Breakthrough
When a ransomware attack knocked out Rapattoni and crippled MLS systems across California, Walt didn’t wait. He called Zenlist, a company he’d been vetting, and asked how fast they could spin up a solution.
“The bottom line was: we were ramped up in 48 hours,” he said. Zenlist became more than a temporary fix — it’s now a core part of San Francisco’s tech stack, used by over 43% of members. Walt credits that adoption to agility, relationships, and always having a Plan B. “You can’t be 100% reliant on any vendor,” he added. “You’ve got to keep looking.”
The Waterline Rule
With dozens of vendors pitching him each year, Walt developed a simple but strict filter: “If it fails in the worst possible way, can we afford it? And if it succeeds in the best possible way, can we handle it?” But the most important question of all is whether a product threatens core values.
“Any product I look at has to meet my waterline test,” he explained, meaning it can’t jeopardize the organization’s integrity, presence, or member value — SFAR’s below the waterline principles. “If it stays above the waterline, go do it.” he says, “But if it doesn’t, it’s a nonstarter.”
Representing the Homeowner
Walt’s vision of leadership goes beyond tech. At a city level, his team maintains deep relationships with San Francisco’s political power players, not for show, but to drive policy and housing impact. His framing is deliberate: “We don’t say we represent REALTORS®, we say we represent the homeowner.”
That positioning supports initiatives like Welcome Home, a program that provides basic furnishings and supplies to people transitioning out of homelessness. “So far, we’ve helped 10,000 people off the street,” Walt said. It’s a reminder that innovation isn’t just digital, it’s also human.
Retirement, Redwood, and What’s Next
After decades of building systems, shaping policy, and elevating the industry, Walt is looking forward to a new pace. He’s not leaving creation behind, just shifting mediums. “I make redwood tables and sell them,” he said, noting that one went to Zillow and another to the state treasurer. He also rescues dogs, collects classic cars, and still gets invited to parades by city officials.
Even in retirement, Walt’s impact, like his tables, will be handmade, lasting, and built with purpose.