Tech with Ty

🤖[T]echnology: You Meta Me Crazy
🎓 [E]ducation: We Can Outrun Irrelevance
📝 [C]oaching: You’re Doing It Wrong
📹 [H]ow To: Remove Stuff From Listing Photos (for dummies)

I find cool stuff all of the time and write about a lot of it in Tech with Ty, but never really had a reliable outlet to reshare articles or posts that I stumbled on…I’ve decided Threads is going to be that outlet, so if you want to see more Tech with Ty like content more frequently.

[T]echnology: 

Yes, I went ahead and ordered the new iPhone 📱 (what can I say, I like better cameras 📸)... Then Meta just dropped their new Ray-Ban glasses with a built-in display, and now I’m questioning my life decisions. 

I’ve been using the last gen Meta glasses for a while, and honestly, they’re one of my favorite gadgets. I use them for recording B-roll footage, snapping quick photos and videos of family fun, and even taking calls or listening to podcasts 🎧 when I’m out on a walk. They already feel like a natural part of my day.

This new version takes it up a level. It has a freaking display!!!
You can see texts, directions, and live captions of conversations 🗣️.

Here’s where it gets crazy…instead of awkward taps on the frame, there’s a wristband that reads tiny hand movements 🤌 👉 ✌️ (Bop-it!, lol).

This feels like the kind of “One More Thing” moment we’re used to seeing from Apple…but it feels like Meta may have stolen the show. I genuinely believe we’re not going to be carrying around phones much longer ⏳.

The early adopters will make the switch in the next five years, and the rest of the world will catch up in about ten. The only thing holding it back right now is battery life. Once that’s solved, pulling a phone out of your pocket is going to feel like flipping open a Motorola Razr. 

So yes, I’ll still be unboxing my shiny new iPhone. But I can’t shake the feeling that I just bought into the past while the future is already waiting on my face.

[E]ducation:

I’ve been thinking about this a lot. 

I’m running for the Dayton Realtors Board of Directors, and here’s the truth: associations of Realtors feel like they’re on life support. Not because they don’t bring value, but because so much of what they do happens quietly, behind the scenes, and no one outside the bubble sees it.

NAR’s CEO Nykia Wright said it herself in a recent interview: “We’re trying to outrun irrelevance.” She’s right. Realtors aren’t irrelevant, but when the public only sees headlines about commissions and lawsuits, the perception becomes dangerous. Our associations do meaningful work every day, but we’ve failed at storytelling.

Take a look at some wins happening right now. Did you know…⬇️⬇️

• Ohio REALTORS are actively lobbying for House Bill 237 which expands first-time homebuyer savings accounts to help more families get into their first home

• Advocacy around House Bill 287 is aimed at protecting sellers from predatory wholesalers by making contracts and fees more transparent

• NAR is pushing nationally for flood insurance reform, property rights protections, and expanded access to affordable housing programs 

Now imagine if we told those stories the right way…👏

Imagine a video of a first-time buyer saying, “We’d been saving for years, but when interest rates doubled, we thought our dream was gone. Then we learned about Ohio’s savings account program, something REALTORS fought for, and that was the boost that finally got us across the finish line.” 

Or picture a grandmother talking about how a wholesaler nearly stripped $50,000 of equity out of her home. Then tie it back: “This is why REALTORS pushed for stronger protections so this doesn’t keep happening to families like hers.” 

Yes, these stories sound dramatic. But they are real. They have happened too often. And if we do not put faces and voices to the policies, no one else will. 🙌

If I’m on the Board, this is where I want to push. We do not need to invent value from scratch. It is already there. We just need to tell the story better and louder so agents and the public actually see it. 

I’ll open the can of worms on association technology in a future Tech with Ty.

This is the slogan: ⬇️⬇️ 

Many people think we just open doors… but every day we’re protecting what’s behind them.

-now we just need content worth sharing by 1M+ Realtors

[C]oaching

If the first time you’re promoting your listing is when it’s on Zillow…

You’re doing it wrong. Here’s how to fix it…

And please, for the love of God, stop posting Zillow and Realtor.com links on Facebook. You’re literally handing leads to other agents.

[H]ow To: With Abby

When I write these sections, I’m often surprised that the simplest topics are the ones that get the most feedback from you all! So, this week we’re going back to basics. One of our agents recently had a listing where the owner had a major obsession with outdoor bird ornaments. 🐦The front yard was filled with large bird statues, and the backyard had even more—plus a few artistic alligators.

To remove these stylistic choices from listing photos, you have two options: ⬇️⬇️ 

Option 1: Use the Clean Up Tool on your iPhone Open: the photo in the Photos app.

1. Tap the Edit button: (the circular adjustments icon).

2. Tap the Clean Up tool, which looks like an eraser.

3. Tap on highlighted objects: that the iPhone automatically identifies, or use your finger to draw a circle or brush over the object you want to remove.

4. Use two fingers: to zoom in and pan for more precise selection of smaller objects.

5. Tap Done: to save your edited photo. 

Option 2: Canva offers two tools you can use: Magic Erase and Magic Grab.

Magic Erase In Tools under the Effects tab, click Magic Eraser. ✏️ 

1. In the Click tab, click any objects in the photo. You can also select multiple objects by clicking and dragging.

2. Switch to the Brush tab to refine your selection. You can adjust the brush size with the slider. (Note: while brushing, zooming and undo/redo won’t work.)

3. Click Clear if you want to reset your selections.

4. Click Erase and wait for Canva to process the image.

5. To save, select Save to Canva.

6. The edited photo will appear as a new file in your Images tab and Uploads folder.

7. To download to your device, select Download. 

Magic Grab 🤏

Now, technically, Magic Grab isn’t designed for removing objects—it’s meant for moving them. But honestly, I’ve had much better luck using it to remove items without things looking “wacky.” Here’s how:

On the editor toolbar, select Edit, then choose Magic Grab under the Magic Studio tab. 

1. In the Click tab, click any objects in the photo.

2. You can also select multiple by clicking and dragging.

3. Use the Brush tab to paint over an object if needed.

4. Click Deselect to clear selections.

5. Click Grab and wait for Canva to process.

6. Drag your subject, resize, or edit it independently of the background. 👉

Even though this tool is meant for moving objects around, I find the AI does a much better job at replacing the background where the object was. I usually just delete the object instead of moving it somewhere else—and the results look far more natural!

Now, this isn’t just reserved for outdoor bird ornaments. You can use it to remove all the clutter on the counters that your sellers were supposed to clear off. I’ve even used it to remove a really obscure doll collection that was on display in someone’s living room.Want high commission, a low cap, and real support to grow your business? Aspire is our exclusive program for motivated agents who are ready to scale fast with elite coaching and next-level tools

-Ty Morton + Abby G