Welcome to another edition of an annual tradition, in which I go back and grade myself on my predictions made at the start of this year. My track record so far: 2010 Predictions: 6 of 10 (.600) 2011 Predictions: 4.5 of 7 (.642) 2012 Predictions: 2 for 7 (.286) As ever, I hope to be … Read more
In this episode, Ernie Graham, Director of Product Management for REALTOR.com, joins us for an in-depth discussion about AgentMatch, what consumers want, and what the industry needs to do. AgentMatch — a system in beta testing in two markets — has been controversial of late because it uses MLS data to “rank” agents based … Read more
A couple of days ago, there was a rumor floating around Wall Street that Realogy would acquire Trulia. Both Trulia and Realogy threw cold water on that dream quickly. Nonetheless, I found the whole thing fascinating, since a similar scenario was exactly a “Black Swan” event I used to amuse the audience at the … Read more
“Is there any point to which you would wish to draw my attention?” “To the curious incident of the dog in the night-time.” “The dog did nothing in the night-time.” “That was the curious incident,” remarked Sherlock Holmes. – Silver Blaze, The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes I thought I might do a recap of the … Read more
I know many of you are at the NAR Convention in San Francisco, and I’ll be headed there soon myself. But I wanted to upload this so you’ll have something to listen to on long plane rides and such. 🙂 Click on the picture above if you want to be taken to the iTunes … Read more
Two weeks ago, Zillow organized a small event in Washington DC with the title “Getting Our House In Order: Solving the Lingering Issues of the Housing Recession”. The full program was filmed and is available here. If you’re pressed for time, you can get the highlights here. I was on an airplane to California then, … Read more
This “thought” by Steve Murray of RealTrends appeared in his October 31 email newsletter and was posted on his website the next day. State of Unrest Why is there so much angst between Realtor associations, MLSs and brokerage firms? By Steve Murray “The whole is festering with unhappy souls. The French hate the Germans, the Germans hate the Poles. … Read more
Episode 8 is a tragedy. I have a great conversation with the Notorious B.O.B. Bemis of Procuring Cause, and with Greg Robertson, of Vendor Alley and of W&R Studios (the creator of CloudCMA). We discussed CMLS, The Realty Alliance, big issues in the conflict between MLS and brokerages, future of the industry, and so … Read more
The law of unintended consequences, often cited but rarely defined, is that actions of people—and especially of government—always have effects that are unanticipated or unintended. – Library of Economics & Liberty I’m in St. Paul, MN, where the sun has conspired with the river to create a hundred gorgeous pleasures. Like conversing with new and … Read more