[VIP] Realogy, Q4 and Full Year 2020: Pivot Cometh?

A year ago, I wrote these words while analyzing Realogy’s 2019 results: But I can’t ignore the fact that 2019 was not a good year, nor can I pretend that Q4 was particularly strong because of the optimism coming from Schneider. There are real problems at Realogy, and real reasons for concern. At the top … Read more

Zillow Offers vs. Full Service Agent

Okay, so I got into a discussion on Facebook with Glenn Sanford of eXp on the difference to the seller between selling to Zillow Offers vs. listing with a traditional agent (Full Service Agent, as per Glenn). I thought it was an interesting little intellectual exchange, but then Inman picked it up as an actual … Read more

Zillow, Q4/2020: The Prophecies Getting Fulfilled

As you all know by now, Zillow reported its Q4 and full year 2020 earnings yesterday. It was a monster quarter. As of this writing, ZG stock is over $200 and for good reason, since Zillow outperformed even the high end of their projections in Q4. The analysts I like and follow are very, very … Read more

NY Senate Final Investigative Report, Part 1: The Findings

Sparked by some Grade A investigative reporting by the NYC daily periodical, Newsday, the New York State Senate (“NYS Senate”) launched an investigation last year into unfair housing practices and held hearings that culminated last week with the release of its “Final Investigative Report.” If you haven’t read the Newsday report, you can do that … Read more

Leeder v. NAR: Overview and Analysis

Back in October, after Judge Woods laid the wood to NAR and the corporate defendants in the Moehrl v. NAR case, I wrote: Finally, I’ll go out on a limb (it’s a short one, I think) and predict that now that the motion to dismiss was denied, and denied in this manner with the judge … Read more

[VIP] The Notorious Interview: Sean Black, Knock

In this episode, the first of 2021 and the first in quite some time, I speak to Sean Black, the Co-Founder & CEO of Knock. I’ve been talking and writing about Knock and its unique take on iBuyer for years now. Now, Sean probably would dispute the label “iBuyer” but it’s because of the corruption … Read more

Pandemic, Gen-Z, and Household Formation

Longtime readers know that one of my abiding interests is in household formation among the younger generations in US and Canada. I even have a whole category/tag devoted to it: Generation Screwed – Millennials and Beyond. Thanks to a new post by Zillow Research, we have another opportunity to dip back into this evergreen topic. … Read more

Money Supply, Asset Bubble & iBuyers, Part 2: The Mortgage Play

In Part 1, we looked at the opportunities that might arise for iBuyers because the housing market is about to go cray-cray. The basic idea is that as hyperinflation hits housing, sellers will come to prioritize timing and certainty over getting the most money possible, because most of them will be buyers on the other … Read more