[VIP] Realogy, Q1/2020: Excitement! And COVID!

Realogy was one of the first public companies in residential real estate to report Q1 earnings… and it was more or less what was expected: Q1 came in strong, even with the crash towards the end of the quarter with COVID. This was always going to be the case for Realogy and everybody else in … Read more

[VIP] Realogy, Q4 and Full Year 2019: Darkest Before the Dawn?

I realize this is almost two weeks after Realogy reported, but… between international travel and my computer giving up the ghost, it’s been a bit of a challenge to write this. It likely would have been a challenge anyhow, because of how much I like Realogy (I have written often about my biases). Q4 was … Read more

[VIP] RE/MAX Q4, 2019: Back to Basics

In the aftermath of a disappointing Q3, I wrote: One of my biggest takeaways from this earnings call is how much of the positive spin was put on October. For example, Karri Callahan mentions seeing some “positive traction” on agent count in October, contrasting with last October when RE/MAX lost hundreds of agents. Or there’s … Read more

[VIP] Zillow, Q4/2019: Turn the Page

In the Q3/2019 writeup, I wrote that Zillow is not experimenting, but trying to pivot with great delicacy: My take on Q3 is that Zillow is in the midst of a BCG 2×2 Matrix exercise and a delicate point (in a good way) in the transition from Zillow 1.0 to Zillow 2.0. What they’re doing … Read more

[VIP] Redfin, Q4/2019: Strong Results All Around, and Signs of Surprising Convergence

It’s tough to deliver such a fantastic quarter as Redfin did in Q4 of 2019, and for the full year of 2019. I mean, they just beat ass all over the place. Revenues, profits, traffic, productivity — Redfin just about killed it across the board. The one exception comes from its iBuyer business, RedfinNow. And … Read more

[VIP] Realogy, Q3/2019: The Profitability Dilemma

Earnings Week content keeps rolling on! It’s time we took a look at Realogy, the bellwether for health of traditional real estate brokerage. I wish I could report some joyful news on that front, but alas, I just can’t. Realogy is still profitable, generating good free cash flows, and still making some moves. It’s just … Read more

[VIP] Zillow, Q3/2019: Not a Test, But a Test Kitchen

Back in Q2, I titled my analysis of Zillow’s earnings, “Going All In” and wrote: When Rich Barton took (back) over as CEO of Zillow earlier this year, I wrote a Red Dot and titled it, “The Return of the King.” I didn’t realize then that the king was not just a fighter, but a … Read more

[VIP] Redfin, Q3/2019: Nice Rebound, And Yet…

Redfin’s Q3 results showed a solid rebound from a rather disappointing Q2. It looks great all around, with revenues, profit, market share, etc. all up and up very healthy. Agent productivity is up, traffic is up, and Redfin Now is a $80 million business in Q3. So all in all, a very nice rebound. There … Read more

[VIP] RE/MAX Q3, 2019: Don’t Look Back

RE/MAX reported Q3 earnings on Halloween, and I can’t help but think there was a lot more trick than treat in its Q3 results. Yes, RE/MAX remains fundamentally healthy and it has some advantages over its main competitors, especially the other publicly reporting franchise company, Realogy, but there were a lot more walking dead in … Read more