DOJ Ends the Armistice with NAR: Back to the Trenches We Go

[UPDATE: To celebrate Independence Day, I’ve decided to make this one open to everyone. My VIP subscribers have mostly already read it over the weekend anyhow, and the issue is important enough to the industry as a whole that I thought it an appropriate July Fourth gift of sorts. Yay, ‘Murica!] I was traveling most … Read more

Blockchain and Real Estate: Starting to Think About It

For a variety of reasons, I’ve gotten interested (again) in blockchain technology. The last time I really addressed this was back in August of 2019, when I wrote ShelterZoom, Blockchain and Real Estate. In that post, I think I was rather skeptical, writing: TL;DR: Blockchain might be the future, but it isn’t the present or … Read more

Brief: Inflation and Brokerage Profits

I’m super busy with a couple of important projects, and I’ve been up in the mountains celebrating the Sunny Freedom Tour ’21, so time is a bit short. But I did want to share something that I thought was interesting. As you know, I’m of the opinion that real inflation is way higher than the … Read more

Musings On Incentives

I had a long conversation recently with a friend who is serving as the president of a large REALTOR Association. He had heard my latest podcast in which I debate two of my friends about the value of the REALTOR brand, about the Association, about professionalism, and so on and he had questions. It was … Read more

The Implications of Financial Investors in Real Estate

Last month, I wrote a post wondering what financial investors might be thinking and noted that the post was almost entirely speculation: Yet, every single day, we hear about buyers getting outbid in ludicrous ways. I recorded a podcast with a broker in San Antonio the other day, and he made the point that on … Read more

[VIP] Compass Q1/2021: Building a Better Realogy?

At long last, Compass has reported on its first full quarter of operating as a public company. This is a moment I have been waiting for for quite some time, as there has not been a traditional brokerage to compare Realogy to since I started keeping track way back in the day when Realogy was … Read more

[VIP] Realogy, Q1/2021: Tastes Great, Less Filling

Here in Q1 of 2021, I’m beginning to detect a certain pattern when it comes to trying to analyze earnings calls to see where the industry is. There’s a lot of repetition, as if the things I’ve noted years ago haven’t changed at all. And yet, Q1 was a sizzling hot market, with unprecedented activity … Read more

[VIP] Opendoor Q1/2021: The Flywheel is Spinning Up

When Opendoor reported its 2020 results, I was so impressed that I went out and broke my own self-imposed rule and bought some shares. It’s a small position but it is a position, and I’m long Opendoor. Well, the Q1 results lead me to believe I’ve made the right choice, despite the markets disagreeing with … Read more

Zillow, Q1/2021: Crossing the Chasm

This is going to be a relatively short post. Frankly, because I’ve run out of ways to say the same thing quarter after quarter. If you’re new around here, please go back and re-read everything I’ve written about Zillow after every one of Zillow’s earnings calls. Then you can check out my June 2018 Red … Read more