In Part 1, I looked at the possible aftermath for real estate brokerages in the wake of the current crisis with COVID-19. In this part, let’s think about how organized real estate might be impacted. Since I laid out the possible scenarios in Part 1, if you need a refresher, please go refer to those … Read more
So here we are in the Brave New World of quarantines, lockdowns and barely contained (?) panic. May it be short, as it is simply unsustainable over the long haul. Activity will be grinding to a halt if it hasn’t already. We all know the main stories in the news — stock market plummeting, the … Read more
I’ve been asked by many of you to offer my opinions on COVID 19 / coronavirus and how it will impact real estate. Obviously, I have zero expertise on infectious diseases, am not an agent on the ground, and have very little to add other than what everyone has been reading from the CDC and … Read more
I got my laptop back, finally, after spending three days in intensive care and undergoing surgery. So to celebrate, I thought I’d put up a brief (hopefully) post for your weekend reading pleasure. Well, “pleasure” might be the wrong word here, given the topic and the issues… but it will give you something to think … Read more
Happy Monday, everybody! So if you haven’t seen it yet, Inman ran a big article last Friday talking about a statement by Bryan Greene, NAR’s director of Fair Housing policy: “We’ve seen homeownership rates among racial groups steadily rise, but I think many of us would have expected rates to have risen more,” Greene added. … Read more
It’s good to be home and be able to write and think out loud on issues that might impact the industry. It’s doubly good to be able to do it with the best audience out of the most informed readership in the industry. I’m actually a bit surprised that others who are far more tech-focused … Read more
If you managed to make it all the way through the massive post that was Part 1, let me thank you first of all and congratulate you on your powers of focus and concentration. I must warn you that this Part 2 is quite likely to be very, very long as well. We might start … Read more
[Warning: this is a very long post, even by my standards. I encourage you to take frequent breaks, brew a fresh pot of coffee, and maybe re-read sections if they interest you.] Last week, I broke the news that Realogy was going to shut down Climb, the San Francisco-based “youth culture” brokerage, and consolidate it … Read more
NAR is in the news, but for a positive reason for a change. Hoooray! It appears that the leadership team at NAR met in Washington DC on January 8th to formulate a plan on fair housing. From NAR’s website: The leadership of the National Association of REALTORS® met in Washington today where they unanimously passed … Read more