Rob Hahn

Managing Partner of 7DS Associates, and the grand poobah of this here blog. Once called "a revolutionary in a really nice suit", people often wonder what I do for a living because I have the temerity to not talk about my clients and my work for clients. Suffice to say that I do strategy work for some of the largest organizations and companies in real estate, as well as some of the smallest startups and agent teams, but usually only on projects that interest me with big implications for reforming this wonderful, crazy, lovable yet frustrating real estate industry of ours.

A Great Website — Can It Work Here?

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I just ran across this fantastic website (h/t Instapundit).  Carlust is such a great name for it as well. I really like Chris Hafner’s writing style as well — compact, personable, totally on-point.  Great blog writing, IMHO. It works beautifully for cars.  I know it can’t possibly work as beautifully for houses, since cars are … Read more

Anyone a Betting Man?

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Now, this is good news from NAR: The integrity of data is a foundation to the orderly Real Estate market. The Real Estate Transaction Standards (RETS) provides a vendor neutral, secure approach to exchanging listing information between the broker and the MLS. In order to ensure that the goal of maintaining an orderly marketplace is … Read more

A Development to Watch

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From the invaluable Calculated Risks blog, Vallejo Close to Bankruptcy Filing: Vallejo, a city of 135,000 outside of San Francisco, moved closer to bankruptcy after negotiations with its labor unions collapsed. Bondholders will likely be asked to sacrifice some of their investment if the city seeks bankruptcy protection, an attorney for the municipality said last … Read more

The Burden of Leadership

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UPDATE:  I have been asked to take this post down by my colleagues at OnBoard, as they feel there is a conflict of interest inherent in a senior member of the executive team writing critically about a current client.  While I have my thoughts on that, in this case, I will defer to their judgment.  … Read more

How Do You Compete With WalMart?

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So I’m trying to put my thoughts on cluetrain real estate together.  And while all those thoughts are swimming around my head, I read this fantastic interview of Alex Chang, CEO of Roost.com, over at 4Realz. Specifically, I read this section: I don’t think it is a stretch to say that the big brokerages are … Read more

Further Proof that NAR is Out of Touch

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Thanks to InmanBlog, I learn that there is an ethical dilemma brewing in RE.net.  It appears that NAR has promulgated a new standard This standard falls under Article 12 in the Realtor code, which provides that Realtors “shall be honest and truthful in their real estate communications and shall present a true picture in their … Read more

Good Advice from Joe Ferrara

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Over on Homegain’s blog, his new home, Joe Ferrara has a set of excellent advice for real estate agents: As in any profession, you get pigeon-holed, often unflatteringly and marketing yourself becomes an uphill battle to overcome a stereotype. There’s a better way. Elevate yourself to “expert” in your field. It does not matter how … Read more

Inspiration and… Real Estate?

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Garr Reynolds, at Presentation Zen, is a must-read blogger/writer/authority on presentations for anyone involved with marketing, communications, or any sort of presentations.  He also has some views that he shares from time to time that are highly relevant to any thinking about marketing. His latest is a masterpiece as well, and it deals with the … Read more