DOJ Ends the Armistice, Part 2: The Big Guns – Regulation

I promised a Part 2 where I would treat the subject of regulation, which I think is the real Big Guns of the upcoming war between the United States and NAR. If you missed Part 1, where I dig into why the US DOJ pulled out of a settlement with NAR (which it has never … Read more

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

The Notorious POD Ep 20: Scott Brady on Integrated Brokerage + Property Management

As the country steadily moves towards #RenterNation, the future of brokerage may be in a combined horizontally integrated company that offers services in property management, leasing, and property sales. I speak to Scott Brady, owner of Progressive Property Management, Progressive Association Management and Partners Real Estate Group, and a pioneer in the combined prop. mgtm … 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 Notorious POD Ep 19: Prof. Scott Hemphill on Antitrust Issues in Real Estate

I interview Prof. Scott Hemphill, Moses H. Grossman Professor of Law at NYU School of Law and co-director of the Engelberg Center on Innovation Law and Policy. There aren’t many human beings who would be a better expert to speak to regarding the various lawsuits in the real estate industry. We discuss the various class … Read more

From Drew Meyers of GEM: Co-Opting Inventory

[Editor’s Note: PadSplit’s Atticus LeBlanc was the guest on Episode 4 of The Blueprint Sessions. This is the accompanying essay, originally published as a members-only article for members of the GEM.] Co-opting Inventory Housing is simply not affordable for most Americans, whether they are renting or trying to buy. We’ve known this for many years. … Read more

The Notorious POD Ep 18: Agent Teams, Zillow, Competition with Jeff Sibbach and Phil Sexton

In this episode, I speak with Jeff Sibbach and Phil Sexton of the Sibbach Team in Phoenix, AZ. We talk about the realities of today’s real estate, how top agent teams are functioning today, and why he believes Zillow is in fact a competitor. We get into a lot of issues including data, IDX, competition … Read more