Rethinking How MLS Rules Get Made, In Light of NOW Model

Over on Inman, Sam Debord, CEO of RESO, longtime friend of ours (even if we argue a bunch in public), and all around great guy penned an Op/Ed titled “Unshackling MLS data: It’s time to accelerate NOW.” I figured Sam was a supporter of the National Organization of Women, but… oh wait, different NOW. Sam … Read more

Thinking Through Platforms in Real Estate, Part 1: Definitions

Ben Thompson at Stratechery is a great read, and he really does get my gears turning. Today’s email/post is particularly interesting as it raises some questions as to what a platform actually is and what it might look like in real estate going forward. Consider this a “big think” post in which I try to … Read more

A Question for REALTOR Friends

Earlier today, I posted a request to speak to some of my Facebook friends who are deeply involved with REALTOR Associations, local, state and national. I’m trying to work out something for the future of the Association, post-COVID. Turns out, I have numerous friends who are deeply involved, which isn’t surprising given my career path. … Read more

Silver Lining from Pandemic, #2: No Housing Armageddon, Probably…

…the key word being “probably” since none of us have any idea how long the current state of affairs will last, how many jobs will be lost, how many companies shut down, and so on. I did some fun thought experiments on an angle that occurred to me earlier today. That thought? “How much would … Read more

It’s Time to Think About Triage…

I’ve been having a number of conversations with friends over this past week, as the quarantine situation got serious then even more serious. Some of it was sparked by my series on the aftermath of this crisis for real estate, and others sparked by just general events these days. As I write this, I’m debating … Read more

Real Estate in the Time of Cholera: The Aftermath, Part 2 – MLS & Associations

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

The Shape of Housing Politics to Come

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

African-American Homeownership Lowest Since 1968: What If It’s Not All Race?

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

The Notorious Interview: Jennifer Branchini & Sanjay Wagle, California Assoc. of REALTORS

In this rare public episode of the Notorious Interview, I speak with Jennifer Branchini, Treasurer, and Sanjay Wagle, SVP of Public Policy, for the California Assoc. of REALTORS about SB50. SB50 is a bill that is making its way through the California legislatures, and is supported by CAR. The goal of SB50 is to make … Read more