Method to the Madness: Thoughts on the Redfin 2017 Earnings Call

One of my recurring dreams is that some kind of IPO fever sweeps real estate, and dozens of brokerages go public. I want to see KW’s numbers, hear Hoddy Hanna on an earnings call, gain transparency into what Kuba over at RealtyOne is thinking, etc. I can’t wait for Compass to go public, so we … Read more

Brief Reflection on Brand: CB and C21 with Promising Starts

As you might have noticed, the last few days here on Notorious have been a touch heavy. That’s not a bad thing, because heavy topics like the future of the industry and the tipping point of brokerage deserve serious (and long) discussion and debate. I’ll likely get back into that soon, as I’ve been reading … Read more

The Keller Williams Vision Speech: Followup and Further Thoughts

Yesterday’s post on the keynote Vision speech by Josh Team and Gary Keller at this year’s Family Reunion generated… ah… let’s call it “a bit of passion.” The early batch of commenters took issue — and not in a civil fashion — about what I wrote based on the Inman story. Except for the tone, … Read more

On Leadership in the Real Estate Industry: ASOIAF Edition

I’ve been asked by the good folks at Inman to give some thought to the question of leadership as part of their efforts to revolutionize leadership in real estate. Seeing as how yours truly does not lack for opinions on a variety of topics, and this one in particular, I thought I would happily oblige … Read more

Book Review: Disruptors, Discounters, and Doubters

I know Joe Rand, the Chief Creative Officer and Managing Partner of Better Homes and Gardens Rand Realty. I think he’s one of the smartest guys in the industry, and one of the nicest. I can’t go quite as far as to say he’s a friend, simply because we haven’t gone and done drunken karaoke … Read more

The Future of Brokerage Black Paper, Now Available

So in advance of Friday, which is when I figure most people might have time to read something like this, I wanted to let everybody know that the Future of Brokerage Black Paper is now available. Some of you who requested a copy received it by email a week ago (check your filters if you … Read more

Beyond Semantics: A Response to Clint Skutchan

Over the weekend, Inman published an op/ed by Clint Skutchan, an experienced former Association/MLS executive and strategy consultant, who took issue with my Remember Who You Are post. I happen to love it when people take issue with my posts, because it means we’re engaging in debate and discussion. Plus, Clint is a great guy, … Read more