Can We Talk About HomeServices for a Minute?

I know, I know. We have talked a ton about Redfin and Realogy and Keller Williams in these pages the past couple of months. It’s because the 2017 earnings reports were released for two of them, and the other one… well, made some bold moves and bolder statements. And the rest of the industry wants … Read more

Musings on the Parker Principles, Part 1: Principle 7 – Open Data

As many of you know, I was privileged to be at Inman Disconnect this year. This was a different kind of event than ever before — one aimed at getting something done, rather than hearing about what others have done. At the very start of the event, Brad Inman told the gathered leaders that the … Read more

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

Realogy Enters the Schneider Era: Thoughts from the 2017 Earnings Call

One of the biggest changes in the industry as we entered 2018 was a changing of the guard atop the largest real estate company in the U.S. as Richard Smith, CEO of Realogy stepped down, and Ryan Schneider, formerly of Capital One, stepped up. I thought it was all kinds of interesting that Realogy, which … 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

[FREB] On Culture: Show Me the Money!!!!

Over at Inman, Bernice Ross pens a column refuting the idea that traditional brokerages are dying a slow death. It’s worth reading in full because it lays out so much of the conventional wisdom when it comes to brokerages. I like Bernice Ross a lot; she’s a wonderful lady full of the virtues she preaches … 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

Redfin to Overtake Realtor.com by 2020?

I’ve been extraordinarily busy due to a bunch of deadlines for a couple of projects. That isn’t an excuse, or an apology, but a setup since it was research for one of those projects that leads to this post. Let’s not bury the lede: On current trends, Redfin will overtake Realtor.com as the second most … Read more