The real estate industry has been talking about low supply for a couple of years now, but it seems that some in the mainstream media have finally woken up to the issue. Chris Matthews writing in Fortune thinks that the housing crisis never ended – it just morphed into something else: “America is experiencing a … Read more
It’s funny. Although I’ve been writing about syndication issues on these pages for oh… five or six years now… looking at all the different angles to that dead horse that won’t die… thanks to a Facebook post I just read, I thought of another new angle. Just goes to show you (well, show me) that … Read more
Back in the dark, dark days of the Bubble (2008-2011), I remember thinking a lot about, and talking about, strategic default. Here’s a sample from the tail-end of 2010: What got me wondering is whether that commercial and others like it, which constantly denigrate banks, call mortgages illegal and immoral, and talk about how you … Read more
Russ Cofano, formerly of Move and the former CEO of Missouri Association of REALTORS, and an all around thoughtful man who knows a lot, has penned an interesting op/ed for Inman. He thinks that the industry’s discussions about agent professionalism is (a) misguided, and (b) won’t matter because Millennial consumers will determine what is and … Read more
There’s not much that excites the hoi polloi of the real estate industry more than the suggestion of disintermediation: that one day, buyers and sellers would transact business without having to call their local REALTOR and pay the commission. If it’s not one lion over the hill, then it’s another. If it’s not a lion, … Read more
It’s been a busy week and a few. First, there was Inman which usually knocks me out of any sort of blog-like activities for a week. Then I moved as soon as I got home. I know some companies offers “concierge” type of services to help someone move with all the changes that entails but … Read more
I think I need some help. [Ed: You’re just now realizing this? Really?] Something’s not really adding up for me as I think about the 2016 housing market forecasts. Economists, including one that looks a lot like me, are forecasting sort of modest growth for housing this year, based on 2015 being a great year. … Read more
Yesterday, either Inman News or I broke the news that the California independent contractor case, Bararsani v. Coldwell Banker was settled. (I kinda think I broke it, because the settlement came down on the 13th, and since Inman has actual reporters and such, I’d have thought they’d have sniffed it out between then and the 18th, when my post … Read more
Thanks to reader Aileen Kane (who is one of you — the best informed readers in real estate) I just got word (via a comment on an old post) that the final settlement in Coldwell Banker v. Bararsani case has been ordered by the court. From Law360 (registration required): Los Angeles Superior Court Judge William F. Highberger … Read more