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

Zillow, Q1/2021: Crossing the Chasm

This is going to be a relatively short post. Frankly, because I’ve run out of ways to say the same thing quarter after quarter. If you’re new around here, please go back and re-read everything I’ve written about Zillow after every one of Zillow’s earnings calls. Then you can check out my June 2018 Red … Read more

Quick Reaction: Why Would CoStar Spend $156M on Homes.com?

Earlier today, we all got the news that CoStar is buying Homes.com from Dominion for $156 million cash: WASHINGTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)– CoStar Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSGP), the leading provider of commercial real estate information, analytics and online marketplaces, announced today that it has reached a definitive agreement to acquire Homes.com, a division of Dominion Enterprises, for … Read more

Two Charts To Ruin My Lovely Monday Morning

It’s a beautiful day here in Las Vegas. 77 and sunny, high of 84, not a cloud in the sky and no gale force winds. Just a lovely, lovely day. Then I get in front of my computer, and find this story from Mises.org. Granted, it’s a couple of weeks old, but I don’t check … Read more

Initial Thoughts on Compass S-1

Yesterday, Compass Inc., a real estate brokerage that has been disrupting some of the largest companies in the industry, filed its S-1 to go public sometime this year. I’ve been waiting for this day for quite some time because Compass gives us another traditional split-based brokerage that has to report its numbers. At first glance, … Read more

Zillow, Q4/2020: The Prophecies Getting Fulfilled

As you all know by now, Zillow reported its Q4 and full year 2020 earnings yesterday. It was a monster quarter. As of this writing, ZG stock is over $200 and for good reason, since Zillow outperformed even the high end of their projections in Q4. The analysts I like and follow are very, very … Read more

How Bizarre: Zillow, ShowingTime and Paranoid REALTORS

I love this industry, I really do. It has some of the best people I have ever met, real salt of the earth people who genuinely care about their clients, their communities, about each other, about the country, about the world. They’re real sweethearts and genuine and fun, fun people. But there are times when … Read more

What Did the Judge Mean Here? Questions on the PLS v. NAR Ruling

I don’t have a lot of time, so this won’t be one of my normal lengthy speculations and such. Just a few questions. In case you missed it, Inman reported on the PLS v. NAR lawsuit that was just dismissed with prejudice by the federal court. It’s a good piece of reporting, so go read … Read more