In Which I Have Fun With Sam DeBord's Inman Article on Pocket Listing Liability

It’s a busy day here, but I couldn’t resist this. 🙂 Sam DeBord, a really intelligent and perceptive guy, who is also a working broker for Coldwell Banker Danforth in Seattle, wrote a long column on Inman about the possibility of huge liabilities for brokerages because of pocket listings. Read the whole thing. There are … Read more

In Which I Have Fun With Sam DeBord’s Inman Article on Pocket Listing Liability

It’s a busy day here, but I couldn’t resist this. 🙂 Sam DeBord, a really intelligent and perceptive guy, who is also a working broker for Coldwell Banker Danforth in Seattle, wrote a long column on Inman about the possibility of huge liabilities for brokerages because of pocket listings. Read the whole thing. There are … Read more

Grading Time! Reviewing My 2013 Predictions

Welcome to another edition of an annual tradition, in which I go back and grade myself on my predictions made at the start of this year. My track record so far: 2010 Predictions: 6 of 10 (.600) 2011 Predictions: 4.5 of 7 (.642) 2012 Predictions: 2 for 7 (.286) As ever, I hope to be … Read more

A Few Thoughts On The Zillow Housing Forum

Two weeks ago, Zillow organized a small event in Washington DC with the title “Getting Our House In Order: Solving the Lingering Issues of the Housing Recession”. The full program was filmed and is available here. If you’re pressed for time, you can get the highlights here. I was on an airplane to California then, … Read more

The Impossible Dream or a Glorious Quest?

This “thought” by Steve Murray of RealTrends appeared in his October 31 email newsletter and was posted on his website the next day. State of Unrest Why is there so much angst between Realtor associations, MLSs and brokerage firms? By Steve Murray “The whole is festering with unhappy souls. The French hate the Germans, the Germans hate the Poles. … Read more

Concerning A Challenge for Positive Change, A Few Thoughts

Every once in a while, some thought leader in the real estate industry issues a challenge, a plea, a lamentation about the inability of various parts of the industry to work together. If only we could set aside petty politics, set aside irrational suspicion, and figure out how to work together for mutual benefit, things could … Read more

Bank of America Sets Up a New Division: Hopeful Signs

Just as my AOL Real Estate column on servicers and loss mitigation gets published, I see this news cross my desk…top: Bank of America President and Chief Executive Officer Brian Moynihan today announced changes to Bank of America Home Loans and Insurance that will continue the company’s strong momentum in extending home mortgage credit while … Read more

Will SocialBios.com Be the Evidence We Need?

While at Inman NYC in January, I met a great guy, Ernie Graham, a co-founder of an outfit called SocialBios.com. He’s smart, he’s personable, he’s driven, he’s focused, and he sure can carry a tune at the karaoke. [Ed: We won’t be talking more about that now, y’hear?] I spoke with him yesterday about his … Read more

Time for a Grand Debate? MLS, Syndication, Data Mining

Something must be in the air. Within a fairly short period of time, I’ve had emails, phone calls, and direct messages about the perils of listing syndication. In the last couple of days, two extremely smart, extremely influential people have written on topics that revolve around the issue of syndication. The first is John Heithaus, … Read more