In part 1 of this series, I looked at per-person productivity numbers which simply made no sense. Thankfully, people like Russell Shaw and Jay Thompson stepped in to provide at least an explanation. Simply put, there are too many agents chasing the same number of deals. So despite large improvements in personal productivity of a … Read more
Over at the OnBlog, I posted an item discussing the difference between how much brokerages spend on print advertising vs. their website. That was for the clients (past, present and future) of Onboard Informatics. This blog is where I get to talk speculative BS with friends in the RE.net. So… let me start out by … Read more
So the news comes that the bailout package has failed to pass the House with 133 Republicans and 95 Democrats voting nay. Well, at least it was a pretty bipartisan fail. I’m sure we will be treated to much sound and fury from the talking heads and the chattering class as to why, who’s to … Read more
If you are at all interested in the real estate industry, then you need to be reading Dan Green on a regular basis. I just met him at RE Blogworld, and have put his blog into my reader ASAP (and linked it here). Dan is brilliant, and understands the financial markets and mortgage markets better … Read more
I need help. Someone explain these numbers (PDF) to me, like I’m six years old. I mean, I think I have a pretty good education. I think I have a pretty solid record in business operations, marketing, and overall management. I think I know how to read 10-K’s and spreadsheets and so on. But these … Read more
According to the Zillow Blog, 1 in 7 American homeowners are now “underwater” on their mortgage. So the Zillowites ran a survey of 1300 homeowners. And found interesting answers: One question we asked was: Do you think homeowners who are currently facing foreclosure because they took out an adjustable rate mortgage or other loan that … Read more
From National Real Estate Investor comes news that loans for commercial multifamily projects have dropped 63% year over year: Commercial and multifamily mortgage loan originations continued to fall on a year-over-year basis in the second quarter, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Quarterly Survey of Commercial/Multifamily Mortgage Bankers Originations. Second quarter originations were 63% … Read more
Back in the day, I used to read the New York Times religiously. I mean, I lived in New York City, was young, and was making a lot of money. It’s what you do. It’s kinda like going to church on Sunday if you were a Puritan in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, or doing the … Read more
Inman News has a very interesting… I guess one would have to call it an Op/Ed or News Analysis on the Washington Post’s story on HUD Secretary Jackson’s last day: An article in last Sunday’s Post deserves credit for attempting to go beyond the allegations of cronyism that forced Jackson to resign, and taking a … Read more