The mainstream financial press is talking about what might be the single most important chart from 2020, which is above. The U.S. money supply increased dramatically in 2020. CNBC talked about it: “It’s fair to say we have never observed money supply growth as high as it is today,” Morgan Stanley chief U.S. equity strategist … Read more
Happy New Year, everybody! And a good riddance to the annus horribilis that was 2020. I am quite hopeful that 2021 will be far less horrible, but then again, reality does have a way of intruding. Nonetheless, I know I’ve been away for a bit. I decided to completely take off the week between Christmas … Read more
Welcome to the fifth installment of an annual tradition around here: the Seven Most Interesting People in Real Estate, the 2020 Pandemic Edition. This was a weird year, to say the least, and it isn’t over as I start this post. You know that word that was so popular all through 2020? “Unprecedented?” Yeah, unprecedented … Read more
It’s that time of year again. Chestnuts roasting on an open fire. Jack Frost nipping at your nose. And Rob making ridiculous predictions sure to be wrong about the year to come. Welcome to the predictions for the Year After the Pandemic. Let’s all raise a glass and forget that 2020 ever happened, and move … Read more
In my previous post on the topic of the new NAR speech code regulations, I pointed out something I thought was problematic: In addition, the Committee recommends changing the definition of “Public Trust” with these changes: The Committee recommends that the definition of “public trust” be expanded to include all discrimination against the protected classes … Read more
[Note: These are the personal opinions of Sam DeBord and do not represent the position of RESO, the National Association of REALTORS, or any other organization associated with the writer.] R.O.B and Greg Robertson recently interviewed Jack Ryan of REX on their Industry Relations podcast. The story of REX isn’t a new one. It’s a brokerage … Read more
Okay, so… let’s be honest here for a moment. 2020 was the Year of Black Swans. I mean, when I made my Seven Predictions for 2020, I didn’t have a global pandemic, government lockdowns, and the nastiest election in history on my list of things to consider. So I’m pretty sure I already know the … Read more
I’m actually a bit busy with critical research and writing, but thought I’d take a moment out to write something fun and lighthearted about real estate. Then I read this in Inman: “DOJ-NAR settlement will effectively squash 2 consumer antitrust suits.” The author contends that the recent DOJ-NAR settlement is a wonderful thing, as it … Read more
A couple of nights ago, I saw this news come across my feeds… but it was Sunday evening, and I needed to think about this a bit. The headline alone should give us all an idea of what’s what: CoStar Group Agrees to Acquire Homesnap, a Digital Residential Real Estate Solutions Provider Used by 300,000 … Read more