Don’t Force Zillow Into a Corner…

By now, you have probably heard the news that Zillow launched a “residential brokerage”, will join the MLS, and use the MLS IDX feed to power its dominant website. Just at random, here’s one news story from The Real Deal covering the announcement: For years, Zillow denied it had plans to become a brokerage. But … Read more

In Which I Solve the Days On Market “Mess”

Over at Inman, there’s a great writeup of a truly inside baseball topic: the confusion and controversy around Days On Market. Andrea Brambila wrote the report on a panel discussion between Sam Debord of RESO, Rene Galicia of NAR, and Katie Smithson of W+R Studios. All three are people I count as friends, and they … Read more

Thinking Through the IPOB-Opendoor Investor Call

So with the news that the rumors of a “merger” between Opendoor and Social Capital (IPOB) were in fact true, I thought a quick followup might be helpful, if not to you, then to me as I think through things by writing about them. It would be worthwhile for you to watch the presentation, especially … Read more

The Relationship Narrative and Its Flaws

There is a persistent narrative in the real estate industry. It is persistent because at its core, there is a lot of truth to it. Yet, it’s a narrative that has overextended that truth and is now threatening to become a blinder. Therefore, it somehow falls on me, the voice in the wilderness, to warn … Read more

Minimum Standards for the MLS: Analysis & Proposal

Unless you’re in the MLS space of the residential real estate industry, you probably did not know that the MLS Standards Workgroup of the NAR MLS Technology and Emerging Issues Advisory Board released an Interim Report. In fact, you probably didn’t know that there was such a thing as a MLS Standards Workgroup. Well, there … Read more

Brief Suggestion on “Expanding the American Dream”

It’s Friday afternoon, and my brother is landing in Las Vegas soon, so I’m outta here! But first, wanted to briefly discuss a new T3 Insight from T3 Sixty: “Expanding the American Dream.” It’s a new monthly article from the good folks over at T3 Sixty and this first one is on a topic on … Read more

[PROMOTION] The 7DS Capital Q2/2020 Report Is Published + Excerpt

Please forgive the promotional sales pitch, but frankly, I’ve spent the last six months of my life setting things up to publish this… so I can’t quite contain my excitement. The short to-the-point story (very un-Notorious): The 7DS Capital Q2/2020 Residential Real Estate Report is finished and available. It is, if I do say so … Read more

Uber Loses in Court: California AB5 and Relevance to Real Estate

As longtime readers know, I have often written about the issue of misclassification of employees as independent contractors, since that is the key linchpin of contemporary real estate practice. For example, you can start here: On California’s New Gig Economy Law: Don’t Relax Just Yet and just google the rest. So this is a brief … Read more