Shift Happens For brokers and agents, the past 18-months have seen the hottest market in decades. Even with the pandemic and a struggling economy, most brokers have enjoyed record growth. But ask those same brokers what they see ahead for the rest of 2022, and few think they will match Read more…
But We Have Free Coffee I was sitting in a boutique broker’s beautiful office listening to the owners vent about their frustration with recruiting. Attracting strong agents was a challenge for them, but equally frustrating was that after onboarding recruits, they often lost them to other brokers once they began Read more…
Same Stuff Different Day Welcome to the new year– although to many it’s best described by the acronym “SSDD.” Based on conversations with brokers, it does feel like the movie “Groundhog Day” in which the main character, Bill Murray, finds himself reliving the same day over and over. The real Read more…
There’s a dirty little secret in the world of real estate brokerages that few people talk about. It’s a disturbing trend that we’re seeing more frequently in small and mid-sized firms: Many brokerages today are just not very profitable. In 35+ years, I’ve looked at 1,000’s of financial statements. What Read more…
One of my favorite quotes is from famed Greek storyteller Aesop who wrote “be careful what you wish for, lest it come true.” I was reminded of this by three separate conversations recently with brokers from different areas of the U.S. who had met their growth targets but were questioning Read more…
Who’s On Top? My mentor is fond of saying, “those who control the listings control the market.” Looking at inventory stats across most markets would lead you to the conclusion that inventory is at an all-time low. However, that assumption is not completely accurate because the velocity of the market Read more…
J. P. Morgan, the famous Wall Street banker and financier, was a driving force behind the wave of business growth in the U.S. in the early 20th century. However, he could have easily been describing the real estate market of 100+ years later when he said, “the first step towards Read more…
As the strangest of years comes to a wrap, it is amazing that after taking such a sideways turn early on, 2020 became an unexpected frenzy of activity for most in the industry. Nine months ago, few would have predicted the level of business real estate companies would see in Read more…
Babe Ruth, the greatest baseball player of all time, knew there was no coasting. Each day was a unique challenge with a new game, changing pitchers, different ballparks and specific strategies to win. He recognized that what worked in the last game doesn’t count today, or as the “Sultan of Read more…