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…
The logistics for planning in a changing market Baseball Hall of Fame legend, Yogi Berra was one of the greatest players of all time, but he was also known for his way with words referred to as Yogi-isims. Often, his unintended and twisted misuse of words reflected an underlying wisdom. Read more…
Are you making the waves? Last week would have been Otis Redding’s 80th birthday. The famed Georgia singer/song writer penned one my favorite lyrics, “I’m sittin’ on the dock of the bay watchin’ the tide roll away.” This line from (Sittin’ On) The Dock of The Bay could be describing Read more…
I live on a coastal island where sailing is a favorite past time. Here, “doldrums” is a nautical term for poor wind conditions requiring sailors to motor through under power. Are the winds changing in real estate and will brokers have to alter their course? Let’s be clear: the market Read more…
It’s a long-held industry tenant that real estate agents primarily switch brokerages during the bad times—yet over the past year the industry has seen tremendous numbers of agents jumping ship to competing firms. At a recent national industry event, several interesting insights were shared regarding how market share has recently Read more…
Getting a bigger slice of the pie It’s no secret; the big ARE getting bigger. Brokerage consolidation is rapidly moving throughout the industry fueled by the recognition that with size comes economies of scale. Many feel larger brokerages are often able to provide more, reduce costs and be more competitive Read more…
“When is the housing market going to crash” was a Google search topic that recently spiked by 2,450% among online consumers. It’s a subject that has been on the minds of many and a regular topic in industry discussions. The real estate market has been white-hot this past year with 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…