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…
“The worth of a thing is what it will bring,” states the old English proverb. Many brokers have had a spectacular year and they’re taking personal stock. The question of value, while it seems simple enough, is quite complicated. There are many reasons for establishing a brokerage’s value such as 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…
A Modern Day Heir A Florida broker was getting up in years and ready to slow down to enjoy the fruits of all his labor. Over coffee with his son he said, “it’s time for me to start planning my retirement and I’m thinking about giving you half the business. You’ll Read more…
“Make hay while the sun shines.” Medieval English farmers harvesting their hay coined the phrase as they watched the gloomy weather closely, making the most of small windows of changing circumstances. Most real estate brokers and agents today are enjoying the euphoria of rebounding market conditions as buyers and sellers are Read more…
Here is an amazing fact: Almost ½ of the entire U.S. residential industry is conducted by approximately 1% of the brokerages. In June, The Real Estate Almanac published by leading research and advisory firm T3 Sixty, noted that 48.9% of all the existing home sales were conducted by the top 1,000 firms. Amazingly, this number has Read more…