We’re at an inflection point in the evolution of the MLS. Regional alliances are being formed. Consolidation is happening. New and hefty players are again calling for a national MLS. Off-market networks are popping up all over the country. New business models are challenging the very idea of cooperation and compensation. All of this raises … Continued

Big brains. Big rounds. Big balance sheets. A tornado of money and ambition building on the plains. It’s producing a strange vibe in the industry — a combination of fatalism, dismissiveness and mortal fear. Some people are down in the root cellar with fresh water and last year’s canning. Some people are upstairs having tea … Continued

A logo is the tip of a strategic iceberg. It’s a solution to a problem or the salient in a push toward a new opportunity. It should reflect sound design principles, of course. It may either meet or redirect the expectations of those who encounter it, depending on the job it has to do. And … Continued

I’ve never bootstrapped a tech company. I’ve never pitched to a room full of VCs. And I’ve never had to make the painful decision to turn off the lights on a project, product or company. But I’ve worked closely over the years, both as Managing Editor of Inman and as a Partner at 1000watt, with … Continued

Scottsdale, Ariz.-based entrepreneur John Vatistas opened Launch Real Estate in 2016 with something decidedly different in mind. He wanted to break apart from the brokerage pack. He wanted to change agents’ expectations of their broker. He wanted to position himself as a leader of big-thinking professionals, not a panderer to agents’ most predictable wants. His … Continued

Let me float this past you: Gary Keller isn’t high. Gary Keller isn’t deluded. Gary Keller doesn’t have a messiah complex. Gary Keller isn’t taking his company off a cliff. Gary Keller isn’t scared. More obviously, Gary Keller is a man who owns a company that’s in the business of selling franchises and (re)recruiting agents. … Continued

Last week, social media shock jock Gary Vaynerchuk released a video clip in which he rants about homeownership. (See the full interview here.) “It’s fucking bullshit and a bad use of upfront capital,” he said about owning a home. His opinion is that homeownership —  and even a college education —  are no longer necessary … Continued

I’ve never seen a list of the: Bravest Firefighters in America Most Pious Rabbis in the Rabinet Power Priests 200 Game-Changing Nurses Most Influential Professors Most Trendsetting Homeless Shelter Managers Most Empathic Social Workers Hardest-Working Hospice Managers. You know why? It would be absurd. There’s no algorithm in the world that could extract these attributes … Continued

Firings, retirings and second comings in the ranks of real estate leadership. Money from a murderous, misogynistic petro-state used to give real estate agents short-term loans. Real estate franchisors, brokers and portals getting into the business of owning homes. Whip-smart VCs in mauve sportcoats making the case that real estate is about to get rolled. … Continued