April 2021

Battle between the relational and the transactional

April 26, 2021Where were we?.... Oh yeah, Zillow just pitched its new Zillow Offers program to us, their one-stop shopping platform designed to make selling your home fast, simple and easy as pie. Here’s the hype: “Zillow allows customers to request an instant offer and sell directly to Zillow. They’re able to eliminate the time and resources required to prepare and list a home, including showings and minimizing in-person interaction. The service also provides certainty about price and closing date.” We’ve been talking about the battle between...

Trying to reinvent how real estate gets done

April 19, 2021Continuing the conversation… talking about the battle raging between old-school, relationship-based real estate and new web-based platforms that are highly transactional by nature and busy trying to “reinvent how real estate gets done”. The clash between the transactional and the relational is an old-story in real estate, reflected in the stereotypes about used-car salesmen that contrast mightily with other accounts about trusted advisors guiding people through the biggest decisions of their lives. Our culture is uncomfortable with being “sold” but it has no problem when...

The digital disruption of the real estate paradigm

April 12, 2021Continuing the conversation… talking about the silent battle that’s raging between the digital disruption of the real estate paradigm and more traditional approaches to the business rooted in personal service, relationships and experience-based representation While the battle isn’t always visible to the naked eye, it is increasingly getting woven into the fabric of everyday real estate, insidiously tucked into the nooks and crannies of every listing, every offer and every closing. And there’s a growing sense of disconnect permeating the entire process because it’s not...

Battle for the Soul of Real Estate

April 5, 2021In moments of quiet reflection that occasionally arise between bouts of multiple-offer madness, I often find myself thinking about the battle for the soul of real estate that’s taking place. One very few people are even conscious of or care about. . Perhaps, it’s the same battle that’s occurring in so many other aspects of our daily lives. The one reflected in deepening divisions and the steady unraveling of a culture that's frayed at the edges, struggling to hold its center and seemingly afflicted by...