Will the Next Generation Brokerage Scrap Agents for Employees?

Posted on 25. Aug, 2009 by Nicolai Kolding.

Nine years ago, my boss, along with four other company employees, jumped ship for a boatload of stock options from an Internet-based real estate firm that promised to dismantle “old economy” companies like ours and, quite simply, take over the real estate world as we knew it.
About a year later he and the others were [...]

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The Status Quo is Not an Option

Posted on 14. Aug, 2009 by Nicolai Kolding.

In the coming weeks, you will be reading a lot about our specific ideas on the Next Generation Brokerage.  It’s important to explain why we believe this is necessary.  In our view, this comes down to a matter of necessity.  Simply put, the status quo is not an option.  The numbers won’t fly.
Every brokerage has four [...]

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NAR’s March Release: Is the Media Too Positive this Time??

Posted on 24. Mar, 2009 by Nicolai Kolding.

Sorry to play the contrarian again, but why all the hoopla over NAR’s release this week? Was the news really good enough to elicit a “wow”?

Believe me, after absorbing one ugly headline after another (both fair and unfair) for years now, the industry could certainly use a positive spin on the numbers. Like many others I know, I felt that the media practically reveled in reporting bad news while too often failing to expand on the whole story. This time around, though, I must be missing something because I just don’t get why this is the month when the figures are being trumpeted as the possible first signs of a turnaround.

So pardon me if I’m flying against the positive media winds when I think February was barely different than prior months; as before, I see in the numbers reasons to be both cautious and cautiously optimistic. But I sure ain’t ready to call this yet.

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Pennsylvania Magic

Posted on 11. Mar, 2009 by Nicolai Kolding.

Every once in a while, a situation presents itself that gives people the opportunity to do something they might have previously considered impossible.  Like many a great discovery, this often happens when something else is being sought.  These circumstances are rare and may initially be created by providence, but they still require courage, innovation, and [...]

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Review of February Releases from NAR, FNMA, and Case-Schiller

Posted on 26. Feb, 2009 by Nicolai Kolding.

There have been several big releases over the last few days.  Let’s take a look at each and what figures are most important to those managing real estate businesses today.
I tend to focus on NAR’s closed data while ignoring their forecasts (I’ll lean on Fannie Mae for that).  Because of the way they pull their data, I’m [...]

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Revisiting the Question of Diversity in Real Estate

Posted on 20. Feb, 2009 by Nicolai Kolding.

As I think about Black History Month and the remarkable events of the last year, I find myself simultaneously thinking about two very different kinds of questions.  On the one hand, I read the statistics from the 2008 National Association of REALTORS® Members Profile and wonder why the population of real estate agents in America continues to [...]

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Analyzing NAR and FNMA’s January Releases

Posted on 26. Jan, 2009 by Nicolai Kolding.

At 10am this morning, the National Association of REALTORS® released its year-end summary of existing home sales (their commentary can be read here).  As with our prior monthly analyses, we simply want to focus here on the figures that are most important to those within the industry.  Therefore, for both the national and four regional areas, we will look [...]

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Predictions for 2009 – You Tell Us

Posted on 23. Jan, 2009 by Nicolai Kolding.

Where is the economy headed?  When will the recession end?  How much lower will housing prices fall?  How long will interest rates stay as low as they are?
These are just some of the many critical questions people within and outside the industry are asking right now.  For those who make a living in residential real [...]

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Inman Connect: Scrub Your P&L

Posted on 15. Jan, 2009 by Nicolai Kolding.

Last week, I was on a panel at the Inman Connect conference that was part of a broker/owner forum focused on “Building the Lean, Mean and Profitable Real Estate Brokerage of the Future.”  I was joined by John Vatistas of Russ Lyon Sotheby’s International Realty and John Reinhardt of Fillmore Real Estate. With a goal [...]

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December Analysis of NAR and FNMA Releases

Posted on 23. Dec, 2008 by Nicolai Kolding.

Last week, Fannie Mae released its Economics & Mortgage Market Analysis.   This morning the National Association of REALTORS® released its November summary of existing home sales(”EHS”).  The reports themselves have data and analysis aplenty; our goal here is simply to highlight a few key facts that we feel are hidden within these reports for the benefit of those in [...]

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Analyzing NAR’s Monthly Release

Posted on 25. Nov, 2008 by Nicolai Kolding.

Yesterday the National Association of REALTORS® issued its monthly release of existing home sales.  Rather than add to the many existing articles that understandably lean towards the consumers’ perspective, we believe there are trends and statistics that aren’t being highlighted that could help practitioners in our industry plan ahead.  You may find some of what [...]

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