The Impact of New Construction
A years-long relatively low level of new home
construction has significantly contributed to the
industry’s years-long inventory shortage. This imbalance
significantly contributes to a shortage of homes for sale,
which greatly impacts real estate activity and has been
a major factor in the sustained upward surge in prices.
This chapter dives into the homebuilding industry, how
it operates and its role in the current housing inventory
shortage.
The Residential Real Estate Media Landscape
As the residential real estate brokerage industry matures
from the high-flying tech startup era that encompassed
the last decade, media coverage has broadened as new
players have emerged to cover it, and, increasingly,
the verticals that surround it, such as mortgage,
homebuilding and renting. These media companies track
the industry’s big changes and dynamic evolution in real
time and serve as the leading distribution, advertising
channels and conversation hubs for the industry. This
chapter catalogs the landscape and dives into the largest
media companies in the space.
Branch Manager Magic and How to Find It
As brokerages get bigger and more sophisticated, the
branch manager role is becoming even more vital than
ever, and great branch managers are difficult to find and
harder to keep. Branch managers are responsible for
many key responsibilities including recruiting, retention
and overall sales growth. This chapter provides a deep
dive into their role, how to find talented branch
managers, which remain key to navigating growth
and maximizing profits.
The Technology Consolidation Wave
Technology acquisitions are occurring at a frenzied pace
in the residential real estate brokerage industry. It has
become difficult to keep track of who owns whom and
which big companies have new owners. In some cases,
large brokerage companies have acquired tech firms;
in others, private equity has purchased well-known
products. Regardless, the significant technology
acquisition spree is reshaping the industry. This
chapter outlines the trend and its implications.
CoStar Group: Inside Residential Real Estate’s New Heavyweight
The residential real estate brokerage industry gained a
significant new player when CoStar Group (Nasdaq: CSGP),
the dominant commercial and multifamily real estate
marketing and portal operator, acquired Homesnap and
Homes.com. The aggressive, well-operated giant has
plans, and the resources and experience, to create a
residential real estate sales marketplace that rivals Zillow
and realtor.com. This chapter analyzes the company’s
key components, how it operates and its dive into the
residential real estate industry.
Real Estate and the Great Reshuffling
The pandemic affected many areas of work and social
life as more people took advantage of remote work
arrangements and in general spent more time at home.
Early evidence indicates where people are choosing to
live and the amenities that they desire in a home have
changed, especially as working from home becomes
more mainstream. This chapter explores these changes,
referred to by many as the Great Reshuffling, and how
they are influencing today’s housing market.
The Real Estate Financing Revolution
The innovative real estate transaction financing iBuying
introduced has expanded into a financing revolution, with
many companies rapidly and independently converging
on a similar goal of a streamlined, all-encompassing
digital transaction and full-spectrum home services
model. This chapter provides a big-picture view of the
developments, where they appear headed and more
details on this dynamic, rapidly evolving trend we’re
calling AltFin, short for alternative financing.
Private Equity’s Real Estate Rising
Private equity has played a significant role in the recent
explosion of acquisitions and development in the
residential real estate brokerage industry. These
sophisticated investors, like those from Wall Street and
venture capital, are placing big bets and reshaping the
industry in real time. This chapter explores the world of
private equity and its growing influence in residential real
estate.
The Accelerating Transformation
By forcing the adoption of new technology and habits,
Covid-19 accelerated the real estate industry’s evolution,
catapulting it into a new era. The shift toward a new
stage fits a the innovation framework T3 Sixty developed
to analyze and describe the industry’s long-term
evolution and development. This chapter analyzes the
shift and outlines what to expect in Stage 10, which
began in the last year.
Top Executives in 2021 (SP 200)
Released annually in January, the first section of the Real Estate Almanac, Executives/Leaders (SP 200), ranks the most powerful and influential executives in the residential real estate industry.