The Insider: Issue 015

What do carbs have to do with real estate, branding and marketing? Be sure to read to the end to find out.

Last Week This Week

Not a big real estate news week, tbh.

There was a bit of funding news, to which, as Brian noted in his Friday Flash, we have become somewhat numbed.

The sizzling market seems to be dialing itself back to merely “hot,” which some people claimed to want desperately, until now, when it’s happened, and they’re freaked out by the lessening sizzle.

So let’s play around with looking forward then, OK? Casually, like we’re grabbing a drink at a conference and chewing the fat.

We’d throw these baseless speculative nuggets at you...

It’s been 10 months since CoStar scooped up HomeSnap and 5 months since they bought Homes.com. Thinking about the product discussions that have been going on over there makes our heads hurt, but we think we’re overdue for some big news. NAR annual is coming up...

Feels to us like Zillow isn’t going to sit back and let Opendoor be the iBuyer category leader much longer. ZG has been pretty darn quiet of late too. Our random guess: they’re getting ready to announce a cash offer program that’s tightly integrated with their cadre of Premiere Agents, betting that this service, presented correctly, complements the Zillow Offers product.

We’re in for a post-pandemic (assuming we get to an inarguably “post” state of affairs) Realtor crash. Not a market crash, but a steep pullback on the rising tide of agents. This is a good thing, unless you’re NAR, in which case, you want a zillion members kinda-sorta behind you as you enter a mortal struggle with the United States government.

Another drink?

Have You Heard About This?

Seeking Alternatives
A plethora of options is either the best part of modern life or the worst, depending on your viewpoint and disposition. Regardless, we love the idea behind the site, AlternativeTo, which uses the tagline, “Crowdsourced software recommendations” to succinctly explain what they do. You can type in a software you use or are researching and it’ll show you a number of options that offer similar features and functionality. Nifty little tool for those seeking alternatives or researching possible competitors.

What's Inside

In case you missed it, check out the recording of last week’s Floor Time on NFTs. We were joined by a panel of experts who helped take some of the mystery out of this confusing topic.

Coming up this week: a brand new 3 Things featuring the CEO of the largest independently owned real estate brokerage in the Gulf South.

Also, mark your calendars now for a Live Webinar on September 30th, where Brian Boero will share his thoughts on the current state of the industry.

Inspiration Point

Truth Is Sweetest
How do you market a doughnut in a world that’s become much more interested in healthy eating? According to Krispy Kreme, you tell the truth. We admire the print ad pictured above for two reasons: 1) It dares to admit its own downfalls, thereby creating a relatable point with even the healthiest of eaters. 2) It dares to use long-form copy (and very well) in a world that’s tried to convince us no human left on earth has the attention span to read this much. (Btw, that is a total lie. Jessica hasn’t had a doughnut in three years, read the entire ad in one sitting, and is now convinced she must eat one to ensure she will not be struck by lightning anytime soon.)

Humor’s Hard
When it comes to humor, there is no try. See, when you try too hard, it’s not funny, and can even be quite sad. That’s why we wanted to give a little shoutout to agent, Matt Lionetti, from The Agency for his feel-good Instagram reels. This one, in particular, hit us in the Gen X funny bone. Enjoy!

 

Quote of the week

"Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind.”

— Rudyard Kipling