What Zillow’s results reveal about its momentum toward Zillow 2.0

The coverage of Zillow’s latest results is fantastically uninspiring. Lots of big numbers, devoid of context. But when the dots are connected they reveal a rich story about the business’s evolution to Zillow 2.0. Continue reading

CoStar unlikely to dethrone Zillow in portal wars: DelPrete

Attempting to directly compete with market-leading real estate portals is an incredibly difficult proposition — with success unlikely. The smart challengers understand this game and how it’s played, not trying to overtake the leaders, but instead build… Continue reading

Compass, Redfin, and eXp are America’s next top brokerage models: DelPrete

A deeper look at the rapid rise of Compass, eXp Realty and Redfin reveals a trio of insightful growth stories — which may very well shape the future of America’s real estate landscape. Continue reading

How much are iBuyers paying for customer acquisition?

Over the past three years, the largest iBuyers — Opendoor, Zillow and Offerpad — have spent over $200 million advertising directly to consumers. That spend peaked in 2019 before slowing during the pandemic. Historically and today, Opendoor appears to b… Continue reading

IBuyers are willing to lose billions to gain market share: DelPrete

With 2020 firmly behind us, the world’s two largest iBuyers have released their full financial results for the year. Here’s a direct financial comparison of iBuyers Zillow versus Opendoor and an individual look at the key points of difference from 2019… Continue reading

US market data suggests a checkmark-shaped real estate recovery

The latest U.S. market data shines a light on what the dip and recovery will look like — a checkmark shape — with an immediate drop, three to four weeks at the bottom and a slow recovery period. Continue reading

Opendoor layoffs are a retreat not a defeat

Opendoor announced it’s laying off 35 percent of its workforce. The move, designed to give Opendoor more runway, increases its chances of survival, but it comes at a competitive cost. Continue reading

Several US markets see uptick in new listing volume

Several of the earliest hit U.S. markets, with the exception of New York City, have seen an uptick in new listing volumes over the past week. There is a hopeful possibility that activity has “bottomed out” and has started to slowly recover in those mar… Continue reading