Context with Mike DelPrete

David Mele, president of Homes.com, and I discuss Dunkin Donuts coffee, post-acquisition growth, lead gen hell, the 97% opportunity, innovator's dilemma, exclusive content, strategic clarity, what's in Andy's head, and what he would do if he were Zillow's CEO.

Dan Duffy, CEO of United Real Estate Group, and I discuss United's quiet growth story, agent migration, fancy-pants MBAs, M&A breakage, the 3 attributes of a successful partner, cultural incongruity, CEO scar tissue, positive disruption, founder equity, Calvinball, and minding the value gap.

Glenn Sanford, CEO and founder of eXp Realty, and I discuss morning rituals, the push/pull of a down market, where ideas originate, game-changing tech, going against conventional wisdom, the power of pure-plays, overcoming a crisis of confidence, the sell-side pivot, and how to screw anything up.

Robert Reffkin, CEO and founder of Compass, and I discuss caffeination strategies, connectivity > productivity, how Compass became #1, learnings about building tech, 3 things agents care about most, what makes smart people stupid, sending messages back in time, and culture as a competitive advantage.

Steve “Capz” Capezza, president at Side and former SVP at Zillow, and I discuss brokerage learnings, the inertia of community, agent power, picking a funnel, full-contact leadership, what’s fueling Side’s best year, the future of brokerage, and the most impactful piece of tech in real estate.

Nick Boniakowski, head of agent partnerships at Opendoor, and I discuss what makes a perfect partnership, competitors + cooperators, agent realizations, what people don't know about Opendoor, why circumventing the agent is bad, going from a press release to a product, running towards new things, and being unpopular in a tough industry.

Nicole Reznik, a "Summer School" attendee, and I interview each other and discuss deflating idea balloons, insight immaculate conception, why Zillow is a reliable Honda, Napoleon's Peninsular War, and what gives me hope for the future.

Scott Wright, from RealTrends Consulting, conducts about 200 brokerage valuations each year -- so he has a lot of data. Scott and I discuss if it's a good time to be in the brokerage business, the golden age of acquisitions, industry and agent consolidation, margin compression, cost-cutting trends, and the importance of strong leadership.

Pritesh Damani, CTO of Real Brokerage, talks about what's driving exponential growth, why no one talked to him for eight months, building useful AI products, super boring tech, the #1 job of all brokerages, competing where he can win, and his biggest challenge of the past year.

Jason Lytz, COO of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Drysdale (1,200 agents), and I discuss the always-evolving brokerage model, how to get agents to use tech, innovation strategy, and staying focused on what matters.

Josh (former president and chief innovation officer at Keller Williams) and I talk about the role of technology in a rapidly shifting brokerage landscape. Recorded Feb 9, 2023.

My daughter and I discuss my recent research on brokerage growth metrics. We talk about the key differences between low-fee brokers and legacy brokerages, different growth rates (and causes), and the importance of momentum when thinking about data.

A discussion with Orly Ripmaster, Front Range president of Colorado brokerage Slifer Smith & Frampton. We cover the pressures and advantages of being an independent brokerage, lessons learned from agent recruiting, and the oh so important first mile and last mile problem.