Comments on: Redfin Exposes Its Culture

By: Benn Rosales

Benn Rosales — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 14:44:24 +0000

Thomas, that poor poor nail you just hit on the head…

By: Thomas Johnson

Thomas Johnson — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 14:00:35 +0000

No revolution was ever conducted where the revolutionaries had more money than the target of the revolt. There is such a disconnect between Redfin’s poor mouth rhetoric and the reality of having $20 million of other peoples’ money in the business. The evil empire (Realogy/NRT) was built by smart investors buying businesses that had been created by individuals from blood, sweat and tears. Redfin is just trying to buy enough revenue so that they can flip the company to another web buyer or an IPO.

I have to wonder if Kelman is suicidal. If his “revolution” succeeds,in driving commission rates down, how is he going to pay the rebate and salaries and benefits? I don’t think listing brokers are going to take a pay cut as a donation to the revolution or Kelman’s VC masters’ enrichment.

I imagine that Redfin is shopping the technology platform to major brokers a la eRealty.com’s sale to Prudential.

By: Jonathan Dalton

Jonathan Dalton — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 16:33:29 +0000

Benn – I’m the fat guy, man, not the kids. When you go three spins, you may as well have fun with it.

By: Matthew Rathbun

Matthew Rathbun — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 15:08:44 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Isc0uPjXiFI

By: Benn Rosales

Benn Rosales — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 13:39:14 +0000

Ki, I absolutely agree. You and I being in the same market can testify that even in a small city the pond is deep enough for just about any brand, niche and model. I for one am a great fan of choice over an everything looks alike landscape.

I’m wondering if you have a sense of whether Redfin can turn the tide and drop the revolution and be wildly successful as I do?

By: Late Night Austin Real Estate

Late Night Austin Real Estate — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 13:29:54 +0000

I think its a positive to have other companies out there like redfin. I think full service reputation is worth it but I dont have a problem with consumers having a choice. I don’t understand why Redfin has a need to attack realtors. I also think a lot of the investors in these companies have been duped. Did they realize that this “revolutionary” concept had already been tried multiple times and never got the huge returns I am sure they all hoped for.

By: Benn Rosales

Benn Rosales — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 13:18:58 +0000

@Jeff Very solid comparison in every way. But I am damn near positive you and I each could down a home on our change from Starbucks. Come on!

@Ines One of the things I dislike most about the online real estate community is the need to self-sell while commenting or blogging. About how folks cannot resist the opportunity to say how “everyone else sucks but me.” The generalization is being used every day to discredit the profession and I for one get sick to my stomach at the first sign of it in a post or comment. I’ve learned that it is next to impossible to have an honest dialogue on anything anymore.

As to your comment, you and I are exactly on the same page.

@Jonathan I’d never have used the fat kid analogy, nor put anyone in a figure 4 but damn I should have. It’s absolutely dead on.