Ardell DellaLoggia posted a very thoughtful argument today about Redfin’s obligation as a real estate broker (can a post be very thoughtful if it’s titled “Is Redfin a ‘slut’?” Apparently, yes). In it she argues that e-commerce companies exploit traditional providers’ service ethic, comparing Redfin to an Amazon that benefits when someone browses at Borders,… Read More
The aftermath of Redfin’s congressional testimony was initially rather ho-hum. My parents and their elderly dog fell asleep watching out for us on C-Span (in the middle of the day, actually). Chairman Bob Ney left a kind, careful message on my answering machine just a few days before announcing his retirement from Congress. A high… Read More
Redfin’s day in Congress was like a lot of days at Redfin: filled with swashbuckling controversy and juicy intrigue, unavoidably goofy and improvisational, tinged with a Quixotic sense of futility. Mostly it felt like a schoolday field-trip without a chaperone. Going to Congress was fun. The whole place seemed set to a music we couldn’t… Read More
In the early, crazy days of Redfin Direct, when the whole office went bananas every time we got an offer (which was usually bogus, and was often breathlessly announced in the middle of a meeting with skeptical venture capitalists), we encountered plenty of resistance from listing agents. Some called customers about to close on a… Read More