Let’s try something new. I’m joined by Carey Armstrong for a deep dive on Redfin — the business, the model, and the legacy. With Redfin’s acquisition by Rocket, one chapter closes and another begins, so let’s see what we can learn.Over an hour and forty minutes, we unpack Redfin’s history, do a deep dive into the business model(s), discuss key challenges and structural issues, and wrap it all up with some timeless lessons learned.Among other things, we talk about:The vision behind the employee-agent modelWhy Redfin never really scaled profitablyThe consumer site everyone loved — but didn’t monetizeBig bets on rentals and mortgage that didn’t pay offAnd what happens when you try to do everything at onceThis is the first long-form podcast I've done. Let me know what you think!
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1:41:10
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1:41:10
Varun Krishna: How Do I Get You A Loan
Varun Krishna, CEO of Rocket, and I discuss when to pick up your phone in the morning, being a newcomer to the housing industry, what he wishes he knew when he joined Rocket, the industry’s adversarial dynamic, AI as the removal of experience, why he got the top job, structuring the org chart to match strategy, different vs. better, the art of customer-driven innovation, and how to get big companies to innovate.
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27:51
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27:51
Levent Künzi: Aiming for #1 in Switzerland
Levent Künzi, CEO at Switzerland’s Properti, and I discuss disruption and data limitations in European markets, sustainable growth, going against the grain of an end-to-end ecosystem, moving faster with more focus, international inspiration, permanently improving yourself, generating seller leads, why brand is so important, and exclusive listings in the Swiss portal landscape.
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26:38
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26:38
Lisa Farrar: The Hemnet Strategy
Lisa Farrar, COO at Sweden’s leading real estate portal Hemnet, and I discuss starting your day with a forest run and swim, the importance of clarity in strategy, Hemnet’s top KPIs, balancing demands of different customer groups, partnering with agents, balancing a portal’s role in exclusive listings, copying with pride, a specific product f*ck up, and moving fast vs. moving perfectly.
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27:43
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27:43
Lukas Rose: Exclusive Inventory in Europe
Lukas Rose, CEO of Germany’s ProperBird, and I discuss the exclusive inventory power dynamics across Europe, how it encourages competition, the U.S. being the exception and not the rule, how to monetize home seekers, why tech adoption is so slow, killing new ideas, and why an agent’s top lead sources are his dog, his kids, and firefighters.Here's the research I mention: Scout24: Growing a New Consumer Revenue Stream
Netherlands