We all know that the residential real estate industry is an excellent example of the Pareto principle – that 20% of real estate agents make 80% of the money. But until I saw this report from Real Trends and the Wall Street Journal, I didn’t realize how big the disparity between the top and bottom actually is. As you take a look at this list, keep in mind that the average Realtor® does about 7 transaction sides in a given year.

This list should be a motivator. These agents are clearly doing something right; rather, they are likely doing a lot of things right. Even in a down market, there is opportunity to learn and improve and ultimately close more transaction (unless you are Joe Kadaf from Dearborn Heights, Michigan of course).

As I was watching World Cup Soccer over the past few weeks, it dawned on me that soccer, when played at its highest level, is the ultimate team sport. Eleven men, playing together, to win together.

Sure, basketball and baseball and football are team sports as well. But more than any of those sports, you have to play together as a team to excel in soccer. In soccer, one player cannot take over. You don’t hear about a player being “on fire” and almost single-handedly carrying a team to victory.

Winning in soccer requires not playing as eleven highly skilled athletes, but rather as a single fluid team. Watching the highlights of the World Cup, one thing that stands out is that it is extremely difficult to create goals on your own. There’s almost always a well-timed pass and a question about being onside that leads to a spectacular goal.

That’s also why some highly ranked teams struggle in the World Cup. The individual players are amazing, but they are not used to playing together. They can’t anticipate each other’s moves. They don’t communicate well on the field. They simply are not working together as a single unit.

Watching the beauty of the World Cup was a refreshing change from my memories of soccer as a kid. Soccer, at the level I played, aka the lowest level, is eleven kids running around excitedly. I would chase the ball no matter where on the field it was. I would run right next to my teammates, instead of creating passing opportunities. And I’m pretty sure I even stole the ball from a teammate or two. The amount of duplicated effort and missed opportunities was amazing. Goals were only scored due to individual valiant efforts. But I was eight, and I had fun.

Spain, on the other hand, showed how to truly play together as a team. They allowed only two goals throughout the entire tournament! And the winning goal: A beautiful pass from Cesc Fabregas to Andres Iniesta. A question about being onside. And then a fantastic strike on goal. GGGGOOOOOOAAAAALLLLLL!

Congratulations to Spain. In the ultimate team sport, you were the ultimate team.

At Sliced Simple, we want to make real estate more of a team sport. Today, home buyers and their real estate agents are duplicating efforts and missing opportunities. By enabling buyers and their agents to work seamlessly together, we believe they can achieve spectacular goals.

A few months ago the hot topic seemed to be about the much intriguing shadow inventory. While we don’t really know the size of the shadow inventory and how many homes will be foreclosed, the current hot topic seems to be about home owners intentionally defaulting. These home owners are choosing to “strategically default” and using the money elsewhere, dangerously betting that it will take their lender a long time to evict them.

As is being reported in a number of places, it seems like this risky strategy may have just gotten riskier. There is some debate as to whether Fannie Mae will be able to legally carry through with their firm language, or if this will even have an impact on “strategic defaults”.

But we at Sliced Simple would rather not see any more defaults, strategically or not. Here’s to hoping that both sides can begin talking instead of posturing.

Everyone knows that buying and moving into your first home is a grand milestone. It is celebrated. Politicians subsidize it. Hollywood glamorizes it. Couples dream about it. After all, it’s part of the American Dream. But there are many people everyday making significant life changes and marking the occasion with a new home…not by buying a new house, but by renting a new apartment.

The New York Times calls it “The Major-Step-In-Life Apartment”, and it is a story I can relate to. Having lived in San Francisco and New York, buying a home is difficult unless you are willing to leave the city. Yet our lives continue to change, evolve, and grow in these bustling cities. Moving in together. Marriage. Kids. As my friends have reached various milestones in their lives, instead of leaving the city for suburban pastures, I’ve noticed that many of them have moved into their “Major-Step-In-Life Apartment”.

It may not be the glamorized Hollywood story of the new couple moving into their beautiful new home. But it is part of starting something new together. A way to celebrate a major life change. Building a home for both of you.

And in that respect, moving into your “Major-Step-In-Life Apartment” is just as much part of the American Dream.

As we work on improving the home buying and selling experience for real estate agents, buyers and sellers, we often end up discussing various tangential topics. One topic that always invokes spirited emotion from our group is around the idea of community.

When I was growing up, we lived in a suburban neighborhood. It wasn’t Pleasantville, and there weren’t any white picket fences. But we knew our neighbors. Actually, we didn’t just know them, we were friends. The parents would talk and help each other out. The kids knew each other and played in the street. We didn’t have a neighborhood watch group or a homeowners association, because we didn’t need them. Disputes were still settled. People still maintained their yards. Neighbors still watched out for strangers. And not because they were told to or because of a possible fine from the homeowners association, but because we were part of a community.

Over the years, despite the reduction in privacy on the internet, people seem to have clung to their privacy at home. As I look around, I feel that that sense of community that was there when I was a child isn’t quite as strong. Sure, you might know your neighbors? But are you friends? Would you let them take care of your kids? Do you invite them over for dinner? Do you know the people in the home three houses down?

Neighborhoods now have groups and associations and rules. Which makes me wonder how to interpret this recent New York Times article describing how neighborhoods are creating communities…online.

Is this just savvy Marketing on the part of developers? Is this just further indication that people are willing to connect online, but not outside their home? Is this what community now means? I hope not.