We’ve entered the “Room Where It Happens” moment in real estate. But the question is: are the people in the room building something better? or just solving one problem with another?
The discussion surrounding industry consolidation and disruption is focused on brokerage dominance, market share, and shareholder value. But the real forces shaping the future of housing aren’t getting nearly enough attention: affordability, supply, reducing friction, and true consumer choice. The things that make homeownership possible, not just profitable.
The Walled Gardens
When a handful of companies carve up inventory into private, fragmented ecosystems and mega conglomerates, it’s hard to see how that benefits consumers. We’ve watched real estate portals transform into pay-to-play lead generation machines, selling access back to the very agents who source inventory in the first place. Now, brokerage consolidation and walled gardens of inventory threaten to do the same to housing itself, turning access to inventory into a game of exclusivity. If listings are increasingly kept off the open market, buyers aren’t just competing on price; they’re competing for visibility. And in a market like that, fewer people get a fair shot at homeownership. That’s not progress, that’s regression. And it raises serious equal housing opportunity concerns.
Redirect Energy Toward Impactful Innovation
Meanwhile, the sheer amount of energy being funneled into CCP debates, portal wars, and brokerage land grabs is staggering. Imagine if even a fraction of that focus went toward actual solutions, such as companies tackling affordability, access, and innovation. Take Nestment, for instance, making first-time home buying accessible through co-buying. Or companies pioneering modular construction, simplifying transactions and workflows for associates, new financing models, or zoning reform.
Where’s the industry roundtable on putting the power of flipping homes, post-sale support, and long-term service into the hands of consumers and associates instead of institutional buyers? We’ve spent years watching investors scoop up affordable housing stock, renovate it for profit, and price out everyday buyers. What if instead of playing defense against corporate consolidation, the industry invested in models that put wealth-building and property improvement directly into the hands of those who actually live in these homes?
Building a Market for Those That Need it Most
Real estate has always been about people, not just transactions. But right now, it feels like the industry is doubling down on control over collaboration, exclusivity over access. The strongest companies should win, but the best solutions should too. If we keep focusing only on who controls the inventory and data, we might wake up to a system that locks more people out than it lets in.
A company with exclusive-locked content doesn’t create more supply or suddenly slash transaction costs – but it can gain more power to set the rules in its favor. Confusing power plays for actual progress is dangerous. The best way to win the future of real estate isn’t by keeping it locked in the past or trading one problem for another. It’s by building a market that actually works for the people who need it most.
— Madeline Mordarski is the Chief Marketing Officer at The Keyes Company, Florida’s largest independent real estate brokerage. She drives enterprise marketing strategy, partnering with executive leadership to accelerate growth, strengthen brand equity, and fuel innovation across all business lines. She has been named an Inman Future Real Estate Leader, an RISMedia Futurist, a Top Coach by Agent Magazine, and a Top 50 Marketer by OnCon. She holds a BA in Strategic Communication from The Ohio State University and an MBA from Regent’s University London.