HomeServices CEO compares private listings to streaming wars
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- Chris Kelly, CEO of HomeServices of America, compared the fragmentation of private real estate listings to the streaming industry’s multiple platforms, questioning the benefit to consumers.
- Kelly criticized the private listing trend, arguing that forcing consumers to visit numerous platforms complicates the home search process.
- The comments were made at Inman Connect New York, amid an industry debate over brokers like Compass expanding private listing networks.
- Kelly emphasized that private listings can get in the way of a seamless consumer experience, challenging claims that buyers’ interests come first.
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On stage with Joe Skousen and Stuart Siegel, Chris Kelly compared private mentions to video streaming fragmentation.
Chris Kelly envisions a future where real estate listings resemble video streaming.
“We were all extremely excited to cut the cord,” the president and CEO of HomeServices of America said last month while standing onstage at Inman Connect New York. “When you finally did it, remember when you probably said to your friend or family, ‘I finally cut the cord, right?’ And now you have Apple TV, Disney Plus, Netflix, Paramount. The rest, Peacock. […] How many of you are now saying, “Can’t someone just bundle these things together in one place?”
The comments came amid a broader debate about private listings. Some brokers – most notably Compass, but others as well – have worked in recent years to build networks of listings that don’t immediately appear on multiple listing services or major portals like Zillow. And the rise of these networks has sparked much debate among industry professionals.
But during his appearance on Inman Connect, Kelly painted a negative picture of a future dominated by private listings.
‘Now I have to go […] There are 12 different places where I can watch the shows I want or the ads I think are for sale,” he said. “Tell me how that puts the consumer first or how that’s a better experience.”
Kelly appeared on stage with Stuart Siegel, president and CEO of Engel & Völkers Americas, and Joe Skousen, CEO of Inside Real Estate. Watch the full debate above.
