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11/7/21, 3:21 PM Real Estate Is On Threshold Of A “Moneyball” Moment

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2021/08/20/real-estate-is-on-threshold-of-a-moneyball-moment/?sh=56ff9a9d751b 1/5

Small Business

Real Estate Is On Threshold Of A

“Moneyball” Moment

Aug 20, 2021, 08:30am EDT | 1,129 views

Michael Bourque Forbes Councils Member Forbes Business Council COUNCIL POST | Membership (Fee-Based)

Michael is Chief Executive Officer of LendingHome.

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Real estate has begun to undergo the same sort of radical disruption that

brought profound changes to the auto industry, credit cards, insurance and

even Major League Baseball.

An information revolution isn’t responsible. Neither is artificial intelligence

(AI) or quantitative analysis, a la “Moneyball.” Driving this massive change

11/7/21, 3:21 PM Real Estate Is On Threshold Of A “Moneyball” Moment

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is the merging of all three factors. This is the same kind of convergence that

disrupted and transformed other financial sectors, including payments

(PayPal, Square), personal loans (Lending Club, Upstart), student loan

financing (Sofi) and retirement investment (Personal Capital).

AI’s introduction into real estate has been closely covered by the media, but

what hasn’t received enough attention is the scope, the sheer breadth of the

transformation that’s on the horizon. If real estate follows the same course

as the aforementioned sectors, I believe the technologists and entrepreneurs

who build innovative new real estate solutions, as well as their investors,

stand to forever redefine the industry. The size of the opportunity can’t be

overstated.

Zillow, the web real estate marketplace, reported that the value of U.S.

housing grew by nearly $2.5 trillion in 2020, driving the total worth of U.S.

housing stock to $36.2 trillion. In May, Zillow reported that three-quarters

of homes (76%) were on the market in April for less than a month before

being listed as pending, and nearly half (47%) were on the market less than

a week.

The good news for consumers is that data-driven analysis will also bring

more benefits in the form of a more efficient, transparent and cost-effective

real estate market. If history is a reliable indicator, those companies in real

estate who possess access to the greatest amounts of high-quality data and

do the best job of interpreting that data will almost always fare better than

those who rely on old-school, outdated methods.

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11/7/21, 3:21 PM Real Estate Is On Threshold Of A “Moneyball” Moment

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2021/08/20/real-estate-is-on-threshold-of-a-moneyball-moment/?sh=56ff9a9d751b 3/5

Quants team with techies to create a revolution.

To understand how real estate arrived at this point, it might be helpful to

watch the hit 2011 film Moneyball, starring Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill. The

story chronicles the pioneering efforts by the Oakland A’s baseball team to

build a winning club through the use of statistical analysis. The A’s made the

playoffs in 2002 and 2003 while spending far less than rivals to acquire

players.

With the help of quantitative analysis, the team stripped away flawed

thinking about the playing skills that should be valued and, by doing this,

dramatically changed the game. This example of how data analysis

improved and reshaped an industry is likely the most famous but not the

first. Following World War II, a group of experts often referred to as

“quants” helped turn around a then struggling Ford Motor Co.

Quantitative analysis relies on mathematical and statistical techniques to

identify and predict trends, help determine the allocation of resources and

11/7/21, 3:21 PM Real Estate Is On Threshold Of A “Moneyball” Moment

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assess operational performance. This kind of analysis isn’t new to real

estate, but several events supercharged the number crunching.

An ocean of data pertaining to real estate became available when municipal

governments began posting this kind of information to the internet. New

services have emerged that aggregate the data. That, combined with the

significant increase of information made available about consumers, means

we possess far more knowledge regarding property values, home buyers,

renters, commercial property and mortgage rates, as well as some things you

might not expect, such as the value of chimneys, granite countertops and

mahogany doors.

In business today, knowledge truly is power.

Vast quantities of housing information have existed for generations, but the

volume made it nearly impossible to work with. AI tools help change that.

They can scour mountains of data to unearth critical revelations. As a result,

AI has become the nexus between data and decisions. You may possess piles

of information, but if you can’t translate that information and turn it into

action, you have nothing.

If you’re a technologist, the CEO of a real estate company or an investor, you

might be wondering about the tools needed to participate in real estate’s AI

revolution?

For starters, you’ll need the money and other resources required to collect

and store enormous amounts of information. For example, everywhere you

connect with a customer, the data must be collected and stored. Then you

need to hire the people who can manage the data and extract value from it.

This isn’t easy. Skilled machine learning engineers are tremendously sought

after, and typically don’t come cheap. But if you find them, odds are they’ll

be worth every cent.

11/7/21, 3:21 PM Real Estate Is On Threshold Of A “Moneyball” Moment

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Finally, to reap the full value of AI and data analytics you must have the

courage to act on the insights that they yield. I’m not trying to be dramatic. I

truly believe this is one of the reasons some companies fail with AI.

Returning to the Moneyball example, the Oakland A’s weren’t the only team

with access to the data and analytical tools the A’s used to win, but they were

the ones who had the courage to act on it.

Because decision-making within companies frequently involves culture and

belief systems, sometimes the revelations AI uncovers contradict

leadership’s instincts or preconceived notions. In those cases, managers

must decide who they’re going to trust.

If you’re going to go with your gut, then don’t waste your money on data.

You’re better off just doing what you’ve always done. Be warned though, it’s

my experience that those who embrace data can be a step ahead at spotting

trends, market shifts and discovering opportunities. Ask yourself if you want

to be the Oakland A’s of your business sector, creating unique value and

performance, or one of the traditionalist teams that spent more and won

less.

Forbes Business Council is the foremost growth and networking

organization for business owners and leaders. Do I qualify?

Follow me on LinkedIn. Check out my website.

Michael Bourque

Michael is Chief Executive Of�cer of LendingHome. Read Michael Bourque's full

executive pro�le here.

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