Greetings, All:
Many of you know that my real estate journey began over 30 years ago—but the story really starts well before that. In 1954, my grandfather opened Dick Chin Realty right in the heart of San Francisco’s Chinatown. He built a business that combined real estate and insurance sales, and later passed it on to my father, Richard, who carried the torch with pride.
Encouraged by a friend, after college I decided to get my real estate license—and never looked back. Three generations of Realtors in San Francisco, all doing business in much the same way: meet with a client, show them homes or list theirs for sale, coordinate with the bank and title company, and close the deal.
Back in my grandfather’s day, offers were sometimes scrawled on restaurant napkins and finalized with a quick phone call to a lender. Deals were made with a handshake, and the paperwork came after. When I started out, contracts had evolved to a single page. If I was representing a buyer, I’d fill in the blanks, have the client sign, and then drive across town to personally present the offer to the listing agent and seller.
I’d wait in the office lobby, then head into the conference room to make my pitch. If the offer was accepted, I’d stick around while the paperwork was signed. If not—or if other offers were in play—I’d drive back to my office and wait by the phone. No cell phones. No fax machines. Just handwritten messages from the receptionist left neatly on our desks.
Finding listings meant flipping through the MLS book—a hefty, encyclopedia-sized volume delivered monthly. Black-and-white exterior photos and brief descriptions were all we had to work with.
And staging? It wasn’t a thing. Buyers saw homes exactly as the sellers lived in them. I’d gently suggest taking down family photos and clearing the surfaces of excessive tchotchkes, but not everyone listened. Sometimes, a room remained just as cluttered as it began—despite my best efforts.
Flash forward to 2016. Natalie, Emily and I were swayed by Compass CEO Robert Reffkin to join this new real estate startup. “If Apple decided to go into real estate, what would that look like?”
In short order, Compass became the nation’s leading real estate company, and we’re very proud to have witnessed this growth from the get-go. And here, ladies and gentlemen, is what Compass is rolling out now. May I introduce…Compass One.
“Buying, selling, or renting a home can be stressful and confusing – but it doesn’t have to be. Compass One is the first-ever, all-in-one client dashboard designed to keep agents and clients seamlessly connected before, during, and after every transaction – all within the Compass platform. Compass One showcases our value well beyond facilitating transactions: it reinforces your agent’s role as trusted, full-service real estate advisors, providing clients with expert guidance at every stage of homeownership. It starts with a first-of-its-kind client dashboard that puts everything you need – exclusive Compass listings, essential documents, key resources, and a seamless step-by-step timeline – right at your fingertips. Whether you’re buying, selling, or renting, Compass One keeps you informed, empowered, and supported at every stage of homeownership.”
Click on the link and check out the video. Pretty, prettyy, prettyyyy pretty neat — Compass One.
We’re excited to implement Compass One moving forward. Naturally there will be a learning curve, but wowza, this is definitely not my granddad’s real estate business.
Till next month,
Derek, Emily, Natalie, Mo & Arwin
