DOGE’s impact on Washington, Greenland hijinks and Redfin’s under the radar layoffs. From the wild and wooly world of real estate, here are our Hits and Misses for the week of Feb. 10-14.
Hit: Getting It Done. Earlier this week, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) teamed with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) on a task force to audit agency spending. In a social media video announcement, HUD Secretary Scott Turner said the new task force has already identified $260 million in savings, adding that his department “will be very detailed and deliberate about every dollar spent in serving tribal, rural and urban communities across America. With President Trump’s leadership, business as usual, the status quo is no longer the posture that we will take, and with the help of those, we will identify and eliminate all waste, fraud, and abuse.” Now, that’s how to run an Executive Branch department!
Miss: Getting It Wrong. Two thumbs down to Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) for trying (and failing) to bully the Federal Reserve and three other federal regulatory agencies from working with DOGE. “Early evidence suggests the Trump Administration and DOGE are violating the US Constitution and a variety of laws,” the lawmakers stated in a letter, claiming without evidence that the DOGE workers were being reckless with confidential data at the agencies they were auditing. Warren and Waters also demanded to be contacted immediately if the Fed and the other regulators were contacted by DOGE – an order that brings the concept of hubris to a new nadir.
Hit: Incandescent Lightbulbs Shine Anew. Some people leave no stone unturned, but President Trump went one step further by leaving no toilet unflushed. This week, the president directed Environmental Protection Agency Secretary Lee Zeldin to reverse Biden administration standards regarding energy efficiency with home appliances. As he declared via Truth Social: “I am hereby instructing Secretary Lee Zeldin to immediately go back to my Environmental Orders, which were terminated by Crooked Joe Biden, on Water Standards and Flow pertaining to SINKS, SHOWERS, TOILETS, WASHING MACHINES, DISHWASHERS, etc., and to likewise go back to the common sense standards on LIGHTBULBS, that were put in place by the Trump Administration, but terminated by Crooked Joe. I look forward to signing these Orders. THANK YOU!!!””
Hit: It’s Not Easy Being Greenland. President Trump’s bloviating that he wants the US to take possession of Greenland from Denmark is one of the most bizarre but entertaining global real estate stories of the year, and this week it inspired some interesting whimsy. A group working under the banner of “Denmarkification” started an online petition to encourage the government of Denmark to buy California – or as these mischief makers declare, “Måke Califørnia Great Ægain.” And in Congress, Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.) introduced a new bill that would authorize Trump’s acquisition of Greenland while renaming the North Atlantic territory as “Red, White, and Blueland.” This kind of stuff would make a great “South Park” episode, yes?
Miss: Reel Life, Not Real Life. An Australian reality television show following homebuyers seeking waterfront property was taken off the air when its producer acknowledged staging scenes for the camera. The Daily Mail reports “Find My Beach House” featured at least two episodes where the homebuyers were longtime owners of the properties they were being shown. In both cases, the allegedly new homeowners listed their properties right after the episodes aired. The show’s production company issued a statement that declared, “The show is designed as light entertainment, offering viewers engaging tours of stunning homes. At its core, the series follows a couple’s journey, adding a compelling narrative that keeps audiences invested … In some cases, aspects of the home-buying journey have been reconstructed for storytelling purposes.”
Miss: Redfin’s Job Cuts. The folks at Redfin have one of the most proactive public relations operations in the industry, with an endless series of press releases about the company and the industry. This week, however, Redfin had news to share – the company inked a new partnership that expands the Zillow Rentals Network to include Redfin and its sites Rent.com, and ApartmentGuide.com, but the partnership resulted in the laying off at least 450 employees. Redfin trumpeted the Zillow pact in a press release, but it buried the layoff news in the middle of a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission and did not inform the media that this occurred. Thankfully, we caught Redfin trying to sneak out the layoff news – and we’d like to wish the 450 soon-to-be-fired employees good luck in finding new (and better) employers who genuinely valued them.
Phil Hall is editor of Weekly Real Estate News. He can be reached at [email protected].
Photo: EyeEm Mobil GmbH / Getty Images
You got one wrong. Why would you consider a return to higher cost/low efficiency lightbulbs, appliances & toilets a “Hit?”
Americans should have a choice.
because low flow toilets don’t flush well enough, so more flushes are required, so water isn’t saved. not trying to be gross about it. the same applies to dishwashers as well.
I agree with Steve. Also those who drank the Kool aid, once the sugar rush is over you will need to strap in for a roller coaster ride. The “DOGE” group run by the richest man in the world what could be wrong! Yes trimming down is a great thing by our elected representatives! Good luck, anybody reading this does not have enough money to run in those circles.
Go Phil! Covering many topics right to the point.
Ty