A relentlessly sluggish housing market, escalating mortgage credit requirements, and the tsunami of licensees crowding an already crowded industry – have things happening quickly now.

Offices are closing. “Merger” (a BS term for an acquisition) activity is heightened. Agents are changing offices, aligning themselves, or perhaps bracing themselves, for the future. ZipRealty.com reported 2006 and first quarter 2007 losses in the millions. Tens of thousands of agents are “hanging” licenses, wallpapering companies like Keller Williams. Good companies are losing money.

The one thing I am certain about – this industry has been controlled for decades by approximately 20% of the people in it. They’ll stay, they’ll get better, and they’ll continue to do fine. In fact, I’m betting they’re going to do better than ever, which means a lot of agents are going to be doing less and less.

The May 1 issue of Out of the Box, will feature an article I've worked on for some time now, it will draw a pretty clear picture of what real estate will look like in the not too distant future. You might want to check it out.