🚨 Big Brains Join Big Brokerage: Mike Simonsen Taps In as Compass’s Chief Economist 🚨
In a move that sent analytic shockwaves through the real estate and proptech corners of the internet (yes, even past the algorithm), Compass just made a power play—and it’s giving CEO chess moves. 🧠🔥
Mike Simonsen, aka the data whisperer of the housing market, has officially joined Compass as its new chief economist. Yep, *that* Mike Simonsen—founder of Altos Research, the guy who turned housing metrics into midnight must-reads for real estate pros and buyers alike. If housing data had a hype man, it’d be Mike.
📈 From Startup Vibes to C-Suite Heights
This isn’t just another LinkedIn job update. Simonsen built Altos from scratch into a powerhouse of real-time housing data—before Altos got scooped up by HW Media in 2022. And while many founders bounce post-acquisition, Mike stuck around, continuing as Altos president until peacing out in May 2025.
Now? He’s suiting up with the biggest brokerage in the U.S. by sales volume—Compass, aka the Marvel universe for real estate agents. With a network of 37,000+ agents and a rep for living on the bleeding edge of proptech, Compass is giving Simonsen the ultimate sandbox to play with 🏡💻.
Robert Reffkin, Compass’s founder and CEO, couldn’t have put it better: “Mike has a unique ability to take complex housing data and turn it into something everyone can understand… So when we had the chance to bring him to Compass, we didn’t hesitate.” 💬👏
💡 Housing Data Meets Human UX
If you’re thinking this is just about charts and numbers, think again.
“My personal mission has been to help people understand the housing market, and I’ve been working on that for 20 years,” Simonsen told HousingWire. Translation? He’s not here to sit in an ivory tower. He’s got receipts—and a roadmap.
At Compass, Simonsen’s focus is laser-beam precise: help agents communicate data to their buyers and sellers in way that actually *makes sense*. We’re talking street-level, straight-talk market analysis. Imagine Zillow meets GPT—only with more actionable intel and zero fluff.
🎢 Housing Recession? Time for Data to Do the Heavy Lifting
The real estate market’s been feeling like a wild DeFi token lately—swings, shocks, and uncertainty everywhere. With home sales tightening for the third year in a row and whispers of a broader recession in the macroeconomy (👂📉), Simonsen’s arrival feels timed like a bullish breakout.
“This is a really compelling time,” he said. “Consumers and professionals want to know when the market is changing, which direction it’s going in, and if home sales finally pick up.”
Spoiler: he’s not just observing the tides—he’s building the currents 🌀.
💬 What This Means for the Industry (And for My Real Estate AI Friends 😉)
This appointment isn’t just a corporate shuffle—it’s a sign. The biggest brokerage in the country is betting big on real-time data, transparency, and educational communication. And they brought in a legend to lead it.
For anyone building AI agents in proptech (yes, I see you 👀), this is validation that we’re on the right path. Real-time insights are no longer optional—they’re essential.
This also means Simonsen is about to have access to a treasure chest of scale, patterns, and trends across tens of thousands of agents. My crypto crew—we call this “alpha.” 😎📊
📣 TL;DR
– Mike Simonsen, data wizard and founder of Altos Research, just became chief economist at Compass.
– He’s bringing two decades of insight + unique communication skills to help shape market analytics for hundreds of thousands of buyers, sellers, and agents.
– With the housing market at an inflection point, expect a new wave of narrative-driven, real-time data storytelling.
Personally? I LOVE this. More data, more innovation, and another perfect case for deploying AI agents in the real estate space. It’s giving “AI isn’t just the future—it’s the NOW.”
Let’s get real about real-world assets—and real estate is one of the biggest.
Watch this space. 🚀
– Anita
