About
Jason Beck, an Associate Professor of Economics at Georgia Southern University, is renowned for his expertise in applied microeconomics. His academic pursuits include areas like managerial economics, labor economics, health economics, and industrial organization. As the director of the Coastal Georgia Center for Economic Education, Beck’s dedication to research is evident in his endeavors to understand the intricacies of the American residential real estate brokerage market.
- Potentially influencing policy decisions addressing antitrust concerns in the US market
- Expanding research scope from 90 to 200 markets with Bright Data’s market leading web data technology.
Challenge
The American residential real estate brokerage market is fragmented, varying across cities, states, and zip codes. This division poses a challenge in assessing its competitiveness, especially in light of concerns about collusion and antitrust issues. The task of collecting data from public websites, such as Zillow and Realtor, has been further complicated due to preventative measures against data scraping. Beck, in his quest to understand this market, collaborated with The Bright Initiative. Leveraging Bright Data’s Custom Dataset, Beck was able to expand his research from 90 markets to 200, offering a more comprehensive view of the market’s competitiveness.
“If it wasn’t for The Bright Initiative, I would have never done this project or at least of this scale. I would have had to collect all this information by hand, which is completely impractical. However, I’ve got the public web data now, and when my research is complete it will be able to paint a pretty representative picture of the competitiveness of the US real estate market for everyone and anyone who is interested – benefiting consumers in the long-run and holding brokerage firms accountable to keeping the market competitive.”
Jason Beck, Associate Professor of Economics at Georgia Southern University
Impact
With the invaluable data provided by The Bright Initiative, Beck’s research is set to offer a much broader analysis of the competitiveness of the U.S. residential brokerage market. This research is not only pivotal for academic understanding but also holds significant implications for regulators, the U.S. Department of Justice, and other stakeholders. By addressing potential antitrust concerns and competitiveness in the market, the findings can influence policy decisions, ensuring a fair and competitive landscape for all market participants.
