In 'Hate the Game', Daryl Fairweather applies high-level economic concepts such as game theory and behavioral economics to everyday life decisions, offering strategies for navigating career, relationships, and personal choices. The book combines personal anecdotes with historical and pop culture references to make economics accessible and empowering for readers.
Freakonomics is a collaboration between economist Steven D. Levitt and journalist Stephen J. Dubner that delves into the riddles of everyday life, from cheating and crime to parenting and sports. The book argues that economics is fundamentally the study of incentives and how people get what they want or need, especially when others want or need the same thing. It covers various topics such as the inner workings of a crack gang, the truth about real estate agents, and the secrets of the Ku Klux Klan, using forceful storytelling and wry insight to challenge conventional wisdom.
In this episode of the Top of Mind podcast, Mike Simonsen sits down with Dr. Daryl Fairweather, the chief economist for Redfin, to discuss the life and economic lessons in her new book, Hate the Game, and also dive into the latest data in the US housing market with Redfin’s unique point of view.
About Daryl Fairweather
Dr. Daryl Fairweather is the chief economist at Redfin and the author of the new book Hate the Game. At Redfin, she analyzes US housing markets and consumer behavior. She is a member of the advisory council of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas and was a former senior economist at Amazon. She is a regular contributor to Forbes, and she has been featured in 60 Minutes, Today, The New York Times, and Bloomberg, among other outlets. She has a degree from MIT and a PhD from the University of Chicago.
Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:
- What Beyoncé teaches us about game theory.
- What young buyers should know about buying a home
- Why the 2025 housing market theme is “disappointment”
- Why she thinks rents will start growing more expensive in 2026.
- Which homeowners and housing markets are facing the most distress now
- What Redfin’s “Buyer Demand Index” tells us about home sales for the rest of the summer
- Which signals to watch for a coming downturn
- What to know about millennial home buyers
- What happens to the housing market after 2030
Related to this episode:
Featuring Mike Simonsen, President of Altos
A true data geek, Mike founded Altos in 2006 to bring data and insight on the U.S. housing market to those who need it most. The company now serves the largest Wall Street investment firms, banks, and tens of thousands of real estate professionals around the country. Mike's insights on the market have been featured in Forbes, New York Times, Bloomberg, Dallas Morning News, Seattle PI, and many other national media outlets.
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About Altos
Each week, Altos tracks every home for sale in the country - all the pricing, and all the changes in pricing - and synthesizes those analytics to make them available before becoming visible through traditional channels.
Schedule a demo to see Altos in action. You can also get a copy of our free eBook: How To Use Market Data to Build Your Real Estate Business.
The Top of Mind podcast features top real estate industry insiders and experts to unpack the most important housing, real estate, mortgage data and trends that are shaping the housing market. Hosted by Altos founder Mike Simonsen and produced by the HousingWire Content Studio.
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