The Padres, the Data, and Why We Do What We Do
Not gonna lie. I woke up feeling sad and listened to breakup music all day. I'm starting to recover.
We are all transplant San Diegans here at Sold by Data. We sat in the nosebleeds for game 2 of the Wild Card sweep, (still in the nosebleeds) game 3 win of the NLDS, and even waved those yellow towels from home during game 4 when the hope was slowly circling the drain.
Like a lot of San Diego, we're still rehashing the series, the incredible run, and what could have been.
And as we talked through it, something kept coming up: the data told a story, too. And they’re gonna use that data for next season.
So it got us thinking.
The difference between what happened and what the numbers tell us.
When you're emotionally invested in something, it's hard to separate the outcome from everything that led up to it.
We remember the HUGE moments, the ones that made us believe this was it.
Merrill sliding to catch the bombs left and right that would’ve gone into the gaps. Not to mention the “Goddammit Merrill” from Pat Murphy. WILD.
Bogaerts' run to third and crazy reflexes to avoid getting hit by a broken bat and then jumping over the grounder. Then to even have the wherewithal to see the errant throw to 1st and make it home. INSANE.
Tatis stealing 2nd, 3rd, and HOME and we could all imagine the third base coach with hands up going, "Tati's gonna do what he's gonna do." ABSOLUTE MADNESS.
The missed opportunities. The plays that changed everything *cough* the roof *cough* Mitchell robbing Manny.
But one outcome doesn't tell the whole story. It’s a collection. The Brewers chipped away at hits, got on base, stole and their pitching and bullpen were solid.
Data doesn't guarantee a different outcome. But it can help you make more informed decisions about what comes next.
And honestly, that's a big part of why we're building Sold by Data.
Selling a home is emotional.
It's one of the biggest financial decisions us regular folk will make and there's a lot riding on it.
When it's time to choose a listing agent, it's easy to focus on the things we can see and feel: the personality, the presentation, the beautiful and glossy marketing brochure, or the price someone says they can get for your home.
Those things can matter. But they don't tell you everything.
What does the agent's actual track record look like?
How many homes have they closed in the last five years?
How long do their listings typically take to sell?
How often do their listings fail to sell?
And how do their final sale prices compare with their original asking prices?
These numbers can reveal patterns that a polished listing presentation might not.
No single metric tells the whole story either. A home's condition, location, pricing strategy, current market conditions, and other factors all play a role. That's why context matters just as much as the numbers themselves.
The goal isn’t to take the human out of real estate. (Dave, Matt, and I are real humans.)
It's the opposite. We're interested in the relationship between performance and the outcome.
We think homeowners deserve to understand the numbers behind one of their biggest financial decisions. They deserve to get the data that has been hiding behind a wall that only industry people have had access to. They deserve to be able to read it and make informed decisions behind that gut feeling or promise.
Data won't make every decision for you. And it really shouldn't.
The point is not to find one magic number, but to help homeowners ask better questions and make decisions with more information.
That's why we're doing what we're doing at Sold by Data.
We'll be back next season.
The Padres gave us A LOT to cheer for this season. And even though we didn’t finish the way we wanted, there's still a lot to appreciate about the amazing run.
Now comes the part where the team looks back, studies the numbers, makes decisions, and figures out how to come back stronger.
We'll be doing our own version of that here at Sold by Data, helping San Diego homeowners look beyond the sales pitch and understand what the data can tell them before choosing a listing agent.
And we'll see you next season, Padres. We are Friar Faithful. 🤎💛 (I say this every season.)