Compass Names Mike Simonsen as Chief Economist

With a track record of identifying real estate trends before they hit the headlines, industry-leading analyst joins Compass to deliver real-time insights that empower agents to better serve their clients as trusted advisors. Read the full press release below! Or check out the press release here

New York, NY – July 14, 2025 – Compass, the largest residential real estate brokerage in the United States by sales volume, today announces that Mike Simonsen has joined the company as its first-ever Chief Economist.

Simonsen is a respected entrepreneur who has spent the last 35 years building software and two decades dedicated to real estate data, helping people make sense of housing insights. 

At Compass, he will focus on helping agents and their clients better understand housing market analytics in real time.

"Mike is the best in the business at turning complex housing data into a clear advantage for agents," said Compass Founder & CEO Robert Reffkin. "Hiring him is a direct investment in our strategy to provide world-class market intelligence, empowering every Compass agent to serve their clients as the most informed, trusted advisor in their market and expand their business."

Simonsen was the Founder and CEO of Altos Research, which became a go-to source for timely, practical housing market data. Recognizing that most real estate data lags by weeks or even months, Altos pioneered real-time, weekly insights that gave real estate professionals and consumers a clearer picture of what was actually happening.

The company was acquired in 2022 by HW Media, publisher of HousingWire and RealTrends, where Simonsen continued to lead Altos as President and expanded its influence across the industry.

Over the years, Simonsen has been widely cited by major outlets, including The New York Times, The Atlantic, and Bloomberg, for his ability to spot trends early, particularly during pivotal moments in the market, such as the pandemic.

"I’ve spent 20 years helping agents cut through the noise of the real estate market. Joining Compass gives me an unparalleled opportunity to take that to the next level," said Simonsen. "I'm excited to combine my analysis with the real-time, boots-on-the-ground insights from Compass's tens of thousands of agents to create the most powerful and practical market intelligence in the industry. It’s about giving agents the insights to serve as trusted advisors and deliver the best outcomes for their clients.”

As Chief Economist, Simonsen will work cross-functionally across the company to help elevate Compass' market reports and power its data-driven content, with a focus on creating data-driven content and insights that enable agents to be the best advisors to their clients.

About Compass

Compass is the largest residential real estate brokerage in the United States by sales volume. Founded in 2012, Compass provides an end-to-end platform that empowers its residential real estate agents to deliver exceptional service to seller and buyer clients. The platform includes an integrated suite of cloud-based software for customer relationship management, marketing, client service, brokerage services and other critical functionality, all custom-built for the real estate industry. Compass agents utilize the platform to grow their business, save time and manage their business more effectively.