If you travel enough, it happens. You're browsing flights, feeling savvy and then you see a price that defies logic. A one-way ticket costs more than a return. A longer route is somehow cheaper. The same flight costs far less if you start in another city. It's confusing until you understand one thing: Airline pricing is not logical. It's psychological.
Beneath those headline numbers lies a more important strategic message for homebuilding leaders navigating 2026's high-rate, high-price, high-uncertainty environment: This is a year to decide not only what to lean into but what to step away from. Less than a decade ago, Taylor Morrison deliberately expanded its geographic footprint and product mix to compete across both discretionary move-up buyers and the entry-level, first-time segment. That diversification helped power years of growth. Now, management is signaling a pivot back toward core strengths.
Data continues to be a clear differentiator in real estate, especially for those who want to grow in 2026. As Dan Duffy, founder and CEO of United Real Estate Group, explains, leaders who have doubled down on the importance of data hold a significant advantage. Duffy will kick off the Housing Economic Summit on Feb. 10, offering a roadmap for how leaders should interpret and use the data presented throughout the day.
CEOs often expect nonstop growth without obstacles or adjustments. But this isn't realistic, and it puts a massive strain on teams to achieve unattainable goals. In this fast-paced world, customer preferences change, markets cycle, and trends come and go. Market segmentation is crucial for understanding your current prospects, their needs, pain points, and goals. Whether you need to stall or accelerate business growth, it's a very difficult decision you have to make, thinking of the long-term success of your company.
When it comes to market segmentation, I don't see truly well-documented cases often. At a more simplistic level, we think of classic matrices such as BCG or McKinsey's. But the real exercise of segmentation is far more complex. In certain contexts, it comes close to the behavior of a tensor: multiple dimensions, cross-dependencies, distinct weights, temporality, and contextual factors that shift the meaning of data depending on the axis being analyzed.
"News junkies are a valuable demographic for advertisers, demonstrating higher purchase intent and brand trust. The average purchase intent among news junkies is 66% −16 percentage points higher than the general population."