For decades, the real estate transaction—with full-service agents and relatively stable commission rates—has been one of the most consistent fixtures of the American housing market. Sellers built it into their expectations, buyers believed in it, and agents themselves defended both the fees and the model as pro-consumer. But now, the traditional real estate agent structure—and…

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Editor’s note: The COURT REPORT is RISMedia’s weekly look at current and upcoming lawsuits, investigations and other legal developments around real estate. CRMLS-affiliated vendor REcore and CoStar lawsuit quickly resolved CRMLS, the second-largest MLS in the country sued CoStar on Oct. 21 over a dispute related to an alleged breach of contract with its licensing…

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Uncertainty is in the air as the government shutdown persists, with many on edge waiting for the Federal Reserve’s next meeting and a potential interest rate cut. Despite the delay of most government data releases that help the Fed determine rate cut decisions, the latest Consumer Price Index—an inflation gauge from the Bureau of Labor…

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A protracted legal battle over whether real estate professionals can create and share floor plans when marketing homes finally ended Monday after the Supreme Court declined to revisit an appellate court’s decision allowing the practice. The high court’s refusal to hear the case reconfirms the January ruling from the Eighth U.S. District Court of Appeals…

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Prior to the summer of 2024, home sellers were typically responsible for paying the commission for both their own agent and the buyer’s agent, and both sides of the transaction usually involved a traditional full-service agent. Agent commissions also remained (somewhat) consistent, generally hovering around 5% – 6% of a home’s sales price. Following the…

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Homes.com and CoStar Group have become embroiled in another lawsuit, this time as the defendants, over an alleged breach of contract. REcore Solutions LLC—the vendor who provides licensing services for California Regional Multiple Listing Service (CRMLS) and other MLSs—announced it has filed a lawsuit in San Bernardino County against Homes.com and its parent company CoStar…

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Real estate agents spend hours planning social posts—Instagram carousels, TikToks, Reels, etc.—but sometimes overlook one of the simplest ways to build visibility online: commenting.  Intentional, authentic engagement in the comment section can do more for your reach and reputation than yet another meticulously planned post or yet another Canva graphic. Here’s why it matters, and…

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In a statement released this morning, the National Association of Realtors® (NAR) appeared to defer on the question of whether Zillow’s new ChatGPT app complies with MLS policies regarding use and display of data, as real estate continues to grapple with big questions around AI technology. “For enforcement, each MLS is individually responsible for conducting…

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Zillow customers who had a Matterport 3D home tour on a listing woke up today to find the virtual tour option removed, with Zillow claiming that the CoStar-owned company changed its terms of service to restrict usage of Matterport-created content on “any third-party platform.” CoStar also chose not to renew its API agreement with Zillow,…

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Above, the Ben Affleck/Jennifer Lopez estate for sale, and luxury agent Shauna Walters If there was one thing Ben Affleck and J.Lo knew for sure when they moved into their $60 million, 38,000-square-foot love nest back in 2022, it was that neither would ever have to wait to use the bathroom. How could they, considering…

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