In a real estate industry being reshaped by consolidation, franchise expansion, technology investment and changing capital models, brokerage owners are being forced to make big decisions about the future of their companies. The pressure is real. Margins are tighter. Agents expect more. Consumers are more informed and more demanding. Technology is changing how firms compete,…

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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. FTC reaches a settlement with Zillow and Redfin syndication Nearly a year after the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed an anti-trust lawsuit against Zillow and Redfin over an “illegal anti-competitive agreement,” the parties…

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Above, Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh Real estate professionals anxiously awaiting lower mortgage rates may not see a decrease anytime soon, as it remains uncertain what action the Federal Reserve will take at its September meeting. In his debut speech at the 2026 Jackson Hole Economic Policy Symposium Friday in Wyoming, Fed Chairman Kevin Warsh…

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The newly named Real REMAX Group announced on Aug. 24 the successful completion of the previously announced business combination between The Real Brokerage Inc. (Real) and RE/MAX Holdings, Inc. (RE/MAX Holdings). The companies said in filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that all customary closing conditions had been met.  Real’s common shares and…

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Minutes before a high-stakes trial was about to begin, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced that Zillow has agreed to “unwind” its $100 million partnership with Redfin in the rental listing market, after it accused Zillow of an unlawful buy-out to decrease competition for rental listings. Redfin will be required to re-start its rental business…

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Editor’s note: after this story published, Zillow and Redfin struck an agreement with the FTC to avoid trial, amending or unwinding significant portions of their partnership. Read the full story here. At 10 a.m. Eastern Time on Monday, August 24, portal rivals Zillow and Redfin will face a judge in Virginia federal court, and defend…

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New York looks likely to become the latest state to create restrictions on private listings. On June 1, the New York State Senate passed the Fair and Transparent Real Estate Listings Act, after amending the bill to include an opt-out option for sellers. The act’s intention is to prevent properties from only being available on…

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An appellate court today denied multiple appeals that had sought to overturn the National Association of Realtors®’ (NAR) 2024 settlement agreement, putting a legal period on the end of the seven-year long commission lawsuit saga that upended real estate practices and undermined NAR’s standing in the industry. A panel of three judges for the Eighth…

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The plaintiffs who filed a recently dismissed lawsuit against Zillow over alleged steering to the portal’s mortgage services are looking to reopen the class action with an amended complaint, filed yesterday. The suit—originally filed back in November 2025 and later consolidated with another similar lawsuit Taylor v. Zillow—alleges that referrals to Zillow Home Loans are…

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Real estate’s Multiple Listing Service (MLS) was built on a century of shared data and mutual trust among brokers. Now, a panel of industry executives says that trust between agents and consumers is fraying as more properties get pulled into private listing networks. And, increasingly, panelists warn trust and cooperation between rival brokerages is wearing…

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