In the wake of elevated mortgage rates and rising year-over-year inflation, homesellers are doing their best to stimulate buyer behavior and get their listings off the market. According to a recent report by Bright MLS Chief Economist Lisa Sturtevant, about 40.1% of market listings in the Mid-Atlantic region have had their prices reduced as of…
As the war over private listings intensifies, Zillow and Compass (among others) are using dueling data reports and starkly different methodologies to make their respective cases in the courtroom—and in the court of public opinion. On July 24, Compass reported that pre-marketed homes that started as Private Exclusives or Coming Soons sold for 4.6% more…
As we slip into the second half of 2026, major homebuilders are looking past this challenging year and making their predictions for the future in a so-far very unpredictable market. Three major homebuilders—D.R. Horton, Lennar Corp and PulteGroup—ended their earnings calls over the last few weeks with optimistic yet guarded sentiments, as the real estate…
The private listing debate quickly got messy within the industry. Real estate rivals suddenly couldn’t agree even on the definition of “private,” and the disputes have often become technical and insular—seller choice versus transparency, monopolies and conspiracies, the Wall Street boogeyman and the out-of-touch incumbents. But as brokerage and MLS leaders updated policies and focused…
Helping people buy and sell homes is usually a joyous endeavor, guiding them through the often difficult and winding process that leads to shaking hands and house keys being handed over. But there are some situations where getting to the closing is much more difficult and emotional. Death can do that, which is why probate…
Democratic firebrand Elizabeth Warren is joining a handful of other lawmakers in calling out Compass and MRED for their private-listing centered partnership, penning a letter with accusations that their practices could “perpetuate” discrimination and make housing harder to access. First reported by Realtor.com®, the letter is the second time in about two weeks that federal…
Florida-based Real Brokerage, like many other big players in the industry, is seeking to grow through acquisition. Its deal to purchase REMAX, announced in the spring, was part of a larger trend of big brokerages consolidating in the face of a challenging market and an uncertain policy landscape. But unlike many of its rivals, Real…
In his continued movement of expanding seller choice across real estate, Compass CEO Robert Reffkin said he expects “more than 90% of MLSs to have rules that allow sellers to market both Private Exclusives and Coming Soons by the end of the year” during the company’s recent Q2 earnings call. In presenting to investors, Reffkin…
Zillow has laid off 500 employees—about 7% of the portal’s 7,000 employees—in order to ensure a “disciplined cost structure” across the portal, according to an announcement by CEO Jeremy Wacksman today. In a blog post attributed to Wacksman, ahead of Wednesday’s Q2 2026 earnings release and investor call, the Zillow CEO described these “organizational changes”…
Editor’s note: The COURT REPORT is RISMedia’s weekly look at current and upcoming lawsuits, investigations and other legal developments around real estate. Zillow class-action claims dismissed (for now) Judge James Robart of the federal Western District of Washington wrote in a 32-page order last week that a lawsuit filed by homebuyers against Zillow failed to…
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