The headlines about the real estate industry are everywhere. Compass acquired Anywhere Real Estate to create the largest real estate company by agent count. Zillow and Compass are locked in a Goliath-versus-Goliath legal battle over private listings. A wave of RESPA-related lawsuits alleges undisclosed referral kickbacks between real estate agents and mortgage companies. And then…
Assistant Attorney General Gail Slater, who was overseeing the long-suffering Department of Justice (DOJ) investigation into the National Association of Realtors® (NAR), announced on social media yesterday that she would be resigning from the position, effective immediately. “It is with great sadness and abiding hope that I leave my role as (assistant attorney general) for…
The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals in Kansas City, Missouri, heard oral arguments in the Sitzer-Burnett settlement appeal on Jan. 14, with attorneys representing objectors as well as defendants debating the validity of the settlement amount and its effectiveness in addressing homebuyer claims. Nearly two years after the landmark March 2024 settlement—where the National Association…
After months of silence—and some indications that it was backing off its most aggressive positions—the Department of Justice (DOJ) under President Donald Trump is again addressing what it describes as “anticompetitive rules, policies and practices in the residential real-estate industry” as it intervened in yet another commission case last week. In a 23-page “statement of…
As the National Association of Realtors® (NAR) seeks to execute what the organization has described as a significant and broad-based turnaround, financial disclosures from 2024 provide the first glimpse into how—or if—that effort is showing up on the balance sheet, as Realtors® (and big brokerage leaders) closely scrutinize decisions made by NAR after multiple scandals…
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…