Housing Wire

SEPTEMBER 4, 2024

Figure Technology Solutions , the parent company of Figure Lending LLC , announced on Wednesday the hiring of Ronald Chillemi as its first chief legal officer and corporate secretary. In June, the firm announced the launch of Figure Connect , a blockchain-based marketplace that connects buyers and sellers of private credit loans.

Legal 360

Legal Lending Technology Modernization 360

Housing Wire

JANUARY 2, 2024

Umpa sold his Ohio home with Redfin and his Maryland home with Compass , and the suit states that he “paid a substantial buyer-broker compensation,” in both transactions. Because this blanket offer must be made available to every buyer-broker using the MLS (i.e.,

Sellers 393

Sellers Brokerage Real Estate Realtors 393

Housing Wire

AUGUST 21, 2024

For Linda O’Koniewski , the broker-owner of Leading Edge Real Estate , one of the largest hiccups so far was when one of her agents brought a buyer offer that included concessions to a seller. The seller basically told them to drop dead,” O’Koniewski said. “So, This allows them to keep their net but lower the price.

Sellers 403

Sellers Agents Real Estate Buyers 403

Housing Wire

JULY 30, 2024

California Regional MLS (CRMLS) has decided to remove fields listing seller concessions from its platform. One such change outlined in the settlement is the banning of offers of buyer broker compensation from the MLS. Additionally, CAR’s updated RLA form does not include any references to seller concessions.

Sellers 390

Sellers Advertising Realtors Agents 390

Housing Wire

OCTOBER 6, 2023

million settlement with plaintiffs in two bombshell buyer commission lawsuits have been made public, and they stipulate that the brokerage conglomerate make significant changes to its practices. The terms of Anywhere Real Estate ‘s $83.5

Buyers 459

Buyers Brokerage Agents Sellers 459

Housing Wire

MARCH 22, 2024

Based on NAR’s settlement, agents working with buyers will need a signed buyer representation agreement starting in mid-July, pending final court approval of the settlement. Bills Clarke said this is exactly how agents already work with sellers, so it shouldn’t be a big deal to implement buyer agreements into a business. “We

Buyers 476

Buyers Contracts Real Estate Agents 476

Housing Wire

SEPTEMBER 5, 2024

Department of Housing and Urban Development ( HUD), state attorneys general and fair housing organizations to start applying this legal framework to homebuyers FHA loans accounted for 15.6% of the U.S. mortgage market in 2023, up from 14.3% in 2022, according to HUD.

Buyers 410

Buyers Real Estate Agent Inspection Real Estate 410

Housing Wire

SEPTEMBER 5, 2023

According to court documents filed on Tuesday, Anywhere Real Estate and the home sellers suing the firm in both the Moehrl and Sitzer/Burnett cases, which both deal with buyer brokers’ commissions, have reached a preliminary settlement agreement, settling all claims in both suits.

Real Estate 448

Real Estate Buyers Legal Realtors 448

Housing Wire

JULY 30, 2024

The August 17 deadline is looming, and many Realtors are gnashing their teeth over how they can share their seller’s offers of buyer broker compensation while still complying with the terms of the settlement. We knew there had to be an efficient way of handling this sort of communication.” From this, HomeKick was born.

Buyers 427

Buyers Realtors Agents Sellers 427

Housing Wire

OCTOBER 3, 2024

Conrad discusses best practices for transparent conversations between listing agents and sellers, the value of educating sellers on the new buyer agent compensation agreements , and ways to show your value as a professional agent. Velt chimes in and shares how important it is to be transparent with sellers.

Sellers 355

Sellers Agents Training Clients 355

Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 28, 2024

As brokerages across the country have begun implementing buyer agency contracts into their business practices in the wake of the Sitzer/Burnett commission lawsuit verdict, the Consumer Federation of America is warning consumers that they may be filled with “unfair provisions” that primarily protect agents and brokers.

Buyers 364

Buyers Contracts Agents Realtors 364

Housing Wire

AUGUST 30, 2024

As a salve, a vocal minority of activists say that “simply” allowing the financing of buyer-agent commissions into mortgages will resolve all concerns. For reasons both practical and legal, buyer-agent commissions are not today explicitly financeable with a mortgage. Less Cash, More Problems This is an important implication.

Finance 374

Finance Buyers Agents Insurance 374

Housing Wire

OCTOBER 28, 2024

It was based on the premise that buyer brokers were using commission rates posted on the [ multiple listing service ] to steer buyers to properties that provided higher levels of compensation. … The settlement makes sense — but only on paper. The goal of the settlement was laudable,” Monestier writes. “It

Business 428

Business Sellers Realtors Buyers 428

Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 1, 2023

Three researchers believe a first-of-its-kind dataset has enabled them to definitively answer a long-debated question: why have buyer agent commission rates been so stable historically? and relied on salaried agents rather than commission-paid agents, who typically cost sellers 5-6%. One of the researchers, Will Fried, had a hunch.

Clients 446

Clients Agents Buyers Sellers 446

Housing Wire

OCTOBER 16, 2023

At the crux of the case is the allegation that commission rates are too high, it’s unfair that the seller pays the buyer’s agent’s commission, and that the National Association of Realtors’ (NAR) Code of Conduct and MLS Handbook lead to set pricing.

Buyers 474

Buyers Brokerage Agents Realtors 474

Housing Wire

MAY 3, 2024

17, 2024, according to a letter sent to members on Friday by NAR chief legal officer Katie Johnson. The changes also prohibit the use of MLS data or data feeds to directly or indirectly establish or maintain a platform of compensation offers from multiple brokers or other buyer representatives.

Sellers 454

Sellers Legal Buyers Realtors 454

Housing Wire

AUGUST 29, 2024

Many state Realtor associations’ new forms —such as buyer representation agreements—are largely incomprehensible to the average homebuyer or seller and have language that seeks to avoid the terms of the National Association of Realtors ‘ (NAR) nationwide commission lawsuit settlement agreement , according to a report released earlier this month.

Buyers 390

Buyers Realtors Agents Sellers 390

Housing Wire

SEPTEMBER 18, 2024

You have to follow the law, but if it’s legal, you can do it,” Pfaff said. “We While no legal statute presently outlaws these practices, the MLSs might be engaging in a game of chicken with the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the law firms that have won or settled commission lawsuits against NAR and several major brokerages.

Legal 452

Legal Realtors Agents Brokerage 452

Housing Wire

OCTOBER 25, 2024

With NAR’s settlement requiring agents to have a signed buyer agency agreement with every buyer that spells out how much the agent will be paid in a transaction, many believed that buyers using a loan from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) would be disadvantaged.

Buyers 372

Buyers Real Estate Realtors Agents 372

Housing Wire

SEPTEMBER 7, 2023

But three multibillion-dollar class action antitrust lawsuits looming over the real estate industry may soon reshape how buyers interact with agents. You’ve got current economic conditions that are not opportunistic for a homebuyer right now, inflation is still out there and it’s all constraining buyers’ ability to spend. “You’ve

Buyers 385

Buyers Agents Loan Officers Real Estate 385

Housing Wire

DECEMBER 30, 2024

However, there are two big trends that stand out as we launch into 2025 affordability and sellers in the market. There are a few markets in the South where home prices have inched down recently and every bit helps buyers but those prices have not adjusted much, and theres no sign of any major correction in the works.

Housing Market 425

Housing Market Marketing New Listings Inventory 425

Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 22, 2024

Worst-case scenario, the broker representing the buyer will have to negotiate their own fee with their client and the seller can no longer be compelled to make a blanket offer of compensation in order to list on the MLS,” Murray said. They have gone through all of this and it will end up being punitive to buyers.

Sellers 442

Sellers Buyers Real Estate Agents 442

Housing Wire

MARCH 14, 2024

Legal experts told HousingWire that it is rare to see the Fed offer an opinion about an ongoing legal debate, as it typically does not want viewed as an influence on court decisions. Because of this, the authors believe buyer agents are then able to “command commission above cost.” housing market. needs to change.

Agents 373

Agents Legal Real Estate Agent Buyers 373

Housing Wire

MARCH 13, 2024

In their motion, the parties wrote that they “dispute the factual and legal arguments made in the DOJ’s Statement of Interest.” Preventing sellers and listing agents from setting buyer-broker commissions would promote greater price competition and innovation in the market for brokers’ services,” the DOJ argued.

Contracts 407

Contracts Legal Sellers Buyers 407

Housing Wire

JULY 17, 2024

It means sellers’ agents and brokers should prepare to deal directly with the buyer of an REO property whenever possible going forward. Increasingly in post-foreclosure transactions, this is already being initiated by the buyer. Accordingly, it’s time for sellers’ agents and brokers to prepare to deal directly with buyers.

Real Estate 492

Real Estate Agents Training Buyers 492

Housing Wire

OCTOBER 4, 2023

District Court in Boston granted the Department of Justice’s request to extend all settlement related deadlines in the Nosalek buyer broker compensation class action lawsuit on Tuesday. Unlike the two other buyer-broker commission lawsuits, Moehrl and Sitzer/Burnett , NAR is not a defendant in the Nosalek lawsuit.

Buyers 393

Buyers Realtors Sellers Legal 393

Housing Wire

AUGUST 9, 2024

Co-hosts James Dwiggins and Keith Robinson urge agents to stop sharing commissions and discuss ways that listing agents can put their seller’s needs first while avoiding legal trouble and creating an excellent experience for their clients in an uncertain market. Dwiggins ties his example into real estate with a pointed statement. “I

Real Estate 374

Real Estate Advertising Legal Agents 374

Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 16, 2024

The modified rule still gives sellers and their listing brokers a role in setting compensation for buyers’ brokers,” the filing states. “The modified rule still gives sellers and their listing brokers a role in setting compensation for buyers’ brokers,” the filing states.

Sellers 453

Sellers Buyers Real Estate Contracts 453

Housing Wire

JULY 1, 2024

In its statement of interest, the DOJ claims that the changes MLS Property Information Network (MLS PIN) proposed for its commission rule “still gives sellers and their listing brokers a role in setting compensation for buyers’ brokers. … When sellers make such offers, buyer brokers need not compete on price to attract buyers.’”

Buyers 312

Buyers Law Sellers Real Estate 312

Housing Wire

MARCH 29, 2024

In its proposed brief, CMLS writes that in its statement of interest, the DOJ is looking for “an injunction that prohibits offers of buyer broker compensation by MLS PIN participants.” Second, the trade group points out that the practice of sellers and listing brokers paying buyer brokers is lawful throughout MLS PIN’s service area.

Sellers 430

Sellers Real Estate Buyers Contracts 430

Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 29, 2024

In the filing, the parties wrote that they “dispute the factual and legal arguments made in the DOJ’s Statement of Interest.” Preventing sellers and listing agents from setting buyer-broker commissions would promote greater price competition and innovation in the market for brokers’ services,” the DOJ argued.

Contracts 369

Contracts Legal Sellers Buyers 369

Housing Wire

OCTOBER 24, 2024

One constant has been questions over agent commissions , which were at the center of the legal battle. The agents also weren’t talking to buyers before about what they are worth. But the data also showed that for more than half (55%) of the firm’s agents with sellers offering buy-side compensation, the compensation was 2.5%

Agents 419

Agents Real Estate Sellers Brokerage 419

Housing Wire

JUNE 11, 2024

In a legal brief filed on Monday, MLS Property Information Network (MLS PIN) made it clear that it does not agree with the Department of Justice ‘s position on the banning of cooperative compensation, as outlined in the DOJ’s statement of interest in the Nosalek commission lawsuit.

Legal 390

Legal Law Real Estate Real Estate Agent 390

Housing Wire

AUGUST 19, 2024

According to real estate professionals, the biggest adjustments they had to make this week was to get buyers to sign buyer representation agreements and to explain to sellers that while they don’t have to offer buyer broker compensation , they will most likely see most prospective buyers ask for some help in paying their agent.

Agents 454

Agents Sellers Realty Buyers 454

Housing Wire

OCTOBER 15, 2024

“Frustration happens when one agent who is doing things the legacy way calls up the listing broker and asks what they are doing for cooperative compensation, and the listing broker tells them they aren’t, but their seller is willing to consider all offers, so ask for the compensation in the offer,” Srivatsaa said. Approaching the Aug.

Real Estate 442

Real Estate Brokerage Sellers Agents 442

Housing Wire

MARCH 25, 2024

Cooperative compensation is still legal,” Papasan stressed. They noted that NAR’s settlement prohibits disclosing offers of cooperative compensation, broker compensation or total broker compensation, but it does not address including remarks noting that buyer agent compensation will not be offered.

Agents 397

Agents Advertising Real Estate Sellers 397

Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 8, 2023

But this latest one comes with a twist — it was filed by homebuyers, unlike the others filed by home sellers. According to the complaint, this requirement of a blanket offer of compensation makes it easy for buyer agents to steer clients to properties they would make a higher commission on.

Real Estate 447

Real Estate Realtors Sellers Agents 447