Buying a home is commonly an individual’s most significant purchase. A buyer will often turn to a real estate agent for guidance during the home buying process, particularly because historically the seller pays the buyer’s...more
In October 2023, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) was found liable by a federal jury of making home sellers pay excessive commission fees. Following a settlement between the NAR and the federal government, many new...more
The real estate industry is experiencing a situation due to new rules relating to buyers’ brokers in residential real estate transactions. Earlier this year, facing a $1.8 Billion verdict, the National Association of Realtors...more
In the latest chapter of a long-running investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Antitrust Division into real estate industry practices, the D.C. Circuit revived DOJ’s 2021 investigation of the National...more
Suppose we compare how orchestra violinists are paid to how residential real estate agents are paid. In contrast to violinists, who must spend a fixed amount of time in rehearsals and concerts, real estate agents receive the...more
The National Association of Realtors (NAR), which represents more than 1 million Realtors, has agreed to eliminate its standard 6%sales commissions with home sellers. By reaching a $418 million settlement with home sellers in...more
A recent federal jury verdict in Missouri has gotten the attention of real estate industry professionals around the country. The jury in Sitzer v. National Association of Realtors et. al (Case No. 4:19-cv-00332-SRB) ordered...more
On October 31, 2023, a federal jury in the Western District of Missouri found that the National Association of Realtors (NAR) and multiple other real estate brokerages violated antitrust laws by conspiring to inflate the...more
The statistics about the rise of wire fraud in real estate transactions are staggering. Recent reports released by the FBI suggest that more than 9,600 real estate consumers were victimized for more than $56,000,000 in 2017...more
A sophisticated (and effective) wire-fraud scam targeting real estate (and other) transactions is on the rise, and mostly occurring in the United States....more