Gearing Up to End the Year on a High Note

As we approach the end of the year, there’s a powerful temptation to stop running so fast to reach it. While it can feel like your peaks and valleys for the year are locked in by the middle of the fourth quarter, doubling down in order to keep the momentum going is the best thing… …more

Building the Modern Brokerage: Leading Your Firm Into the Next Generation

In the latest RISMedia webinar, “The Brokerage of the Future: Hybrid Models, Partnerships and What’s Next in Real Estate,” panelists focused on the future of real estate brokerage, emphasizing hybrid models, partnerships and the constant changes in the industry. Top agents and brokerages are adapting to daily and monthly changes in mortgage rates, inventory and… …more

Preparing to Work (or Not) on Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving week is here, and while many call this holiday “turkey day,” it’s better understood as a day for reflection and making sure you’re practicing gratitude. Striving and hustling are essential for an agent, but if you don’t also feel thankful for what you have, you’ll never feel satisfied. While it may go against every… …more

Zillow Announces Craig Tann as Winner of National Community Impact Champion Award

Zillow announced that Craig Tann, founder and broker of huntington & ellis, A Real Estate Agency, was named the Community Impact Champion, a national recognition honoring real estate leaders whose compassion and service extend far beyond the closing table during the Zillow Flex Unlock 2025 Conference.  The Community Impact Champion Award recognizes team leads or… …more

Innovating on a Foundation of Trust: How Stellar MLS Equips Real Estate Leaders

Real estate is navigating an era defined by unprecedented technological opportunities and the urgent need to build consumer trust. At Stellar MLS, we believe these themes are intertwined, and it is our responsibility to ensure that agents and brokers have the tools, access and expertise to guide their clients with confidence.   Leading the real estate… …more

Lower Mortgage Rates Boost Existing-Home Sales Slightly Despite Shutdown

Despite a prolonged government shutdown that lasted throughout the month, October still saw a slight increase in existing-home sales, according to the latest data from the National Association of Realtors® (NAR).  NAR’s October Existing-Home Sales report found that sales grew 1.2% to a rate of 4.10 million, slightly down from the 1.5% growth seen in… …more

Zillow Study Alleges Private Listings in Chicago Disproportionately Show Up in White Neighborhoods

New analysis by Zillow claims major disparities in how homes are marketed through Chicago’s private listing network, with homes in majority-white neighborhoods over twice as likely to be listed privately compared to those in majority-non-white areas. Released today, the research examined over 40,000 residential listings from Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED), the multiple listing service… …more

Brokers Suing NAR Say MLS Policy Changes Are ‘Admission’ of Illegality

After the National Association of Realtors® (NAR) made comprehensive updates to MLS policies—saying that most are meant to “modernize” and remove “outdated practices”—brokers who are currently suing NAR are citing the changes as an acknowledgment that these policies ran afoul of the law. In a court filing yesterday, lawyers representing three real estate professionals in… …more

Upbeat Jobs Report for September; Unemployment Edges Higher

 In a delayed report on job growth from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) on Nov. 20, U.S. employers added 119,000 jobs in September, with the unemployment rate rising slightly to  4.4%. Employment continued to trend up in healthcare, food services and drinking places, and social assistance. Job losses occurred in transportation and warehousing and… …more

Lawsuit Targeting Zillow Cites ‘Confidential Witnesses’ with New Allegations

In a class-action lawsuit focused on Zillow’s mortgage referral and fee structures, plaintiffs just added a bevy of new accusations, citing a handful of “confidential witnesses”—current and former loan officers and agents who worked with the company—who claim Zillow sought to hide the fact it was funneling customers to its mortgage business. Alleging violations of… …more

Fed Minutes Show Board Divided Over December Rate Cut

At a recent public appearance at Oxford University, Federal Reserve Board Governor Christopher Waller confirmed that he plans to vote for a 25-basis-point cut at the next Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting in December. However, during a subsequent Q&A, Waller foretold that observers may find there is currently less “groupthink” at the Fed. The… …more

Joining United Yields MORE® for Oregon Brokerage

Above, Denise and Paul Knighton  Paul and Denise Knighton Founders MORE® Realty Portland, Oregon https://www.MORErealty.com  Region served: Oregon, Washington, Nevada, New Mexico, Idaho Years in real estate (combined): 33 Number of offices: 12 Number of agents: 900 Since founding MORE® Realty 10 years ago, you’ve grown to 900 agents and are now the largest Oregon-based… …more

Mortgage Applications Take a Break as Rates Hit 4-Week High

After a period of relatively steady activity, home purchase applications fell back this week as mortgage rates reached recent multi-week highs.  The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) reports that the market composite index—the measure of mortgage loan activity volume—decreased 5.2% from one week earlier on a seasonally adjusted basis for the week ending Nov. 14,  following… …more

Report: Housing Affordability and Rising Costs Are Biggest Challenges for Real Estate Firms

Real estate firms are reporting housing affordability and rising as the biggest challenges they face, and expect to continue facing, according to a new report from the National Association of REALTORS®. NAR’s 2025 Profile of Real Estate Firms found that 56% of firms reported housing affordability as a major challenge they expect to continue facing… …more

Real Estate’s AI Hype: What It Gets Right (and Wrong) as Brokerages, Agents Adapt

AI has entered the real estate chat—and it doesn’t appear to be going anywhere anytime soon. While some say the AI bubble may burst in the next year or two, that’s not the feeling you get perusing real estate tradeshow exhibit halls where vendors pitch AI solutions for just about everything.  Whether it’s the promise… …more

Zillow Partners With Esusu, Launching CreditClimb to Help Renters Build Credit

Zillow® is announcing a new way for renters to turn their monthly payments into real financial progress with CreditClimb, a credit-building tool powered by fintech firm Esusu. Renters nationwide can enroll directly through Zillow to have their on-time rent payments automatically reported to all three major credit bureaus for $20 a year. CreditClimb also claims… …more

LeadingRE Welcomes Renowned to Solution Group Program

Leading Real Estate Companies of the World® (LeadingRE) announced that Renowned will join its Solutions Group program of preferred business resources for its global network of 550 real estate firms. “Renowned’s marketing platform helps brokerages and agents build visibility and trust, which is essential to success in our industry,” said Jim Psyhogios, LeadingRE’s vice president… …more

Samuelson Takes the Stand at Hearing, Addresses Using New Listing Rules as ‘Deterrence’

NEW YORK CITY–As the afternoon session of the Compass-Zillow preliminary injunction hearing got underway in courtroom 14C at the Daniel Patrick Moynihan U.S. Courthouse in downtown Manhattan on Nov. 18, with Judge Jeannette Vargas presiding, the intensity from the morning session continued with Compass CEO Robert Reffkin on the stand. Throughout the day, attorney Bonnie… …more

Reffkin Takes the Stand as Zillow and Compass Debate ‘Contagion’ of Private Listings

NEW YORK CITY—Facing off in what seems more and more like a battle for the future of real estate, Zillow and Compass kicked off a four-day evidentiary trial in the Southern District of New York this morning in their high-stakes dispute over restrictions around private listings, with Compass CEO Robert Reffkin taking the stand to… …more

Thanks for Checking in, but Manhattan’s Doing Just Fine

The past few weeks, I’ve heard from more than a few friends and colleagues and even relatives outside of New York: “Are people really leaving? How bad is it? Are you moving?” It’s an understandable sentiment given the flood of national headlines suggesting that New Yorkers are once again packing up for Connecticut or Florida,… …more