In early 2022, real estate listing giant Zillow began discussing its visions for a “Housing Super App.” After initial confusion and skepticism over the app, Zillow’s vision has slowly become clearer. On Tuesday, roughly two years since Zillow first announced it, the firm’s CEO and co-founder Rich Barton said the Super App is here. “It’s […]
Century 21 Regency Realty agent Cheryl Piccinini has lived and traveled all over the world, but there is no place she would rather be than Alabama. “No matter what you want, you can find it here,” the Enterprise, Alabama-based agent said. “You can find the city, the country. We’ve got beaches. It is just an […]
Anywhere Real Estate’s executive team will soon have new faces. The firm announced Monday that it had named Rudy Wolfs as its chief technology officer, and that Melissa McSherry is stepping down from her role as the real estate behemoth’s chief operating officer. Wolfs appointment is effective Feb. 22, 2024, while McSherry’s final day as […]
Yet another copycat commission lawsuit has hit the court dockets. On Friday, home seller plaintiff Dalton Jensen filed an antitrust lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Utah, accusing real estate industry players of colluding to artificially inflate real estate agent commissions. Like the other commission lawsuits, the Jensen suit is seeking class action status for […]
The portal wars are heating up. In an attempt to reach residential listing portal supremacy, CoStar Group (the parent company of Apartments.com and Homes.com) will air four advertisements during this Sunday’s broadcast of Super Bowl LVIII between the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs. “The Super Bowl is a deep part of American […]
Last year marked the 10th consecutive year of population declines for Illinois. According to estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, the state lost 32,826 residents from July 2022 to July 2023. Despite the population decline, Illinois’ housing market remains relatively strong. The state has an Altos Research Market Action Index score of 44, which is […]
The late January auction of iconic Hamptons estate ‘La Dune’ marked the first time a property was included in an art auction at Sotheby’s. The $88.48 million winning bid on ‘La Dune’ also made the estate the most valuable property ever auctioned live at Sotheby’s. ‘La Dune’ was included in Sotheby’s weeklong ‘Visions of America’ […]
The list of defendants in the Masiello copycat commission lawsuit just got shorter. In a document filed on Monday, the counsel for the home seller plaintiff Joseph Masiello notified the federal court in Arizona that it was voluntarily dismissing defendant Walt Danley Local Luxury, an affiliate of Christie’s International Real Estate, from the suit. According […]
REX Real Estate is back again trying to get a new trial in its false advertising lawsuit against Zillow. On Monday, the now defunct discount brokerage filed an appeal with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, asking the appeals court to reverse the lower court’s ruling on REX’s motion for a new […]
Commission lawsuit defendant HomeServices of America is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to hear its argument that the Eight Circuit wrongly rejected arbitration agreements with unnamed class members in the Sitzer/Burnett commission lawsuit. In late October 2023, a Missouri jury found HomeServices of America, as well as Keller Williams and the National Association of Realtors, […]
Real estate brokerage eXp Realty has entered into an affiliated business agreement with Orlando, Florida-based title firm Citrus Closing Group, according to an announcement on Thursday. “We are thrilled about the prospects of our exciting new partnership with eXp Realty, anticipating a wealth of opportunities and collaborative success ahead,” Jeremy Webb, the president of Citrus […]
Redfin is back to offering refunds to homebuyers but this time under a new name. Launched on Thursday, the brokerage’s Sign & Save program provides buyers who sign up to work with a Redfin agent before their second home tour — and who purchase a property with that agent within 180 days of signing the […]
In a bizarre turn of events, the National Association of Realtors posted, then removed before reposting, a video featuring the trade group’s interim CEO Nykia Wright “setting the record straight” on agent commissions. The video was first posted on Wednesday around 9 a.m. ET before being removed roughly two hours later. It reappeared on NAR’s […]
Despite cooling interest rates, the title insurance segment at Big Four title firm Old Republic recorded a 22.8% annualized decline in net premiums and fees during the fourth quarter of 2023, which contributed heavily to a 12.8% decrease for all of last year. During the last three months of the year, the company’s title segment […]
Data from the American Land Title Association’s (ALTA) Title & Settlement Agent Registry (ALTA Registry) will be integrated with the platform of closing software provider Qualia, according to an announcement on Wednesday. The data will be provided to Qualia under a licensing agreement with the ALTA Registry, which is a national database of title and […]
The top-ranked brokerage in the country by transaction sides, eXp Realty, is now under fire from the New York State Comptroller. In a letter sent to eXp Realty and eXp World Holdings CEO Glenn Sanford, Thomas DiNapoli asked the brokerage to open an independent investigation into the sexual harassment and assault allegations that have been raised against the […]
The Agency founder Mauricio Umansky has never been shy about pushing the envelope. In 2017, the broker, along with David Barnes, James Harris and Christopher Dyson, founded The PLS.com, a national home listing site. As a firm, The PLS.com took issue with the National Association of Realtors’ so-called “pocket listing ban,” filing a lawsuit in May […]
The Pennsylvania copycat commission lawsuit has some new defendants and a new plaintiff. In an amended complaint filed on Friday, home sellers Danielle and Jessie Kay (who sold a house in Baden, Pennsylvania, in December 2021 with the help of an agent from Realty One Group Gold Standard) were added as a plaintiff. The Kays […]
Two days after The PLS.com and three of the nation’s largest multiple listing services notified the court they had reached a settlement in their ongoing legal battle, the listing site filed a motion to dismiss the only remaining defendant, the National Association of Realtors, without prejudice. The filing came after a court status hearing last […]
Sparks and personal insults flew between Anthony Lamacchia, the broker-owner of Lamacchia Realty, and Michael Ketchmark, the lead attorney for the plaintiffs in the Sitzer-Burnett commission lawsuit, during their virtual debate hosted by HousingWire on Friday afternoon. The hourlong debate began with both participants discussing their motivations for participating. It devolved into a battle about […]
