I love this new change - the sellers get to choose whether or not they get to receive love letters from buyers with their offers. Buyers should be given every chance to compete for the win, and submitting an introductory letter with photos of the kids and dog is a...
This is why I'm so skeptical of 'seller concessions' being a viable solution. If agents were united in appreciating buyer-agents (doesn't every realtor represent a buyer occasionally?), then everyone would take a stand to ensure buyers get adequate representation, and...
Brokerages are at the crossroads - they can either encourage sales with all buyer-agents, or go the same way as C.A.R. and make it harder on them (which promotes single agency) and add blustery headlines. I think brokerages should stand up for all buyer-agents; not...
Hiring a listing agent to sell your home has become even trickier since the commission lawsuit. What do you look for now?
The new 19-page listing agreement is out! They didn't waste any time getting to the listing agent's pay. Boom, right at the top of the newly revised form, it commits to the commission rate plus a little extra if the buyer is unrepresented....
The California Association of Realtors had to re-write a few of their new forms in order to comply with the DOJ critique. These revised forms get released tomorrow, and they will probably help chart the final path for buyer-agents. There are two noteworthy points in...
Hat tip to Carl Streicher, mortgage broker, for sending over this handy chart on allowable concessions, also known as seller contributions. This is how the buyer-agent commission can be included as a part buyer's mortgage package, even if the seller didn't sign the...
This business used to be civil. It was probably obvious that the contracts were drawn up by the realtor attorneys to protect realtors, but there were adequate protections for buyers and sellers too. This commission lawsuit has changed everything, and now they only...
Due to expected scrutiny from the DOJ, the California Association of Realtors has abandoned buyers, and the buyer-agents. If a listing agent wants to include paying an incentive to buyer-agents, not only do they have to convince a seller that it's a good idea, but...
We know that the current DOJ wants to de-couple commissions, and have buyers pay for their own help. How does Team Trump feel about real estate commissions? I checked with Project 2025: Project 2025 proposes significant changes to the traditional real estate...
