The first week after the realtor-lawsuit verdict went as expected - chaos, doom, and no sexy alternatives. It will take years to appeal, but it won't matter how it turns out. Buyers are going to be paying their agents. If sellers aren't obligated to pay any commission...
Jim’s Take on the Market
Are Realtor Commissions Negotiable?
Are realtor commissions negotiable? Sure....how high do you want to go? 😆 Commissions aren't all the same, just like agents aren't all the same. Different agents charge different rates because they do different things for the consumer. Commissions/fees range from...
NAR Lawsuit – The Aftermath, Part 2
Now what? The National Association of Realtors clearly underestimated the chances of losing this case - and the others to come. They must have thought that touting their 100-year old Code of Ethics was all that was needed to impress people, and instead they found out...
Covid Buyers Now Selling
Could there be trouble brewing under the surface? Are there home sellers scrambling to get out with whatever money they can? Maybe get just enough net proceeds for the family to have a steak dinner at closing? It was like that last time.....but it's different now....
Referral Fees
Paying referral fees is a standard practice in the realtor business. Are you thinking of moving to a new town and need an introduction to a realtor there? Your agent here will track one down for you, and that agent will pay them a referral fee, which used to be 20%...
Unaffordability in San Diego
Below is a graphic from a USD publication that shows how many people might do something about high cost of housing here. Unfortunately, the majority of people polled probably weren't the long-time homeowners who find it quite comfortable here and wouldn't consider...
NSDCC October Sales
There have already been 101 detached-home sales close this month between La Jolla and Carlsbad! With five business days left in the month, plus the late-reporters, it means we should match last October's count of 133, and maybe even approach last month's 153 sales. Of...
Rate Buydowns
People might think that 8% mortgage rates will kill the real estate market, but they are one more thing that can be fixed with money. Two popular strategies to lower the mortgage rate: 30-year fixed rate buydown: Paying one point, or 1% of the loan amount will lower...
0% Commissions
Currently, every listing agent is required to offer some sort of buyer-agent compensation on the MLS. Zillow and Redfin publish those commission amounts on every listing now, so they are all out in the open. Today, there are 79 homes for sale between La Jolla and...
Inventory Watch
Recently the president of the local association of realtors was asked what the real estate market will do in the future. His response: "Nobody knows what the market is going to do in the future". Of course, immediately after that comment he said, "Interest rates have...