Luxury home purchases hit record low as buyers eye other investments

Luxury home sales fell 44.6 percent year over year, according to data released Friday by Redfin. Prices are nevertheless still high because inventory is so low, economists say. Continue reading

Inman’s 2022 Person of the Year: The Howard Hanna family

Three generations of Hannas have grown the family business from a small mom-and-pop brokerage into a juggernaut with 15,000 agents and 400 offices. Continue reading

Flat-fee brokerage Houwzer acquires rival Trelora

The acquisition will expand the company’s footprint to 14 states. The deal also comes amid a challenging time for the real estate technology sector. Continue reading

Jake Lipton’s team leaves RE/MAX Premier for Coldwell Banker

Led by team leader Jake Lipton, a team of 14 agents, who represented $51 million in sales volume in 2021, will move over to the Wilmington, Delaware, office of Coldwell Banker. Continue reading

Zillow accused of ‘wiretapping’ homebuyers’ visits to its website

The suit, one of several filed this month against the real estate search portal on similar grounds, argues that Zillow is breaking the law by recording the way consumers interact with its websites. Continue reading

How to beat back the labor shortage and find the best real estate pros

An ongoing labor shortage has made it harder than ever to find and keep the most skilled agents and staff. But panelists at Inman Connect Now have solutions. Continue reading

Bidding wars dip for first time in 2022 — but competition still fierce

Agents still face tough conditions despite homebuyer competition, according to a new report from Redfin. Competition is slightly less tough. Continue reading

Compass acquiring third title company in less than a month

The fast-growing brokerage will pick up CommonGround Abstract, which serves Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The deal highlights Compass’ aggressive acquisition strategy. Continue reading

RE/MAX and eXp Realty settle their recruitment lawsuit

RE/MAX had sued eXp Realty earlier this year over claims the latter company improperly solicited RE/MAX franchisees, and that it misrepresented RE/MAX’s commission splits. Continue reading

RE/MAX sues eXp Realty over recruitment, ‘false advertising’

The suit claims eXp tried to solicit franchisees whose contracts with RE/MAX weren’t over yet, and that it misrepresented RE/MAX’s commission splits, among other things. Continue reading