Anxiety over commission lawsuits looms over agent recruitment fight

Industry leaders see the lawsuits as one of the top recruiting challenges of 2024, according to Intel survey results. But the brokers who target and elevate middle-tier agents have an opportunity. Continue reading

SentriLock partners with Direct Offer to provide DO AudioTour tools

The deal will put DO AudioTour tools into the hands of more than 500,000 subscribers, allowing agents to deliver market insights and listings to consumers, executives announced Thursday. Continue reading

24 innovative video content ideas for 2024 (with real-world examples)

Video is the best way to build a brand, connect with your ideal clients and generate quality leads, writes Jimmy Burgess. Get inspired by these proven, real-life examples from agents in the field. Continue reading

Homebuyers jump at lower mortgage rates, but will they last?

Purchase loan applications have surged for two weeks in a row, but rates for conforming mortgages are inching back up toward 7 percent this week as investors weigh the odds of Fed rate cuts. Continue reading

Former NAR employee seeks $1M in new lawsuit alleging retaliation

Roshani Sheth, a former product manager for the Realtors Information Network, filed suit after an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission probe into her racial and sexual harassment claims. Continue reading

Eklund | Gomes brings homebuyer in priciest NYC deal since 2022

A penthouse at Central Park Tower on Manhattan’s Billionaires’ Row has sold to an unidentified international buyer for $115 million, making it the first residential sale in New York City over $100 million since 2022. Continue reading

CoStar Group taps Christian Lown of Freddie Mac as new finance chief

Freddie Mac Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Christian Lown will be taking his talents to CoStar Group in July, executives announced. Lown departs Freddie Mac on June 28. Continue reading

Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt sells Silicon Valley home at $22.5M

Schmidt and his wife, Wendy Schmidt, bought the home in 1990 for $2 million and gradually expanded the estate over about 20 years, adding neighboring parcels, a guest house and a green house. Continue reading

Housing starts plunge 5.5% in May as homebuilders act with caution

Construction starts on new housing units dropped 5.5 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,277,000 —  19.3 percent lower than levels in May 2023, according to U.S. Census data released Thursday. Continue reading