Donald Trump took the oath of office earlier this week, stepping into his second term as president of the United States, and despite a flurry of executive orders, much of his administration’s new agenda will take time to begin implementing—and could also face legal challenges. In these first few days, what can Trump actually do…
In pursuit of a separate settlement agreement in a long-running commission lawsuit, homesellers suing Massachusetts-based MLS PIN over commission practices said their discussions with Department of Justice (DOJ) lawyers in the wake of the National Association of REALTORS®’ (NAR) agreement have not been fruitful. According to a court filing, the MLS PIN plaintiffs reached out…
It is a reality that has frustrated real estate incumbents for almost two decades now. Despite the fact that MLSs, REALTOR® associations and big brokerages have long controlled all the listing data and assets that consumers covet, relative outsiders (namely, big portal websites) nearly always get the first look from those looking to buy or…
A high-stakes lawsuit by a listing startup targeting the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) has been dismissed as part of a mutual agreement between the two parties, according to court documents filed yesterday, ending (for now) one of the most imminent and longest-running legal challenges to the Clear Cooperation policy. The lawsuit, known as Top…
Editor’s note: The COURT REPORT is RISMedia’s weekly look at current and upcoming lawsuits, investigations and other legal developments around real estate. Two weeks into 2025, the legal calendar is already looking very full for many of real estate’s biggest players. Although the settlement agreement struck by the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) may have…
A $34 million settlement struck by mega-brokerage eXp and a separate $8.5 million deal agreed to by Weichert have been thrown into significant doubt after Judge Stephen R. Bough, who oversaw the Burnett case, expressed major reservations about the process of the negotiations, ordering both brokerages to turn over documents and communications for his review.…
Every new generation has a chance to upend the status quo, introduce new ideas into the zeitgeist and radically shift the priorities of a society. Most don’t, especially when it comes to housing, where change—especially demographically speaking—has historically come at a glacial pace. Although millennials, Gen Xers and even Boomers were at times expected to…
Defendants in the largest buyer-side case (known as Batton) are seeking to prevent plaintiffs from significantly expanding their lawsuit—adding almost 20 new state-level claims and two dozen new class representatives—saying the move will upend a previously agreed-upon schedule and force defendants into even more costly and time-consuming legal work in the long-running lawsuit. In a…
Facing an array of controversies, challenges, scandals and legal troubles on multiple fronts, the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) is entering 2025 with a lot of work to do. As policy changes shook up the basic structure of real estate, and pressure ramped up on other foundational industry practices, brokers looked to NAR more than…
Editor’s Note: The Mortgage Mix is RISMedia’s biweekly highlight reel of need-to-know mortgage-industry happenings. Watch for it every other Friday. -The Senate last week passed a bill that would ban so-called “trigger leads” in the mortgage industry, with the legislation receiving widespread support from the industry. Trigger leads, which allow consumer information to be sold…
If you’re only talking to people you’ve already done business with, then that could limit or even shrink your network of active business. Read more.
