News for real estate agents and brokerages: commissions, recruiting, business models, and the industry changes reshaping how agents work in 2026.
Judge John J. Tharp Jr. denied Zillow’s preliminary injunction against Midwest Real Estate Data and Compass, dissolved the restraining order protecting its Chicago listing feeds, and compelled arbitration under the MLS Grid license.
Fifty-nine percent of title firms reported at least one seller impersonation fraud attempt in 2025, more than double the 28% in ALTA’s 2024 study. Vacant land is still the top target, deepfaked voices are spreading, and a quarter of affected firms paid claims.
Ordinance 127491 lets Seattle homeowners bar brokers, agents and investors from approaching them about selling, with penalties that compound daily once a name is on the list.
The Fifth Circuit affirmed dismissal Sept. 9 of a Texas broker’s antitrust suit challenging the three-way Realtor membership requirement for MLS access, holding the complaint failed to allege antitrust injury.
Northwest Multiple Listing Service will launch a First Look status on Sept. 4 that hides days on market and price cuts for up to 21 days while keeping listings open to all 30,000-plus member brokers, resolving Compass’s antitrust suit.
Rocket Companies has named Alessio Sanfilippo, most recently a Meta vice president, chief executive of Redfin effective immediately, filling a seat vacant since Glenn Kelman left in January.
Gail Liniger, who co-founded RE/MAX in Denver in 1973 and served as its chief executive from 1991, has died at 81 — three days after the franchisor became a subsidiary of Real REMAX Group.
Real REMAX Group closed its acquisition of RE/MAX Holdings on Aug. 24 and began trading on the Nasdaq as REAX on Tuesday, creating a 180,000-agent company backed by a new $550 million term loan.
A proposed class action filed Aug. 19 in Manhattan federal court alleges Compass pulled rental listings from StreetEasy in August to funnel renters to its own platform. Compass has not yet responded and the allegations are untested.
The Real Brokerage and RE/MAX Holdings expect to close their combination Aug. 24 as Real REMAX Group, releasing preliminary results of the RE/MAX stockholder election on merger consideration.
The Eighth Circuit upheld the Sitzer/Burnett settlements, rejecting objectors and cementing the practice changes that transformed how U.S. agents are paid.
RE/MAX Holdings CEO Erik Carlson plans to step down from the top job once The Real Brokerage’s acquisition of RE/MAX closes, with Real Chief Operating Officer Jenna Rozenblat set to become president of the combined Real REMAX Group, the companies indicated this week as the all-stock merger heads toward completion. The leadership plan comes days … Read more
Securityholders of The Real Brokerage and RE/MAX Holdings approved their combination, clearing the way for a roughly $2.3 billion-revenue global brokerage platform spanning more than 180,000 agents.
FinCEN’s final rule permanently eliminates beneficial ownership reporting for most U.S. businesses, ending a fight that drew opposition from homeowners associations and LLC-holding property owners.
The appeals court found the discount brokerage’s claims both untimely and legally insufficient, handing NAR a second court win against Homie in less than two years.
Douglas Elliman’s second-quarter net loss narrowed to $2.7 million as the luxury brokerage launched an AI transformation, including a new intelligence platform called Elius built with Google Cloud.
Realtors Property Resource, NAR’s data and technology subsidiary, elevated two longtime executives to newly created chief strategy officer and chief product officer roles.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren sent a nine-page letter to Compass CEO Robert Reffkin and MRED CEO Rebecca Jensen warning their private-listings partnership risks a ‘two-tiered housing market’ and civil rights violations, adding Senate scrutiny to an already bipartisan congressional probe.
A federal judge in Chicago granted final approval to $28.5 million in combined settlements from RE/MAX and Keller Williams in the Batton 1 homebuyer commission lawsuit, with no class objections or opt-outs and claims due Aug. 25.
Barry Gosin, who has run Newmark Group for nearly 47 years, will step down as chief executive at the end of this year, the commercial real estate advisory firm announced Aug. 7. Gosin, who became CEO in 1979, will leave the role effective Dec. 31, 2026, but will remain with the company as Chairman of … Read more
RE/MAX Holdings swung to a $4.3 million net loss in the second quarter as U.S. agent count kept shrinking, the franchisor reported Aug. 6, just over a week before shareholders vote on the company’s pending merger with The Real Brokerage. The loss compares with net income of $4.7 million in the same quarter last year, … Read more
The typical Realtor now has 13 years of experience, and only 11% of members have one year or less in the business, according to NAR’s latest member profile. Median 2025 transaction sides were nine, and median gross income was $59,200. Affordability was the leading client obstacle, cited by 27% of respondents. Key facts Nine sides … Read more
AGNT, Inc., the Bellingham, Wash.-based holding company that owns eXp Realty and was known as eXp World Holdings until rebranding earlier this year, reported record second-quarter 2026 revenue of $1.4 billion, up 11% from a year ago, according to an Aug. 4 earnings release. Executives credited rising agent productivity and new AI tools for the … Read more
Compass posted record second-quarter adjusted EBITDA of $363 million and swung to a $92 million profit, with revenue up 14% year-over-year on a pro forma basis as its Anywhere Real Estate acquisition fully integrated.
Dream Finders Homes named former Lennar co-CEO Rick Beckwitt co-chairman of its board and banking veteran Steve Fischer an independent director, as its $32-per-share hostile bid for Beazer Homes continues.
A new Zillow survey of 366 real estate agents finds most agree independent representation and full listing access serve buyers, even as fewer say the practices help agents themselves.
LPT Aperture Holdings, parent of LPT Realty and Aperture Global Real Estate, confidentially filed for an IPO with the SEC, with founder Robert Palmer confirming the move at Inman Connect San Diego.
Compass, Midwest Real Estate Data and Zillow have filed competing post-hearing briefs in the Chicagoland MLS dispute, sharpening the disagreement over private listings, MLS access and whether the challenged rules protect cooperation or suppress competing brokerage models, according to HousingWire. The filings followed arguments over preliminary relief. Zillow alleges an unlawful group boycott; Compass and … Read more
The National Association of Realtors has issued guidance clarifying agent and broker responsibilities for office exclusives and pre-marketing listings, emphasizing disclosure obligations when sellers waive or delay MLS exposure. Under the guidance, agents must ensure sellers understand their marketing options, and brokers must explain applicable pre-marketing choices and obtain signed disclosures. State laws, local MLS … Read more
NAREIM, the trade association for institutional real estate investment managers, named 25-year industry veteran Andy Walburger as its next CEO, succeeding Reesa Fischer effective Aug. 17.
Get expert insights, market updates, and new opportunities delivered to your inbox.