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National Association of Realtors' settlement on home-sale commissions will go into effect July if approved.

I want to start by addressing the "misinformation" involving the landmark settlement that could impact real estate practices and commissions as we know them.  There is a lot of uncertainty out there. And there are tons of people who thrive on that, they love to stir the pot and tell you “The Sky Is Falling.”

I know I speak for a lot of real estate professionals when I say that we’re upset with a lot of the misinformation that is getting circulated about the proposed settlement. What these proposed changes will do is clean up a lot of real estate agents who don’t run their business like an actual business or keep up with new rules and…

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As March Madness sweeps the nation, with college basketball teams vying for the championship title, a different kind of competition is heating up in the real estate market. Just like the thrilling, unpredictable nature of the tournament, the real estate market in March can be full of surprises, opportunities, and strategic plays.

The Starting Lineup: Preparing Your Home for Sale

Just as a basketball team prepares for the big game, so should homeowners prepare their property for sale too. This includes decluttering, deep cleaning, making necessary repairs, and staging the home to make it appealing to potential buyers. A well-prepared home can make a strong first impression, just like a strong starting lineup can set the tone for the game.

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If commissions are decoupled, researchers believe the competition will drive real estate commissions down.

A groundbreaking $418 million legal agreement could drive down commission rates and shrink the number of real-estate agents.

As an example, the DOJ cites Northwest MLS (NWMLS), which no longer requires listing agents to make offers of buyer broker compensation in order to list a property. Despite this being allowed, the practice of cooperative compensation continues, and agent commissions have not changed.

“As long as sellers can make buyer-broker commission offers, they will continue to offer ‘customary’ commissions out of fear that buyer brokers will direct buyers away from listings with lower commissions — a well-documented phenomenon…

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