Robert Refkin inaccurately criticizes the Clear Cooperation Rule as violating the National Association of REALTORS Code of Ethics and state laws. Despite his objections, the rule is pro-consumer, fostering competition and better market exposure. The arguments against it are flawed and often disregard the broader benefits to both buyers and sellers.
Critics argue real estate agents are overpaid due to generous commissions. However, agents earn through success-based fees, providing extensive unpaid services if transactions fail. Unlike other professionals, agents only earn upon successful deals. Switching to fee-based models could increase costs and risks for consumers without providing the safeguards licensed agents offer, ultimately being costlier.
The NAR settlement has sparked debate over the real estate industry’s future without affecting cooperative compensation or making commissions negotiable, as they have always been. Concerns about increased cash needed for buyers are raised, but home values remain driven by market forces, not agent fees. Nonetheless, realtors remain dedicated to serving clients ethically and professionally in achieving homeownership.
There’s something about the arbitrary end of the year that makes us both regret the past and wonder about the future. Resolutions for both our business and personal lives abound. Savants tell us how to do what we already know…
Did you ever have a friend that you really like and respect who sometimes drives you crazy? Rob Hahn fills that slot for me. I love talking to Rob, conjecturing about the future of the business and having those long…
Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated. – Confucious Two days ago, I wrote a blog post about the MLS using Author and Canonical tags to increase the SEO of their member’s sites with Google.The concept is simple,…
Ever hear the phrase “the house sold itself”? I think its nonsense – salespeople sell houses, they don’t sell themselves. Ever. And buyers are far better off because they do.
Zillow announced a new initiative providing WordPress based IDX websites for real estate agents at only $10 per month, or free for their premium customers. The announcement immediately provoked a number of conversations on Facebook, which had poor Jay Thompson running from group…
If you are out to describe the truth, leave elegance to the tailor- Albert Einstein I love talking with Rob Hahn, even when we disagree. But having an online conversation with him can be frustrating. Rob is an artist with words…
I had to explain to an agent last week why she was being terminated. She was an articulate and experienced mature woman, with an MBA and strong business backgrounds. But she couldn’t take direction. Every time the managing broker in…
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