Over on Inman, Andrea Brambila wrote a story in which NAR clarifies that what Jenna Ryan and other protestors at the Capitol did is not a violation of its new speech code rules: Participating in last week’s insurrection at the Capitol was not a violation of the National Association of Realtors’ new ethics policies unless a Realtor … Read more
Welcome to the fifth installment of an annual tradition around here: the Seven Most Interesting People in Real Estate, the 2020 Pandemic Edition. This was a weird year, to say the least, and it isn’t over as I start this post. You know that word that was so popular all through 2020? “Unprecedented?” Yeah, unprecedented … Read more
[Note: These are the personal opinions of Sam DeBord and do not represent the position of RESO, the National Association of REALTORS, or any other organization associated with the writer.] R.O.B and Greg Robertson recently interviewed Jack Ryan of REX on their Industry Relations podcast. The story of REX isn’t a new one. It’s a brokerage … Read more
I’m actually a bit busy with critical research and writing, but thought I’d take a moment out to write something fun and lighthearted about real estate. Then I read this in Inman: “DOJ-NAR settlement will effectively squash 2 consumer antitrust suits.” The author contends that the recent DOJ-NAR settlement is a wonderful thing, as it … Read more
[Quick disclosure: While I admire and respect Jack Ryan, CEO of REX, and count him as one of my friends, I have no business relationship with REX, apart from using them for a home purchase. I have spoken to REX prior to writing this post to make sure that I do not violate any confidentiality … Read more
Recently, the NAR Professional Standards Committee announced that it had forwarded a set of recommendations to the Board of Directors for a vote in November at the (virtual) NAR Annual Meetings: The NAR Professional Standards Committee met on October 5, 2020, to consider recommendations from its Interpretations and Procedures Advisory Board on the Code of … Read more
A couple of weeks ago, Judge Andrea Wood of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois Eastern Division issued a memorandum opinion denying the defendants’ motion to dismiss in the all-important case of Moehrl v. NAR. You can find the opinion here. As many of you know, I’ve been interested in … Read more
Over at Inman, there’s a great writeup of a truly inside baseball topic: the confusion and controversy around Days On Market. Andrea Brambila wrote the report on a panel discussion between Sam Debord of RESO, Rene Galicia of NAR, and Katie Smithson of W+R Studios. All three are people I count as friends, and they … Read more
I didn’t really want to write this, because I assumed it was relatively common knowledge within the U.S. real estate industry that we have a sordid past of open racism, discrimination, and bigotry. Plus, I’m frankly tired of writing about and talking about social issues that go beyond the real estate industry. I feel like … Read more