National Association of Realtors

17 Stories

As Big Changes Take Effect, Realtors Brace

Major NAR settlement changes the rules in how we buy and sell homes as of Saturday

(Newser) - Beginning Saturday, a sea change goes into effect for those looking to buy or sell homes, and the real estate agents on either side of the deal—and the latter group may be clutching their pearls and perhaps dusting off resumes. In what CNN calls a "seismic shift" in...

New Realtors' Settlement 'Will Blow Up the Market'

National Association of Realtors agrees to $418M deal that will slash commissions to settle suits

(Newser) - The National Association of Realtors has signed off on a huge deal that some say "will blow up" the housing market. The New York Times has seen a copy of the $418 million settlement that would get rid of the standard 5% or 6% commission fee for real estate...

New Ruling Could Be the End of Realtor Commissions

The fallout may also affect up to 80% of real estate agents' future in the industry

(Newser) - A federal jury's ruling will have a profound effect on the careers of the 1.6 million people who sell homes in the US. Per the Wall Street Journal , the National Association of Realtors (NAR) along with two brokerage groups must pay up after the verdict found them guilty...

National Association of Realtors CEO Quits After $1.8B Verdict

Spokesperson, however, says decision was not related to verdict

(Newser) - Two days after a massive verdict against the National Association of Realtors , its CEO is stepping down. Bob Goldberg originally planned to retire at the end of next year, but announced Thursday he'll instead resign this month. "I determined last month that now is the right time for...

$1.8B Verdict Could Shake Up the Way You Sell Your Home

Jury found conspiracy among real estate agents regarding commissions

(Newser) - Amid an unforgiving housing market, an apparent win for beleaguered home sellers: A federal jury on Tuesday found the National Association of Realtors (NAR), along with real estate firms Keller Williams Realty and HomeServices of America, conspired to keep home commissions artificially high. They were ordered to pay nearly $1....

Older, White Homebuyers Squeeze Others Out of Market

Share of first-time owners falls to 41-year low

(Newser) - It's not just higher mortgage rates and lower inventory squeezing young people out of the real estate market: It's older white people who can bring cash to the deal. In its yearly profile of buyers and sellers, the National Association of Realtors says those purchasing their first home...

'This Might Be the Most Competitive Housing Market' Ever

From Seattle to Wichita, homes are selling for well above list prices

(Newser) - The red-hot US housing market is widening the gap between what a home is objectively worth and what eager buyers are willing to pay for it. Fierce competition amid an ultra-low inventory of homes on the market is fueling bidding wars, prompting a growing share of would-be buyers to sweeten...

July Home Sales Plummet 27.2%
 July Home Sales 
 Plummet 27.2% 


LOWEST LEVEL SINCE '95

July Home Sales Plummet 27.2%

Largest drop since records began in 1968

(Newser) - Sales of previously occupied US homes fell to the lowest level in 15 years last month as the economy weakened. The National Association of Realtors says July's sales fell by more than 27% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.83 million. It is the largest monthly drop noted...

Home Sales Jump 7.4%
 Home Sales Jump 7.4% 

Home Sales Jump 7.4%

November figures up a record 44% from 2008

(Newser) - Home resales surged to the highest level in nearly three years, reflecting an extraordinary level of federal support that has pulled the housing market back from the worst downturn since the Great Depression. The National Association of Realtors says sales rose 7.4% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of...

Dow Climbs 156; Stocks Hit Highs
 Dow Climbs 156; 
 Stocks Hit Highs 
MARKETS

Dow Climbs 156; Stocks Hit Highs

Jump in existing-home sales spurs rally

(Newser) - Stocks rallied today off of strong housing data, propelling all three major indices to their highest levels of the year, the Wall Street Journal reports. Sales of existing homes rose 7.2% in July, the National Association of Realtors said, beating analysts’ expectations by a generous margin. The Dow rose...

Home Sales, Prices Plunge
 Home Sales, Prices Plunge 

Home Sales, Prices Plunge

Everyone was really surprised

(Newser) - The housing market had another staggering setback in November, with sales of new and existing homes tumbling while prices took their biggest hit on record, the Wall Street Journal reports. Existing-home sales fell a worse-than-expected 8.6%, while the national median price fell 13.2% to $181,300, the steepest...

Home Sales Up 5.5%, Biggest Gain in 5 Years

Inventories still at historic highs

(Newser) - Sales of existing US homes rose by the largest amount in more than five years in last month, a real estate trade group said today. The data offer a glimmer of hope that the housing slump could be starting to bottom out. The National Association of Realtors said sales of...

Rosy Realtor Ads Omit Pesky Housing Crash

NAR campaign claims slumping market is a can't-lose investment

(Newser) - Apparently, real estate is a can’t-fail investment right now. Or at least, that’s the questionable gospel the National Association of Realtors is preaching, in a blitz of new commercials claiming that home values, on average, double every 10 years, and that a home is “the key to...

Dec. Home Sales Kept Dropping
Dec. Home Sales Kept Dropping

Dec. Home Sales Kept Dropping

Existing US sales resume tumble; median prices also fall

(Newser) - Existing home sales began to fall again in December after briefly bumping upwards in October and November. Home resales were at a 4.89 million annual rate; that's down 2.2% from November and down 13% from last year. "Home sales remain weak despite improved affordability conditions in many...

Pending Home Sales Rise Slightly
Pending Home Sales Rise Slightly

Pending Home Sales Rise Slightly

New numbers make quarter-point cut more likely, traders say

(Newser) - US home sales jumped in October and will rise slightly overall next year, beating forecasts, the Wall Street Journal reports. The National Association of Realtors' index for pending sales of existing homes spiked 0.6% in October over September, which was up 1.4% over August—but those increases are...

Dow Dips on Monday Overreach
Dow Dips on Monday Overreach

Dow Dips on Monday Overreach

A rough housing report doesn’t help

(Newser) - The market was mostly down today, after investors corrected for yesterday’s record-breaking spike, and a new drop in a home-sales index stirred mortgage anxieties. The Dow dipped 40.24 points to 14,047.31, with one strategist telling MarketWatch, “The fundamental news didn’t warrant the rally.”...

Housing Sales Plunge In March
Housing
Sales Plunge
In March

Housing Sales Plunge In March

Oversupply and tightened lending hit hard in already-weak market

(Newser) - Sales of previously occupied homes fell 8.4 percent in March, marking the biggest monthly drop since 1989 and ending hopes for a spring rebound. The new National Association of Realtors numbers reflect an oversupply of homes, lenders subdued by the sub-prime crisis, and bad winter weather, the Wall Street ...

17 Stories