Ditch the Doom and Gloom About Real Estate Commissions
Associations, brokers, agents and MLS leaders shouldn’t assume that defendants in the commission lawsuits can win on appeal – and that agent commissions will go down in the lawsuits’ wake.
Startup Offers Off-Market Leads
Can you mine new housing inventory and leads for real estate agents from homes whose owners haven’t even made the firm decision to sell? That’s the bet a new local startup is making.
This Month in History: Boston’s First MLS Founded
If you wanted to buy or sell a home in Greater Boston before the summer of 1955, you were in for a struggle, “hot-footing it from one broker to another.”
CoStar Buys Real Estate Software Platform Homesnap
Commercial real estate listings and data giant CoStar waded into the residential real estate space Monday, announcing a $250 million deal to acquire Homesnap.
MLS PIN Rebrands as ‘Wicked Smart’
MLS PIN, the largest multiple-listings service in Massachusetts, has relaunched its website to better support agents accessing it via mobile devices, combining the move with rebranding itself as “wicked smart.”
Realtors Learning to Hide Banned Pocket Listings
The National Association of Realtors has all but put a stop to one controversial practice some agents use to hide their listings from other agents. But some crafty realty pros are already finding their way around the new rules.
As Tech Changes, Are MLS Sites Under Threat?
An influential group of multiple listings service operators from around the country warn “the multiple listing service as we know it is in jeopardy,” but many Massachusetts real estate agents aren’t so sure.
Local Realtor Groups Back NAR Pocket Listings Policy
Local professional real estate groups are applauding the National Association of Realtors’ decision Tuesday to try to curb the practice of pocket listings.
Luxury Condo Market Sets First-Quarter Record
The first quarter of 2018 delivered a new high-water mark for condominium prices in Boston. The average price per square foot was over $1,000 per square foot for all condos for the first time and sale prices were above $1.4 million.
2018 Is Starting Off Even Tougher for Buyers Than 2017
The January numbers are in and the spring market has sprung. From the look of things, 2018 is going to make the feverish 2017 market look tepid and continuing to squeeze buyers. Though the typical spring rush of new listings is coming online, it hasn’t been enough to satisfy the demand created by six years of declining inventory.
NAR/DOJ Data-Sharing Settlement to Expire in November
A 2008 settlement between the National Association of Realtors and the U.S. Department of Justice is set to expire in November, prompting speculation about how the Realtor organization will control access to listing information going forward.
Mortgage Market Faces Tightening Competition
Experts agree that 2018 is going to be good – but not as good as last year – for the mortgage business nationwide, leaving Massachusetts lenders and originators to compete even harder for fewer residential loans.
In Defense Of The Open House
If there was a lead generation program that cost nothing, that resulted in more closed listing transactions than all the real estate lead generation, MLS and brokerage websites combined, and that allowed you to do a face-to-face presentation with “right now buyers and sellers,” would you use it? If you answered yes, it’s time to revisit the open house.
Bridge Interactive Announces Addition Of New MLS Partners
Zillow Group announced yesterday that Bridge Interactive has added more than 10 multiple listing services representing more than 180,000 agents to its growing customer base.
