135: New Agent Lawsuits Could Have Profound Effects for Buying and Selling Homes w/James Rodriguez

New real estate commission lawsuits could change home buying and selling as we know it. Long gone may be the days of buyers walking away paying zero commission and sellers having to bear the entire burden of a real estate transaction. Two new class action lawsuits against the National Association of REALTORS (NAR) could change how agents are paid and deals are done, but should investors even care? We brought in James Rodriguez, Senior Real Estate Reporter at Business Insider, to explain exactly what could happen to commissions, what this means for the future of buying and selling real estate, and whether or not the next agent extinction is on our hands. With over $40 billion in damages from these combined lawsuits, real estate agents may wake up to an entirely new housing market where their services are rarely needed. But who’s forging this fight against real estate agents, and why are they pushing for a “decoupling” of commissions? And, if you’re a full-time agent, should you be concerned about where your next paycheck could come from, or is this merely a hollow case with no REAL threat to hard-working agents and realtors? Stick around; we’ll get into who should (and shouldn’t) be worried. In This Episode We Cover: The multi-billion dollar NAR lawsuits explained and why commissions could be “decoupled” A BIG threat to buyer’s agents and what happens when their services are no longer needed Whether or not using an agent is worth it, and why most investors will STILL rely on realtors and agents The potential of an MLS (multiple listing service) overhaul and combining all local listings into one Paying agents per hour and the future of real estate commissions And So Much More! Links from the Show Find an Agent Find a Lender BiggerPockets Forums BiggerPockets Agent BiggerPockets Bootcamps Join BiggerPockets for FREE On The Market Join the Future of Real Estate Investing with Fundrise Connect with Other Investors in the “On The Market” Forums Subscribe to The “On The Market” YouTube Channel Dave's BiggerPockets Profile Dave's Instagram Understanding Real Estate Commissions (And How to Negotiate Them!) The multibillion-dollar lawsuits that could radically reshape how we buy and sell homes forever Connect with James: James' Profile - Insider James' Twitter Click here to listen to the full episode: https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/on-the-market-135 Interested in learning more about today’s sponsors or becoming a BiggerPockets partner yourself? Email [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices