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The taste of victory was short lived for RE/MAX, Keller Williams and Anywhere. After successfully getting the Batton 1 homebuyer commission lawsuit stayed in October as a result of the defendants having been granted final approval of their home seller commission lawsuit settlements, the three national brokerages were not as lucky with their motions to dismiss. In early October, Chicago-based U.S. District Court Judge LaShonda Hunt — who is overseeing the two Batton suits after Judge Andrea Wood recused herself in early September — took the defendants’ motions to dismiss due to lack of personal jurisdiction under advisement. But at a hearing on Friday, she…

Dorothy and Roy Lichtenstein. Photo: Jack Mitchell/Getty Images Price: $6.9 million ($2,310 monthly taxes) Specs: 6 bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms Extras: Backyard, 6 fireplaces 10-minute walking radius: The Whitney, Pastis, Hudson River Park Listed by: Lee Ann Jaffee and Steven Sumser, Compass  The artist Roy Lichtenstein was not known for living large. In 1987, when he bought a two-story metalworking factory on Washington Street in the West Village, he worked downstairs, ate lunch at the same diner every day, and lived upstairs in a one-bedroom with his wife, Dorothy. She died in July after spending most of the past three decades…

The newly launched affiliated title agency will streamline closings and increase efficiency for The Agency’s New York-based clients and agents, the brokerage told Inman. Whether it’s refining your business model, mastering new technologies, or discovering strategies to capitalize on the next market surge, Inman Connect New York will prepare you to take bold steps forward. The Next Chapter is about to begin. Be part of it. Join us and thousands of real estate leaders Jan. 22-24, 2025. Luxury firm The Agency is growing its ancillary services through a partnership with title and escrow service provider Langdon Title. Together, the two companies have launched affiliated…

If affordability continues to worsen, that will accelerate inventory build up. The 2025 lines will trend higher, even closer to the old normal levels.  New listings climb There were 53,000 new listings unsold this week. That’s 9% more unsold new listings than the same week a year ago. This level of new listings will lead to inventory growth. When we add in the 7,800 new listing immediate sales, that’s 4.7% more sellers than a year ago.  In the chart, 5% more sellers than a year ago is right in the range we want to see. The red line is right at…

Photo: MEGA/GC Images/Getty Images Bo Belmont, the real-estate investor who previously bought Kanye West’s gutted Malibu mansion, now wants to buy Sean “Diddy” Combs’s Holmby Hills home for half of the $61 million it listed for in September. Combs is currently in federal custody in New York while awaiting trial on trafficking and racketeering charges, and the house itself was raided in March, all of which Belmont seems to think will work to his advantage when it comes to the lowball. “It’s got a stigma attached to it,” Belmont told Realtor.com. “I have to go in and erase it. I…

Ever since president-elect Donald Trump announced his appointment of onetime Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and Tesla CEO Elon Musk to co-lead a new “Department of Government Efficiency,“ housing agencies have been on edge. The soon-to-be-created department is ironically referred to as DOGE — a nod to the dog-themed cryptocurrency by the same name that skyrocketed in value after Musk promoted it. It will be tasked with “eliminating government bureaucracy” and is likely to cut some jobs that are deemed unnecessary. The department would operate outside of the federal government’s control.  Musk, who announced on Trump’s campaign trail a call…

Sharon Butler in her studio. She’s moving out after ten years in a subsidized-rent program run by Two Trees. Photo: Adriane Quinlan When the developer David Walentas started buying old warehouses and factories along the Brooklyn waterfront in the 1980s, the tenants included artists. He let some stay at low rates, even as he became the biggest landlord in the neighborhood that would eventually be named Dumbo. Some even paid rent with paintings. “We want to maintain artists in the neighborhood,” Walentas said in 2002. And when asked whether he planned to kick them out, he explained: “I don’t need…

There’s nothing quite like an 11th-hour twist. On Sunday evening, less than 48 hours before the National Association of Realtors’ (NAR) commission lawsuit settlement agreement is set to head for final approval, the Department of Justice (DOJ) filed its long-awaited statement of interest in the Sitzer/Burnett suit. DOJ notes in the filing that it did not participate in the litigation or in the negotiation of the proposed settlement. “The United States continues to scrutinize policies and practices in the residential real estate industry that may stifle competition. Competition in real estate is critical and homeownership is a key component of the…

The current start-stop cycle facing American homebuyers and sellers shows no sign of relenting. The cycle continued in May, as inflation eased more than expected, dropping to 3.3% from the 3.4% annual increases seen in March and April. These positive signs were followed by a long-awaited dip in mortgage rates, which fell for four consecutive weeks through the end of June. However, despite this decrease in rates, they remain elevated. In combination with high rates, supply constraints continue to result in high housing costs, placing further pressure on affordability. Americans continue to grapple with these fluctuating economic indicators, making the decision…

In this HousingWire executive conversation, Chris Kennedy, Director of Sales and Business Development at RiskSpan, explores the key recapture strategies that lenders can follow to maximize profit in the 2025 real estate market. He stresses the importance of optimizing recapture workflows in the new market with new tools and strategies. Following that, Kennedy introduces RiskSpan’s unique strategies and tools. One such solution includes the Edge Platform—designed to survey loan portfolios and identify recapture opportunities based on current mortgage rates. Kennedy also highlights how RiskSpan empowers lenders by automating recapture report delivery and managing data. HousingWire: Recapturing represents a valuable opportunity…