The NAR Settlement, Part 2: More Questions, Some Answers. Read on to learn my thoughts about questions I’m hearing. If you’d like more background on this, link here. Why are agent fees so much higher in the US than in other countries? In the US, fees are higher because our agents do much…
The NAR Settlement, Part 1: What is Really Going On? Recently, you may have heard news about our trade group, the National Association of Realtors (NAR), including word of lawsuits, along with accusations of “conspiracy” and “collusion.” Let’s unpack this story. NAR did lose a class action lawsuit in Missouri. The suit alleged…
New Norms and Better Outlooks for 2024 To catch a glimpse ahead, we first look immediately behind. And the end of 2023 was no surprise. Real estate transactions faced their usual seasonal slowdown. But certainly the most significant decrease in 2023 transactions was due to one main culprit: climbing interest rates. With last year’s…
The NAR Lawsuit: Let’s Dispel Some Confusion If you follow real estate news—or even if you don’t—you may have heard that there is much current discussion about buyer agency commissions. And for most people, this can be confusing. Here’s what’s going on. A class action lawsuit, referred to as the Sitzer/Burnett lawsuit, has shed…
Boo! Buyer Beware. No, Seriously. Shopping for a ghostly mansion? Wondering about that spooky house with the “For Sale” sign out front? Or maybe, just maybe, you have a slightly…unusual…home of your own to sell? You might be interested to know that, depending on where the home is, there are actual laws that dictate…
Welcome to Boston, Raffles Raffles Boston has just opened, and it’s already been a terrific experience for us and our clients. No surprise to those who know of this storied brand and restaurants (Hemingway, anyone?) But beyond its world-renown, here Raffles has wrapped its luxury around a keen sense of Boston. The Raffles Boston…
Buying a Home: Basics About Earnest Money On your real-estate journey, you’ve probably heard the term “earnest money.” And maybe it sounded a little odd. But it’s really a very easy and sensible concept. What is earnest money in a real estate transaction? Earnest money, sometimes called “good faith money,” is a way…
How’s the Market? In a Word, Mixed Let’s recap. From the start of the lock-down in 2020, the real estate industry began charting unknown waters. We saw second-home markets experience unprecedented activity. The pace of Boston’s real estate slowed down. And buyer demand in suburban markets created a frenzy like none we’ve seen before. Then…
Donnelly + Co. to Partner with Final Offer to Bring a Transparent Offer Process to Our Clients The Donnelly + Co. team is excited to announce our partnership with Final Offer, an online real estate platform that empowers top real estate agents to facilitate a more transparent offer and negotiation experience to their clients. Building…
The Market: Now and Then As real estate professionals, we’re used to big questions like: “What can we ask for our house?” and “Do you think the price will come down?” and “Will there be a bidding war?” But of course, the biggest question underlying them all is: “How’s the market?” Here’s my considered POV.…