DOJ v. NAR and the ethics of real estate commissions

Today’s HousingWire Daily features the first-ever episode of Houses in Motion, a miniseries looking at real estate in the U.S. hosted by Senior Real Estate Reporter Matthew Blake.

For our first episode, we discuss what’s in store for Houses in Motion and chat with HousingWire managing editor James Kleinmann about the U.S. Justice Department’s recent move to withdraw from a settlement agreement with the National Association of Realtors. 

We also interviewed Max Besbris, assistant professor of sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the author of “Upsold: Real Estate Agents, Prices and Neighborhood Inequality.” Besbris discusses the DOJ-NAR skirmish, and also takes a broader look at the economic incentives driving both real estate agents and consumers.