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this Week in Real EstateAuthor: Ray Ellen
The longest running real estate news podcast created so that you would have one place to go to find out the latest real estate news and headlines with succinct professional analysis from those of us active in the field! We cover the national housing market, mortgage rates, the federal reserve, housing affordability, and real estate industry news and information! This show is brought to you by listeners & viewers like you. Hit the share button on your favorite podcatcher and send this to someone like you because it is listeners like YOU who make this podcast possible. Subscibe button and hit the bell so that you can be notificed when we are live and participate in the podcast chat. You can make comments and we can display that comment and talk about you or your comment!! We are also broadcasting on facebook, twitter, linked in, and you can join the conversation via audio on ClubHouse. Join us! Language: en Genres: Business, News, News Commentary Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Zillow REJECTED by Compass? Is Housing Going Under???
Episode 343
Wednesday, 3 December, 2025
Did Zillow really offer Compass up to $1.6 BILLION a year if they'd let Zillow help "double-end" pre-marketed listings? In Episode 343 of tWiRE, we break down Robert Reffkin's viral post, what that alleged offer actually was, and what it says about portals, power, and who really controls the consumer relationship in today's real estate market. Then we zoom out to everything shaking the 2025 housing market this week: Zillow quietly scrubbing climate-risk scores from listings, new pushes for referral-fee transparency, and fresh affordability data showing just how hard it is to rent or buy on a normal income. In this episode, we cover: Compass vs. Zillow Reffkin's claim that Zillow dangled a $1.3–$1.6B "revenue uplift" if Compass let the portal route every buyer to a Compass buyer's agent on pre-marketed listings. Why Compass says it walked away, what this means for double-ending deals, and how real estate agents should talk about this with their own buyers and sellers. Zillow pulls climate data Why climate-risk scores vanished from listings. MLS complaints about accuracy versus buyers' right to know about flood, fire, and heat risk. What this change means for consumer trust, disclosure, and liability going forward. Referral fees and fine print How the California Association of Realtors is rewriting forms to spotlight referral fees after NAR's failed vote. Why big brokerages are rolling out their own enhanced referral-fee disclosures anyway, and what smart agents should be doing now. Affordability crisis check-in New numbers showing the typical retail worker earns tens of thousands less than they need to afford the typical apartment. A construction labor crunch that is driving up costs, slowing new-home delivery, and deepening the housing affordability crisis. How labor, regulation, and rent burdens are colliding to keep housing out of reach for many renters and first-time buyers. Prices, new construction, and buyer regret Zillow data showing record-level price cuts and what that really means for sellers who still want "spring 2022 money." New-construction's price premium dropping to a record-low 10.2% and why builders are suddenly some of the most motivated sellers in the market. Buyer's remorse falling sharply as days on market stretch, contingencies come back, and buyers get more time to think. Contracts, cancellations, and mortgage rates About 15% of October home-purchase contracts falling through and where cancellations are clustering. Mortgage rates finally ticking lower, why demand barely moved, and what to watch as markets react to the next round of economic news. Whether you're an agent, buyer, seller, or real estate investor, this episode is all about power and pressure in today's market: who controls the listings, who controls the fees, and who is getting squeezed on the ground. 🔔 Subscribe to catch tWiRE every week and stay ahead of the headlines.













