Testimony Submitted to the Illinois General Assembly on HB4964
Thank you for this opportunity to submit testimony in support of HB4964, which would promote informed seller choice and also help prevent restrictions on buyer choice. I am Stephen Brobeck, a senior fellow at the Consumer Policy Center (CPC) and former executive director and CEO of the Consumer Federation of America. I’ve spent several […]
Why Decoupling Commissions Failed To Lower Housing Costs
View Article Joe Ventrone’s April 17 opinion piece comments on decoupling real estate commissions based on a recent Consumer Federation of America/Urban League report, on past research by me as a former CFA senior fellow, and on my more recent research as a senior fellow at the Consumer Policy Center, among other consumer sources. The article suggests that settlement of […]
Compass Threatens to Dominate Residential Real Estate Market
Washington, D.C. – Today the Consumer Policy Center (CPC) is releasing a new report revealing the increasing dominance of Compass Real Estate, their strategies for dominance, and issues that will affect its future. The study – Compass Expansion: New Data on Market Share and Double-Ending – provides new data on Compass’s expanding market share and […]
Commission-Based Home-Referral Fees: Consumers Impacts and Proposed Reforms
In the past year, the residential real estate industry has focused an unusual amount of attention on residential real estate referral fees, especially their disclosure. In June, the Northwest MLS announced additions to its forms to provide buyers and sellers more information about referral fees their brokers pay or receive.[1] In November, […]
Commission-Based Real Estate Referral Fees: Consumers Impacts and Proposed Reforms
In the past year, the residential real estate industry has focused an unusual amount of attention on residential real estate referral fees, especially their disclosure. In June, the Northwest MLS announced additions to its forms to provide buyers and sellers more information about referral fees their brokers pay or receive.[1] In November, […]
Real Estate Referral Fees Harm Consumers
Washington, D.C. – A 19-page report released today by the Consumer Policy Center (CPC) reveals that referral fees reinforce high commission rates and jeopardize the quality of consumer service. The report – Commission-Based Home-Referral Services: Consumer Impacts and Proposed Reforms – focuses special attention on referral companies, including Zillow and Realtor.com, that […]
Agents Earn Too Little, Consumers Pay Too Much
Download Article Stephen Brobeck, Senior Fellow, Consumer Policy Center, responding to Cara Ameer’s 12/3/25 critique in Inman of the recent CPC report on post-settlement changes impacting home buyers I agree with much of what Cara Ameer said about the challenges facing agents in her response to our report on “the homebuyer experience.” How little […]
Buyer Agents Willing to Cut Rates for Home Sellers But Not For Buyers
Washington, D.C. – Recent interviews with 281 active buyer agents in 26 metropolitan areas revealed their strong resistance to negotiating commission rates but their willingness to lower these rates when faced with pushback from home sellers. These findings were part of a report written by Stephen Brobeck and Wendy Gilch – The […]
Reducing Real Estate Commissions: Are Low-Fee Brokers A Viable Alternative For Home Sellers?
Introduction Most sellers pay 5-6 percent commissions to sell their home. On a $400,000 property, that cost is $20,000-$24,000. Further, this expense is usually the same regardless of the experience, competence, and efforts of the agent. These two factors have persuadedsome sellers to consider non-traditional options. One such option is low-commission and flat […]
Low-Fee Real Estate Brokers Can Reduce Home Selling Costs
New CPC Research Explains Different Types of Low-Fee Brokers and Identifies Specific Brokers Likely To Provide The Best Value Washington, D.C. – In the past decade, new real estate companies have been created that offer home sellers either low, or really low fees, according to a new report –Reducing Real Estate Commissions: […]