After earning a Ph.D. at the University of Pennsylvania, throughout the 1970s Stephen Brobeck taught American Studies at Case Western Reserve University. During this period, he also initiated and help organize Cleveland Consumer Action, which resolved individual complaints through group action and published information for local consumers. From 1981 to 2018, he served as executive director and CEO of the Consumer Federation of America (CFA). Since then, he has continued his work with CFA as a senior fellow.
Brobeck has published both scholarly and popular books and articles. They include the first annotated bibliography of the consumer movement, two encyclopedias of this movement, commercially published books on product safety and banking, journal articles, and numerous reports on credit, savings, insurance, and real estate brokerage practices and related public policies. He has testified many times before Congress and regulatory agencies, served on dozens of advisory committees and boards including that of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, and has conceptualized and helped found several organizations. Brobeck has held professorial appointments at Cornell, Maryland, and Utah. His current research and advocacy focuses on the need for the residential real estate brokerage industry to become more transparent and price competitive.
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
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
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
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
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
Download Release DOJ Should Weigh in To Ensure Buyer Access to Listings and To Check Big Broker Manipulation of Sellers Washington, D.C. – On April 10, Zillow announced that beginning in May, it will no longer list properties from
Download Media Article The Sitzer-Moehrl lawsuit settlement and new NAR rules have created confusion, controversy, and conflict within both the residential real estate industry and among its critics. All this is not surprising because no-one is completely satisfied with
Real Estate Insiders Unfiltered Podcast Listen: Real Estate Insiders Unfiltered In the “Real Estate Insiders Unfiltered” podcast episode titled “Uncoupling Commissions: A Fairer Marketplace?” released on September 19, 2024, hosts James and Keith engage in a comprehensive discussion with
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