real estate agent

13 Stories

New Realtors' Settlement 'Will Blow Up the Market'

National Association of Realtors agrees to $418M deal that will slash commissions to settle suits

(Newser) - The National Association of Realtors has signed off on a huge deal that some say "will blow up" the housing market. The New York Times has seen a copy of the $418 million settlement that would get rid of the standard 5% or 6% commission fee for real estate...

New Ruling Could Be the End of Realtor Commissions

The fallout may also affect up to 80% of real estate agents' future in the industry

(Newser) - A federal jury's ruling will have a profound effect on the careers of the 1.6 million people who sell homes in the US. Per the Wall Street Journal , the National Association of Realtors (NAR) along with two brokerage groups must pay up after the verdict found them guilty...

Realtor Group Drops the Term 'Master Bedroom'

They're now referring to 'primary' bedrooms, bathrooms

(Newser) - A realtor group in Texas says it is going to stop using the word "master" to describe bedrooms and bathrooms because of the term's association with slavery. The Houston Association of Realtors says its listing service will now use the terms "primary bedroom" and "primary bath,...

'Slick' Pair Found a Way to Rob Rich Celebrities: LAPD

Benjamin Ackerman and Jason Emil Yaselli could serve over 31 years each

(Newser) - If this story's true, "slick" is really the word. Police say a Beverly Hills man and a real estate agent conspired to steal from high-end homes—including celebrities Usher and Adam Lambert—and spent the money partly on credit-card debt, the Los Angeles Times reports. Benjamin Eitan Ackerman...

Woman Found Dead in Car Crash Had Been Shot

Melissa Peskey's husband says he was informed he was a 'person of interest'

(Newser) - It was a mystery right from the start. Cops who responded to the scene of a car crash Dec. 13 along a Missouri interstate in Cooper County found a 40-year-old mother dead in the driver's seat, and her two children, ages 5 and 11, unharmed, per KELO-TV . Based on...

Cops: Real Estate Agent Did the Deed in Home She Sold

And they don't mean the property deed

(Newser) - Before the new owner of a home in Friendswood, Texas, could even hook up the appliances, an entirely different kind of hookup apparently took place inside. At least, that's how it appears after the real estate agent who sold the property was arrested for allegedly having sex inside the...

Suspect: Realtor Targeted Because She Was Rich, Worked Alone

Arron Lewis pleads not guilty to kidnapping, murder of Beverly Carter

(Newser) - A little more light is perhaps being shed on the death of real estate agent Beverly Carter : A suspect in the murder, Arron Lewis, told reporters that Carter was targeted because "she was a woman that worked alone—a rich broker," Fox News reports. But he's not...

Missing Realtor's Body Found in Shallow Grave

Kidnapping suspect in Beverly Carter case now charged with murder

(Newser) - Authorities have recovered the body of Beverly Carter, the Arkansas real estate agent who disappeared after showing a home Thursday . THV11 reports her body was found in a shallow grave on a property in Pulaski County; the AP describes the location as that of the Argos concrete company. Officials headed...

Cops Hunt Man After Ark. Realtor Disappears on Job
Arkansas Realtor Went to Show Home, Disappeared
UPDATED

Arkansas Realtor Went to Show Home, Disappeared

Parolee Arron Lewis charged with kidnapping in case of Beverly Carter

(Newser) - An Arkansas real estate agent has gone missing in the vicinity of Little Rock after going to show a home on Thursday. Some 200 volunteers searched for 49-year-old Beverly Carter yesterday and will continue the effort today, CNN reports. Police have arrested Arron Lewis, 33, on kidnapping charges, reports ABC...

Real Estate Agent Stole Competitor's 'For Sale' Signs: Cops

Robert Toth charged with weird crime

(Newser) - Well, that's one way to hurt the competition: A Connecticut real estate agent has been charged with stealing a competitor's "for sale" signs from the front lawns of area homes. Police say 54-year-old Robert Toth was charged Wednesday with third-degree larceny and first-degree criminal trespass, after Jihad...

Wary of Vacant Homes, Florida Realtors Pack Heat

More real estate agents are applying for concealed weapons permits

(Newser) - Real estate agent: a dangerous job? In Florida, some think that it is. Many of the homes on the market are vacant, and therefore a possible haven for crime—and as a result more and more real estate agents are considering packing heat. "You don't know what's waiting for...

Runaway Calif. Prius Driver Has Sketchy Past

Bankruptcy, bad real estate deals have some thinking scam

(Newser) - The driver of the Toyota Prius he says went haywire and took him on a 94mph terror ride earlier this week has a checkered past that leads some to doubt his story. “Immediately I thought this guy has an angle here,” a dissatisfied client of real estate agent...

House Next to Obamas' Chicago Digs Hits Market

Agent calls area 'the world's ultimate gated community'

(Newser) - Got a couple million and think you can pass a Secret Service background check? The house next door to President Obama’s Chicago digs is on sale, the Tribune reports. Round-the-clock protection puts the 17-room brick home in the city’s Hyde Park neighborhood in “the world’s ultimate...

13 Stories