Unpacking the NAR Settlement: Webinar Replay

The New Dynamics Between Builders and the Real Estate Industry and What You Need to do Today

The dust is yet to settle on the National Association of Realtors (NAR) lawsuit settlement, but builders don’t have the luxury of time when it comes to deciding how to make changes to their business.

The dust hasn’t even begun to settle on the NAR lawsuit settlement, but builders don’t have the luxury of time when it comes to deciding how to make changes to their business. Given consumer awareness on buyer’s commissions, builders have an opportunity to educate them on the benefits of buying direct. Builders should also consider only supporting the Realtors that are well informed, who bring strong buyers to the table.

Hundreds of building professionals came together on a webinar March 27 to consider the ramifications of a deal that abolished all rules allowing seller’s agents to set compensation for buyer’s agents. The $418 million settlement – which still needs to be officially signed off on by a judge before being enacted – also says MLS participants working with buyers must enter into a written buyer broker agreement.

The verdict will have a profound effect on how homes are bought and sold and the building industry could save billions of dollars. That’s money that could be reinvested in the business, offered to buyers to help offset costs, put toward option/upgrade allowances, used for mortgage rate buydowns, or to pay closing costs for valued buyers.

5 Key Takeaways

Here are five takeaways on what builders need to do today to prepare for the new world of real estate commissions.

1. Be ready to engage with consumers before they sign a buyer broker agreement. Revisit your incentives and make the case for why new homes are better homes. Convince them to deal with you directly before they contract with a buyer’s agent. Just one builder – D.R. Horton – paid $1 billion to Realtors in the last two years in commissions according to one of its recent LinkedIn posts.
2. Don’t overreact or act prematurely. There are still so many things to be understood around the settlement, which isn’t final yet (ratification is expected in July).
3. Review your processes and systems to be able to handle and or incorporate buyer broker agreements. Buyer broker agreements seem to be here to stay and will be an important part in how you engage buyers and consumers going forward. Make sure you are ready for them.
4. Revisit your data capture platforms and systems so that you have transparency into when you first engage consumers and track them through the process. Disciplined data systems and processes can do more to lower broker co-op payments than nearly any other approach.
5. Builders could offer a preferred broker program for those that drive volume to the builder, rather than those who bring in a single deal. A rewards program could be a great way to work with your large volume partners.

Watch the recording of the webinar below to hear from Zonda’s Chief Advisory Officer, Tim Sullivan, and Vice President of Content, Steve Ladurantaye, as they dig further into the history of the settlement and the potential effects on the home building industry.

Subscribe for updates

Stay in the know with Zonda updates direct to your inbox. Subscribe today to receive webinar information, economics reports, podcast episodes, and more!

Upcoming webinars

Zonda’s Outlook webinars are your free source of trusted economic and housing data. Learn the latest about the multifamily market, building products, trends in new home sales and marketing, and more!