‘Biggest shakeup in a century’ set to hit real estate agents this week: Here’s how they’re preparing

Realtors across the country are bracing for a seismic shift in the way they do business. Starting August 17, new rules will roll out that overhaul the way Realtors get paid to help people buy and sell their homes.

Realtors across the US are bracing for a seismic shift in the way they do business. Starting August 17, new rules will roll out that overhaul the way Realtors get paid to help people buy and sell their homes. The changes, which are part of a $418 million settlement announced in March by the powerful trade group the National Association of Realtors, eliminate informal rules that propped up the industry’s traditional payment structure, where home sellers were typically on the hook to pay a 5% or 6% commission, usually split between their agent and the agent representing their home seller. In the months since the settlement was announced, Realtors across the country have been preparing for the change, attending trainings and poring over the details of new contracts they must sign with prospective homebuyers. Some agents predict the rules will pave the way for new business models and potentially drive many full-service Realtors to leave the industry, while others are more sanguine about the impending changes. “This is a grand social experiment in an industry at scale,” Leo Pareja, CEO of eXp Realty, one of the largest real estate brokerages in the US, said. “I’m bracing my agents for what I call the ‘messy middle.’ I fully expect a lot of confusion.” In a statement, NAR’s president, Kevin Sears, said he was confident NAR members would adapt to the changes. “These changes help to further empower consumers with clarity and choice when buying and selling a home,” Sears said. As August 17 nears, “I am confident in our members’ abilities to prepare for and embrace this evolution of our industry and help to guide consumers in the new landscape.”