🎙️ This Week in Real Estate | Episode 348

Zillow vs Compass Escalates, National MLS Talk, Lawsuit Fallout & a Shifting Buyer Market

The real estate industry is drifting toward a breaking point — and this week, the cracks got louder.

In Episode 348 of This Week in Real Estate, we unpack the intensifying Zillow vs Compass showdown, fresh legal developments, and why industry leaders are openly comparing real estate's future to airline-style consolidation. At the same time, buyers are quietly gaining leverage, sellers are cutting prices, and winter weather is freezing demand across parts of the country.

Here's what we're breaking down LIVE 👇

🔥 Industry Power Plays & Platform Wars

• Zillow's Errol Samuelson fires back at Compass as tensions rise over listing access, tech, and control

• Newly revealed Zillow internal files shed light on how the company actually viewed Compass' technology

• Robert Reffkin floats a national MLS concept — while claiming Compass previously declined a Zillow partnership

• An MLS executive calls out brokers for "talking out of both sides of their mouth" on consolidation

• CEOs warn real estate is heading toward a "United, Delta, American Airlines" moment — fewer giants, more power concentration

⚖️ Lawsuits, Settlements & Legal Fallout

• Keller Williams settles the Batton commission lawsuit for $20M — what it signals for brokers nationwide

• NAR says it's still pursuing all legal options in the Batton case despite growing pressure

• What these settlements mean for brokerage risk, commission models & long-term strategy

📉📈 Market Reality Check

• Luxury home prices keep climbing — even as demand shows signs of fatigue

• Homebuyers are scoring the biggest discounts in 13 years, with most homes now selling below list

• 62.2% of homes sold under asking in 2025 — a massive shift in leverage

• A surprising number of homeowners are still sitting on high mortgage rates

• Rough winter weather slams mortgage demand, temporarily distorting buyer activity

🏦 Rates, Policy & What Comes Next

• Trump nominates Kevin Warsh as Fed Chair — what that could signal for interest rates and housing

• How markets may interpret this move and why expectations matter more than headlines

🎭 Bonus Story

• An influencer couple pleads guilty to a $5M home renovation scam — and why "real estate content" doesn't equal credibility

This episode is about power, leverage, and control — who has it, who's losing it, and what agents actually need to pay attention to heading into the next phase of the market.

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