r/REBubble

Hi Reddit, 

I'm a former real estate agent, active investor, and current writer/editor at Clever Real Estate, where I cover realtor commissions. We recently ran a home seller survey to see whether the 6% real estate commission is still the standard nationwide, and we'd love to hear your thoughts.

We surveyed 500 people in July 2026 who sold a home within the last two years. The biggest finding is the gap between what people consider standard and what is actually paid. Key highlights include: 

• Only 16% of respondents reported paying a commission of 6% or more.
• 38% of sellers still believe 6% is "the standard rate." But this hasn't been the case for years, as rates have fluctuated between 5.32% and 5.70% from 2022-26, according to our in-house data. 
• 93% of sellers who negotiated their commission received some form of reduction, most often by simply asking their agent directly for a lower rate (50%). 45% shaved 0.5 to 0.99 points off their rate (meaning, a drop from 3% down to 2-2.5%). Just 33% of sellers who used an agent, however, actually tried to negotiate their commission.
• 45% didn't know the NAR settlement removed the requirement to offer buyer's agent compensation on the multiple listing service (MLS); 35% still offered to cover the cost in negotiations.

 

What 6% actually looks like from an agent's perspective: A $500,000 sale at 6% with each agent earning 3% means each side grosses $15,000, before factoring in any brokerage splits or normal realtor fees and expenses (taxes, insurance, MLS dues, marketing, etc; realistic take-home is more like $5,000 to $8,000).

One other thing that surprised people: Buyer's agent fees have actually risen since the NAR lawsuit settlement. They dipped briefly in 2025 but rebounded to 2.8% in 2026. The fee is negotiated on a deal-by-deal basis now instead of being baked into the MLS.

If you sold a house within the past 2 years, we'd be curious to know: 

• Your metro or state
• Total commission % you paid (and the split between buyer's and seller's agent)
• Did you negotiate commission with a listing agent, and did it work?
• Did you use a traditional agent, discount brokerage, flat fee, or FSBO?

We would also love to hear from agents: What commission rate are you quoting now versus before the settlement, and are sellers pushing back more than they used to?

Survey link: https://listwithclever.com/research/6-percent-real-estate-commission-statistics

Amid the broader fertility crisis, a new study by four economists, from Brazil, Singapore, the UK, and the US, is worth a closer look. The researchers use a natural experiment in Brazil, where housing credit is allocated through a lottery run by "consórcios" (group lending pools). A regular mortgage requires banks to screen applicants carefully, demand a large down payment, and take collateral, so many young families never qualify. A consórcio is open to almost anyone: members just make fixed monthly payments. The lottery replaces credit scoring, and defaults are absorbed by a shared guarantee fund.

For people aged 20 to 25, winning access to housing raises the probability of having a child by 32% and the average number of children by 33%. For people over 40, there is no such effect, which the authors attribute to the biological limits of fertility at that age.

The timing of the housing win turns out to matter as much as the win itself. Someone who gets housing at 20-24 ends up with roughly twice as many children over their lifetime as someone who gets the same housing ten years later, at 30-34. Every year of waiting produces a lasting drop in potential fertility.

The effect is largest for the poorest families and for those who had previously lived in the worst housing conditions.

The study also finds a gender pattern: in households where women earn a high income, housing access has less influence on the decision to have children, which the authors link to the higher career opportunity cost women face.

Most people who followed $CYDY remember March 30, 2021. The FDA publicly stated that CytoDyn's claims about leronlimab were "misleading and not supported by the data", no benefit was shown in COVID-19 treatment trials. The stock dropped 25%+ that day.

What happened afterward was a class action lawsuit covering investors who held $CYDY between March 27, 2020 and March 30, 2022.

A $500,000 settlement has been reached and terms are now submitted to the court for approval.

Who qualifies?

Anyone who held $CYDY during the class period and suffered losses from the alleged misrepresentations about leronlimab's effectiveness for HIV and COVID-19.

Can I still apply?

Yes, you can submit your application now and it will be processed once claims filing officially opens after court approval.

If you were damaged by this don't forget to check your eligibility. GL!

In the last year, home prices increased by 2% and inflation was right about 3.4% over the same period.

That's a 1.4% loss in equity, even before the cost of homeownership. I understand that leverage can change those numbers, but who wants to buy into a depreciating asset made profitable through increasing risk?

Very little appreciation seems to be on the horizon. Who is telling buyers to buy anything at market prices right now?