Well said, Greg. Even though Zillow clarifies they are okay with private listings, the PR campaign tells a completely different story. Hedging against the legal risk, knowing all that really matters is perception.
Well done Greg! I own and operate a real estate firm in Arizona with a large part of my brokerage selling Luxury homes and I can tell you these clients are not happy with all the changes. Our hands are tied when it comes to servicing our sellers and taking care of their needs/concerns first and foremost. Consumers needs should come first and agents should be allowed to do what's in their best interest. I agree with what Kathy Howe wrote. Too many rules.
Greg Hague and 72Sold are AZ agent and entity. Known as a disruptor in this state, he does make some salient points. Advocacy and fiduciary are paramount. So many people today making rules that agents must follow instead of agents acting in the best interest of their client...
Greg's observation is indeed perceptive and resonates strongly with my experience. Having dedicated over three decades to this industry, I've witnessed its complete transformation firsthand, and our current trajectory appears to be leading toward an increasingly regulated environment that serves neither consumers nor agents. The professional autonomy that once allowed agents to tailor their business practices to best serve their clients has been systematically diminished by large organizations prioritizing profit margins above all else, regardless of the long-term consequences to the industry's integrity and sustainability.
Greg Hague has touched on something that most real estate licensees have swept under the carpet for years and it really needs to be addressed. Hague boldly suggest, that the sellers who pay dearly for agent/broker representation are possibly being harmed, due to industry practices, regulations, and mandates, imposed on the agents hire to serve and advise them. I urge you to read this article at least twice, as I did, to fully understand the depth and breath of what needs to be addressed to allow agents the flexibility and independence to better advocate for, advise, and protect sellers and buyers as well.
I have been on the title side of the business for over 20 years and I have worked with Greg for 6 years and what he is saying is spot on. Intense rules eliminate innovation and overrides what it means to be an independent contractor.
There are several things to unpack here, first of which is the position that the absence of a fiduciary relationship compromises the consumer welfare. It's understandable coming from an attorney based on training and practice, yet our primary state of operation is Florida for which transactional brokerage status has been in place for many years. Our advisors average more than twenty years of experience, realize between 3 to 10 times the production of the averages for our markets, and are exceedingly professional. This isn't a commercial, but simply a statement that they would not view favorably assumptions that they fail to property represent their customers.
As to Zillow and almost all aggregators, you'll get no arguments from me that their crusades on behalf of consumers are always self serving in nature. In the end, however, it's challenging to don the fiduciary mantel and then justify public marketing for a listing in order to solicit buyers but then convince owners that syndication is not in their best interest when these sites will represent the lion's share of views the listing will ever obtain. We all have private listings for very good reasons, yet I find it really questionable when what is really being said is that you as a seller are best represented when only I or another person in my company will be the only one's selling it.
I'm one who feels the who delayed exempt listing scenario is an orchestrated attempt at pacification and, in the end, fails to accomplish much of anything.
Budge - Excellent observations. I don't see the big question as public v private marketing. Most sellers want to expose their home to all potential buyers. The question is how it's done. Why should home selling professionals be required to use platforms (like Zillow) that have so many home selling negatives? Diverting interested buyers to agents who know nothing about the home. Displaying "offer guides" suggesting buyers make lower than asking price offers. Those are only two of many Zillow seller/listing agent negatives. If we are compelled to use Zillow it will never remedy those wrongs. If we are not, it might change to a portal that serves sellers, thereby attracting use by listing agents, which then serves buyers by making it easy to access our inventory on one website. Make Zillow compete for our business. It will serve us better. Thanks for your comment. Greg
I'm not a veteran in this business. I've been licensed for six years and am still in my 20s, but I completely agree with Greg and the other commenters. Our fiduciary duty to our clients must come first. Unfortunately, I often feel that this duty is compromised by rules imposed by organizations like NAR and Zillow. In my local MLS, there's a $500 daily fine for violating Clear Cooperation. More than once, I've felt that truly honoring my fiduciary duty would mean paying that fine to do what's best for my client.
Zillow and similar platforms profit from the work of real estate professionals, yet attempt to dictate how they should operate. True professionals in every discipline... medicine, law, financial advice... have absolute freedom to advise clients without constraints. I may be labeled a disruptor, but my father told me, 'Politicians seek popularity; leaders advocate truth.' The truth is, entities like Zillow, NAR, and the MLSs seek to control the industry to ensure their own survival. They want dependency, not professionalism. They want you to believe you can't support your family without them. They're wrong. You could, even better, if you had the chance.
Greg, this is exactly the leadership our industry has been starving for! You’ve hit the nail on the head with “Fair Play.” Agents must be held to a higher standard, and your vision is the roadmap to restoring the trust and credibility our profession deserves. I’m proud to stand with you and will advocate for this movement in my market. Thank you for having the courage to say what so many are thinking but few dare to voice. Let’s make this happen!
"Sellers ultimately fund the commissions that support our industry. Even with the elimination of MLS uniform offers of buyer agent compensation, sellers typically pay both listing agents directly and buyer agents through contract concessions."
IMO, Greg's two sentences above are at the center of the debate. I have yet to hear a word about what buyer's agents are charging for their services. I thought that was what these changes were supposed to discover?
Greg, your perspective is razor-sharp, and your piece on “Fair Play in Real Estate” absolutely nailed the core issue. Thank you for continuing to speak the hard truths so clearly—your voice is a critical reminder of what real advocacy and fiduciary duty should look like in our industry.
As someone who’s devoted four decades to this industry and has trained thousands of agents, I felt compelled to speak up after reading Greg Hague’s courageous article. Greg is saying what far too many in our profession have been afraid to say out loud. With clarity and conviction, he’s exposing how the policies cloaked in “fairness” and “consumer protection” are, in truth, undermining the very principles of fiduciary duty, client advocacy, and professional judgment that define our role as licensed real estate professionals.
He is absolutely right! Agents are not order takers. We are trained advisors. Our clients deserve options, discretion, and strategic guidance tailored to their needs, not one-size-fits-all mandates handed down by institutions more interested in control and profit than true representation.
I applaud both Greg and Rob for putting this message out there. They have sparked a conversation we all need to be having, one that challenges the status quo, champions agent autonomy, and re-centers our industry around the people we’re here to serve: our clients.
Thank you, Greg. Your leadership matters, Your voice matters! Keep speaking out, for this really matters to the future of our industry!
You nailed it. While the industry pretends it’s protecting consumers, what it’s really doing is boxing in agents and tying the hands of sellers.
Thank you for calling out the hypocrisy and reminding everyone that true advocacy means having options—not following one-size-fits-all rules designed to protect platforms, not people.
Appreciate your candor and experience. We need more of that.
Well...I agree with the statement regarding why CCP was created. Most of it goes downhill from there.
I'm also suspect of anyone who takes money from Realtors who believe they can sell a home in 11 days (or is it 72 hours?) when there are myriad reasons why a house sells and when - THEN - preaches fiduciary. I had at least a dozen clients that were members of 72Sold and none of them are.
No matter what side you take on any of the described situations there are completely valid responses and counters.
But then again, I'm not a Realtor, just the 'help'.
In any event, the letter was *well-written* but I'm not sure the content itself followed suit.
Well said, Greg. Even though Zillow clarifies they are okay with private listings, the PR campaign tells a completely different story. Hedging against the legal risk, knowing all that really matters is perception.
Well done Greg! I own and operate a real estate firm in Arizona with a large part of my brokerage selling Luxury homes and I can tell you these clients are not happy with all the changes. Our hands are tied when it comes to servicing our sellers and taking care of their needs/concerns first and foremost. Consumers needs should come first and agents should be allowed to do what's in their best interest. I agree with what Kathy Howe wrote. Too many rules.
Greg Hague and 72Sold are AZ agent and entity. Known as a disruptor in this state, he does make some salient points. Advocacy and fiduciary are paramount. So many people today making rules that agents must follow instead of agents acting in the best interest of their client...
Greg's observation is indeed perceptive and resonates strongly with my experience. Having dedicated over three decades to this industry, I've witnessed its complete transformation firsthand, and our current trajectory appears to be leading toward an increasingly regulated environment that serves neither consumers nor agents. The professional autonomy that once allowed agents to tailor their business practices to best serve their clients has been systematically diminished by large organizations prioritizing profit margins above all else, regardless of the long-term consequences to the industry's integrity and sustainability.
Greg Hague has touched on something that most real estate licensees have swept under the carpet for years and it really needs to be addressed. Hague boldly suggest, that the sellers who pay dearly for agent/broker representation are possibly being harmed, due to industry practices, regulations, and mandates, imposed on the agents hire to serve and advise them. I urge you to read this article at least twice, as I did, to fully understand the depth and breath of what needs to be addressed to allow agents the flexibility and independence to better advocate for, advise, and protect sellers and buyers as well.
I have been on the title side of the business for over 20 years and I have worked with Greg for 6 years and what he is saying is spot on. Intense rules eliminate innovation and overrides what it means to be an independent contractor.
There are several things to unpack here, first of which is the position that the absence of a fiduciary relationship compromises the consumer welfare. It's understandable coming from an attorney based on training and practice, yet our primary state of operation is Florida for which transactional brokerage status has been in place for many years. Our advisors average more than twenty years of experience, realize between 3 to 10 times the production of the averages for our markets, and are exceedingly professional. This isn't a commercial, but simply a statement that they would not view favorably assumptions that they fail to property represent their customers.
As to Zillow and almost all aggregators, you'll get no arguments from me that their crusades on behalf of consumers are always self serving in nature. In the end, however, it's challenging to don the fiduciary mantel and then justify public marketing for a listing in order to solicit buyers but then convince owners that syndication is not in their best interest when these sites will represent the lion's share of views the listing will ever obtain. We all have private listings for very good reasons, yet I find it really questionable when what is really being said is that you as a seller are best represented when only I or another person in my company will be the only one's selling it.
I'm one who feels the who delayed exempt listing scenario is an orchestrated attempt at pacification and, in the end, fails to accomplish much of anything.
Always appreciate the exchanges!
Budge
Budge - Excellent observations. I don't see the big question as public v private marketing. Most sellers want to expose their home to all potential buyers. The question is how it's done. Why should home selling professionals be required to use platforms (like Zillow) that have so many home selling negatives? Diverting interested buyers to agents who know nothing about the home. Displaying "offer guides" suggesting buyers make lower than asking price offers. Those are only two of many Zillow seller/listing agent negatives. If we are compelled to use Zillow it will never remedy those wrongs. If we are not, it might change to a portal that serves sellers, thereby attracting use by listing agents, which then serves buyers by making it easy to access our inventory on one website. Make Zillow compete for our business. It will serve us better. Thanks for your comment. Greg
I'm not a veteran in this business. I've been licensed for six years and am still in my 20s, but I completely agree with Greg and the other commenters. Our fiduciary duty to our clients must come first. Unfortunately, I often feel that this duty is compromised by rules imposed by organizations like NAR and Zillow. In my local MLS, there's a $500 daily fine for violating Clear Cooperation. More than once, I've felt that truly honoring my fiduciary duty would mean paying that fine to do what's best for my client.
Zillow and similar platforms profit from the work of real estate professionals, yet attempt to dictate how they should operate. True professionals in every discipline... medicine, law, financial advice... have absolute freedom to advise clients without constraints. I may be labeled a disruptor, but my father told me, 'Politicians seek popularity; leaders advocate truth.' The truth is, entities like Zillow, NAR, and the MLSs seek to control the industry to ensure their own survival. They want dependency, not professionalism. They want you to believe you can't support your family without them. They're wrong. You could, even better, if you had the chance.
Greg, this is exactly the leadership our industry has been starving for! You’ve hit the nail on the head with “Fair Play.” Agents must be held to a higher standard, and your vision is the roadmap to restoring the trust and credibility our profession deserves. I’m proud to stand with you and will advocate for this movement in my market. Thank you for having the courage to say what so many are thinking but few dare to voice. Let’s make this happen!
"Sellers ultimately fund the commissions that support our industry. Even with the elimination of MLS uniform offers of buyer agent compensation, sellers typically pay both listing agents directly and buyer agents through contract concessions."
IMO, Greg's two sentences above are at the center of the debate. I have yet to hear a word about what buyer's agents are charging for their services. I thought that was what these changes were supposed to discover?
Greg, your perspective is razor-sharp, and your piece on “Fair Play in Real Estate” absolutely nailed the core issue. Thank you for continuing to speak the hard truths so clearly—your voice is a critical reminder of what real advocacy and fiduciary duty should look like in our industry.
As someone who’s devoted four decades to this industry and has trained thousands of agents, I felt compelled to speak up after reading Greg Hague’s courageous article. Greg is saying what far too many in our profession have been afraid to say out loud. With clarity and conviction, he’s exposing how the policies cloaked in “fairness” and “consumer protection” are, in truth, undermining the very principles of fiduciary duty, client advocacy, and professional judgment that define our role as licensed real estate professionals.
He is absolutely right! Agents are not order takers. We are trained advisors. Our clients deserve options, discretion, and strategic guidance tailored to their needs, not one-size-fits-all mandates handed down by institutions more interested in control and profit than true representation.
I applaud both Greg and Rob for putting this message out there. They have sparked a conversation we all need to be having, one that challenges the status quo, champions agent autonomy, and re-centers our industry around the people we’re here to serve: our clients.
Thank you, Greg. Your leadership matters, Your voice matters! Keep speaking out, for this really matters to the future of our industry!
Well said, Greg!
You nailed it. While the industry pretends it’s protecting consumers, what it’s really doing is boxing in agents and tying the hands of sellers.
Thank you for calling out the hypocrisy and reminding everyone that true advocacy means having options—not following one-size-fits-all rules designed to protect platforms, not people.
Appreciate your candor and experience. We need more of that.
Well...I agree with the statement regarding why CCP was created. Most of it goes downhill from there.
I'm also suspect of anyone who takes money from Realtors who believe they can sell a home in 11 days (or is it 72 hours?) when there are myriad reasons why a house sells and when - THEN - preaches fiduciary. I had at least a dozen clients that were members of 72Sold and none of them are.
No matter what side you take on any of the described situations there are completely valid responses and counters.
But then again, I'm not a Realtor, just the 'help'.
In any event, the letter was *well-written* but I'm not sure the content itself followed suit.
Bravo! Excellent description of the issues! Thank you!!