Daniel Houston

As the war in Iran stretched into its fourth month, signs emerged that the Strait of Hormuz might eventually reopen. Investors celebrated. Oil prices dropped. But most real estate agents surveyed by Intel have yet to see any improvement in their business prospects, results from June suggest.

The advent of commission negotiation has given a small but high-performing group of agents and brokers an opportunity to make a bigger cut of the transaction than before. Despite this, some brokerage leaders report finding it harder to turn a profit. The results of May’s Intel Index survey shed new light on the opportunities and challenges that brokerage leaders are facing as the industry veers further from the negotiation-related debates of the past.

Some MLSs have taken the extraordinary step of attempting — or at least threatening — to cut off Zillow’s access to their listings. Were you or your clients affected directly? Would you support or oppose your MLS doing the same? And what do you expect to see come out of these efforts?