Welcome to 2026!

Before we make any resolutions about doing better, let's talk about all the real estate ish that needs to stay in 2025.

This episode is your complete guide to everything we're leaving behind: coaches still denying the NAR settlement mattered, agents going viral for steering content and threatening critics, companies creating fake AI testimonials, RESPA violations dressed up as "networking," and brokers who conveniently ignored their top producers crossing every ethical line.

My "Just In Case" folder nearly crashed my laptop this year with screenshots, contracts, and social media posts that consumers definitely shouldn't have seen. So let's unpack it all, the Camp B coaches, the builder bonuses, the ego-driven commission wars, and the agent who literally looked up someone's phone number to threaten them for posting a critique.

But it's not all doom and gloom! There's actually some good news: Pennsylvania is moving forward with legislation to restrict predatory home equity agreement companies. Progress is possible when we demand better.

Plus: A personal update on why things got quiet around here at the end of 2025 (spoiler: health stuff, family stuff, life stuff), and what's coming in 2026, including special guests and our Housing Rebel provider member events with Rob Hahn on January 21st and Hunterbrook Media on February 18th for a belated Valentine's special on how much we love captive lending and new construction chaos.

Real Estate Ish We're Leaving in 2025:

• Coaches pretending nothing was wrong with pre-settlement practices
• Agents making steering content "for the algorithm"
• Fake testimonials and AI-generated marketing
• FSBO hostage situations and buyer manipulation
• "I don't do interviews" energy from agents with paid Zillow badges
• Builder bonuses to other people's fiduciaries
• RESPA violations disguised as "business strategies"

This episode is based on content from Housing Rebel. All examples are from publicly posted content by real estate professionals.

If you're looking for industry cheerleading, this ain't it. But if you're ready for honest talk about what went wrong and how we fix it, you're in the right place.

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Hit us up here.

Special Episode!

Between July and September 2025, we did something crazy: we pretended to be homebuyers and called 281 real estate agents across 26 cities to see what they're ACTUALLY telling consumers about commissions post-settlement.

The NAR settlement was supposed to introduce price competition and transparency. So what happened?

In this special one-off episode, I break down what we found:

• Why agents in 8 major cities ALL quoted the exact same rate (down to the decimal point)
• The #1 lie agents told us over and over (spoiler: it violates the DOJ-NAR agreement)
• How three agents in one Cincinnati suburb likely misled 175 consumers in a single year
• The one bright spot: two-thirds of agents WILL negotiate if you push back (they just won't tell you that)
• Tactical advice for home buyers and sellers entering the market

Whether you're buying, selling, or working in the industry, you need to hear this.

Read The Full Report

Get Help Finding An Agent

Got a question?

State laws and regulations may vary.

Have a story you would like to share with other sellers or buyers?
Hit us up here.

In this episode, we sit down with David Friend, who spent over a decade at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) from the recovery for the market crash through 2022.

Think the CFPB is a regulatory monster killing innovation? That's exactly what certain billionaire tech leaders want you to believe, because consumer protection tends to get in the way of "moving fast and breaking things" (especially when those "things" are your financial wellbeing).

David takes us inside the agency that was created to prevent another economic meltdown, explaining what it was actually like working there and why the constant attacks on this consumer protection agency benefit exactly one group: the people who profit when regulations disappear.

We're diving into:

• Why the CFPB was created and what it actually does
• How open banking should have been standard practice years ago and who is against it
• The truth behind "debanking" claims (spoiler: it's just banks protecting their assets, not political warfare)
• What happens when you gut a consumer protection agency down to 10% of its former capacity

Recorded this summer with some delightful breaks, because working from home without help is always an adventure with hungry kids.

If you've ever wondered why the loudest voices against consumer protection are the ones who profit most without it, this episode is for you.

Contact David Friend

Got a question?

State laws and regulations may vary.

Have a story you would like to share with other sellers or buyers?
Hit us up here.