Gibson commission settlements upheld

Plus: Pending sales fall in August for the first time in 2026

September 03, 2026

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🚀 We're off! It's Thursday. Here's what's worth knowing today.

Today's newsletter is 706 words — a 2.5-minute read. Let’s dive in…

1. Gibson commission settlements upheld

The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld $110.6 million in settlements in the Gibson real estate commission lawsuit, allowing the agreements to move forward. The ruling comes nearly two weeks after the same three-judge panel upheld the settlements in the landmark Sitzer/Burnett case.

The Gibson lawsuit, filed in Missouri in October 2023, accused several brokerages of conspiring to keep agent commissions artificially high. The case named defendants including Compass, Redfin, The Real Brokerage, and six other firms, with settlements reached across all of them.

The ruling removes another layer of uncertainty for agents, brokers, and consumers after years of commission litigation. The court's Gibson decision was just two sentences, affirming the lower court's approval of the settlements.

2. HUD sets one-year deadline for fair housing accessibility claims

HUD has clarified that Fair Housing Act design and construction violations are discrete acts, setting a clearer deadline for administrative claims. Under the new guidance, accessibility violations arise during design and construction and end when construction is completed, meaning complaints must be filed within one year of the property’s initial certificate of occupancy.

The change rescinds HUD’s previous position that accessibility claims could remain actionable as long as noncompliant features were still present. The continued existence of a barrier will no longer restart or extend the administrative filing deadline, giving builders, developers and property owners more certainty around potential liability.

The guidance applies only to HUD administrative complaints. Individuals can still bring Fair Housing Act lawsuits in federal or state court without first filing with HUD.

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3. Catch up quick

🏗️ Homebuilding permits dropped 22% in the first half of 2026. (BizJournals)

🚕 Amazon's Zoox brings robotaxi testing to Houston. (Zoox)

🚀 Map: Austin neighborhoods with the fastest-growing home sales. (MySA)

👥 Gen Z accounted for one in five mortgage rate lock purchases in Q2 2026. (ICE)

💰 Homes in highly rated school zones cost 35% more. (Redfin)

4. Alex Vidal joins REMAX as president

RE/MAX has named Alex Vidal as its new president, bringing nearly 30 years of real estate experience and a coaching track record spanning more than 30,000 agents.

Vidal joins RE/MAX after serving as president of ERA Real Estate and previously as a regional vice president at Coldwell Banker. He started his career as an agent, including door-to-door sales, before moving into recruiting, coaching and leadership.

The move comes as RE/MAX begins a new chapter under Real RE/MAX Group, which acquired the brand in August. Vidal will oversee the network of 145,000+ agents across 120+ countries and territories.

“I’m very agent-centric, and I believe agents are the boss,” Alex Vidal says. “My philosophy has always been, ‘What can I do to make their lives better and help them make more money?’ I’m pairing up with the best of the best to see if we can get to an even better level.”

5. Pending sales fall in August for the first time in 2026

Pending home sales just snapped an eight-month winning streak, falling 0.2% year-over-year in August — the first annual decline since last November, according to Realtor.com’s report.

Key takeaways from the report:

  • Pending sales turned negative (-0.2% YoY) for the first time since November, down sharply from a May peak of +4.8%, while new contract signings fell 3.4% YoY.

  • 20.4% of listings saw a price reduction in August, matching last year's rate for the first time in 2026 after trailing it all spring.

  • Delistings remain 12.6% below last year's pace with no late-summer spike, and the "quit rate" has held steady around 5.5% for six weeks.

  • The median list price fell to $424,500, down 1.3% YoY — the 10th straight monthly decline.

  • Active listings rose 3.6% YoY to 1.14 million, the fastest growth so far this year.

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