The Commission That Time Forgot

In Episode 146 of Confidential Remarks, Steve Koleno examines one of the most protected pricing structures in modern business: residential real estate commissions.This presentation explores how technology systematically removed friction from the home buying and selling process — from listings and signatures to marketing and transaction coordination — while commission structures remained largely unchanged.Inside this episode:• Why dollar commissions exploded despite lower percentage rates• How real estate became a pricing outlier in the digital economy• The collapse of the information monopoly• Why litigation failed to create true pricing competition• The role of transparency, automation, and AI in reshaping the industry• What alternative pricing structures may look like going forwardThis is not an attack on agents. It is a market analysis about efficiency, transparency, and economic alignment in a rapidly evolving industry.