Why Real Estate Fees Never Dropped After Technology Changed Everything

In Episode 131 of Confidential Remarks, Steve Koleno examines one of the biggest contradictions in modern real estate:Technology dramatically reduced the labor involved in buying and selling homes… yet traditional commission structures remained largely unchanged for decades.This episode breaks down:The “Automation Paradox” in real estateHow the internet transformed the housing industryWhy commissions resisted digital price pressureThe role of the MLS and institutional pricing structuresHow the 2024 NAR settlement changed buyer-agent compensationWhy transparency and negotiability are reshaping the industryThe rise of flat-fee and unbundled brokerage modelsWhat consumers and agents should expect nextIf you want to understand where real estate is heading — and why the old system is now under pressure — this episode explains it in simple, direct terms.Confidential Remarks is a series focused on real estate disruption, market structure, technology, and the future of consumer-driven brokerage models.