dChan
Anonymous ID: c22470 May 23, 2019, 8:51 p.m. No.6574968   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>4990 >>5000 >>5096 >>5323 >>5487 >>5536

DoJ Launches Anti-Trust Probe Into Real Estate Brokerage Industry

 

As homes in the US become increasingly unaffordable, those who can afford to buy probably chafe at the insanely high commissions paid to agents and brokers, which can amount to 6% of the sales price.

 

And as more buyers balk at these fees, turning instead to 'iBuyers' like Open Door and Zillow (which will buy a home with the intention of flipping it), it appears the DoJ has finally taken an interest in the phenomenon.

 

According to Bloomberg, anti-trust authorities are looking into allegations that members of the Realtors Association conspired with brokerage companies like Realogy Holdings Corp and Re/Max Holdings to stop home sellers from negotiating their commissions. Bloomberg learned about the investigation from sources at CoreLogic, a data provider that offers real-estate data to government agencies, lenders and brokers.

 

CoreLogic spokeswoman Alyson Austin confirmed the company received a civil investigative demand "relating to an investigation of practices of residential real estate brokerages." CoreLogic is not the focus of the investigation, she said.

 

If anything, the investigation is long overdue. The DoJ has been trying to lower real-estate commissions for the past 10 years.

 

The U.S. residential real estate industry has long faced criticism that it stifles competition among brokerages, protecting agent commissions that are higher than those paid by sellers in many other countries. In 2008, the Justice Department reached a settlement with the National Association of Realtors, a trade group, that was designed to lower commissions paid by consumers by opening the industry to internet-based brokers.

 

While CoreLogic couldn't provide any specifics beyond disclosing that the investigative demand sought information about the ability to search real estate listings on multiple platforms, the DoJ declined to comment, and BBG noted that a lawsuit filed against real-estate broker franchisors and the Realtors association might hold a few more clues.

 

The investigative demand to CoreLogic, dated last month, follows a lawsuit filed against the Realtors association and real estate broker franchisors, including Realogy Holdings Corp., claiming they conspired to prevent home sellers from negotiating commissions they pay to buyers’ agents.

 

The Realtors association filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing that it misunderstands the role of brokers. The trade group didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit or the Department of Justice investigation.

 

"We believe this case has no merit and have moved jointly with the other corporate defendants to dismiss the case," Realogy spokesman Trey Sarten said in an email. "Additionally, we have joined in NAR’s motion to dismiss."

 

The Internet has made it easy for anybody to look up listings, so why have commissions for real-estate agents remained so high? Though, while lower commissions could lead to lower prices, for most millennials, a mere 6% differential likely won't be enough to revive the lost dream of homeownership.

 

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-05-23/doj-launches-anti-trust-probe-real-estate-brokerage-industry

Anonymous ID: c22470 May 23, 2019, 8:53 p.m. No.6574986   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>5096 >>5323 >>5487 >>5536

Trump Seeks to Hand Border Wall Construction to North Dakota Firm

 

Under normal circumstances, the construction project should be awarded through a contest to the company with the best offer, but Trump appears eager to cut through bureaucracy to get the job done.

 

US President Trump wants to build that wall — and it should be cheap and fast. And it appears like he already found the perfect men for the job: a North Dakota construction company called Fisher Industries.

 

Normally, the process should go through a tender with several bidders. However, Trump seems to be willing to change the rules and offer the contract to Fisher directly, believing the company can do the job faster and cheaper than competitors, according to a Washington Post report.

 

"The President is one of the country's most successful builders and knows better than anyone how to negotiate the best deals," White House Press secretary Sarah Sanders said. "He wants to make sure we get the job done under budget and ahead of schedule."

 

The company claims it has a patent-pending construction method that would make wall construction much faster and cheaper than its competitor, Washington Post report says.

 

The mysterious method has been tested by Senator Kevin Cramer, who visited the company's HQ in North Dakota during his 2018 Senate campaign. Back at the time, Cramer posted a photo of himself driving an excavator.

 

"Here at Fisher Industries in Dickinson ND, I tested just how easy it is to install a panel of wall myself," Cramer wrote on Twitter.

 

Speaking about Trump's involvement in the Border Wall construction project, Cramer praised the president for his organizational skills.

 

"Good for him. It's why he is the president of the United States. He knows a thing or two about building big projects," Cramer said. "This is why he's president."

 

According to Cramer, Trump was elected to "cut through Washington's entrenched bureaucracy."

 

Fisher is also being promoted by Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and a senior advisor to the President. Being deeply involved in the wall construction project, Kushner personally investigated why the US Army Corps of Engineers sought to favour other companies over Fisher. According to the Washington Post, initially, Fisher was rejected because its proposed wall project was of inferior quality.

 

After some pressure from the White House, then-DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen demanded the company make changes in their project proposal so that they could bid for the contract.

 

https://sputniknews.com/us/201905241075288216-trump-border-wall-firm/

Anonymous ID: c22470 May 23, 2019, 8:55 p.m. No.6575012   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>5096 >>5160 >>5323 >>5487 >>5536

Employees Of 'Sexting-Central' Snapchat Spied On Users

 

Employees at social media giant Snap have been abusing internal tools for accessing user data in order to spy on Snapchat users, according to an investigative report by Motherboard, which interviewed multiple current and former employees and viewed internal Snap communications.

 

"employees have used data access processes for illegitimate reasons to spy on users, according to two former employees." -Motherboard

 

Snapchat, which boasts over 186 million users, is a mobile app for Android and iOS devices which allows people to send 'self-destructing' photos or videos to another person. The 'snap' can be set to expire within a few seconds of the receiver opening it, or the sender can elect not to delete it at all.

 

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-05-23/employees-sexting-central-snapchat-spied-users

Anonymous ID: c22470 May 23, 2019, 9:03 p.m. No.6575134   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>5323 >>5487 >>5536

Disney World Employee Arrested for Trying to Lure Child to Hotel for Sex

 

A Disney World employee has been arrested for attempting to lure an 8-year-old girl to a hotel for sex.

 

Frederick M. Pohl Jr. of Clermont was charged with transferring obscene materials to a minor and attempting to entice a minor. He is accused of talking online to arrange a sexual encounter with the child, but in reality was communicating with an undercover police officer.

 

Pohl is accused of sending explicit photos of himself and arranged to meet with the child at an Orlando hotel. When he arrived at the hotel, he was arrested with several condoms and a child-size pink dress. The maximum penalty, if convicted, would be life in prison.

 

https://newsbreakinglive.com/2019/05/23/disney-world-employee-arrested-for-trying-to-lure-child-to-hotel-for-sex/

Anonymous ID: c22470 May 23, 2019, 9:19 p.m. No.6575319   🗄️.is 🔗kun

Harvey Weinstein set to pay out $44 million in settlement with women accusing him of sexual assault and harassment

 

He is still facing criminal charges

 

Film producer Harvey Weinstein has reached a tentative $44 million dollar settlement in civil cases with women accusing him of sexual assault and harassment, according to The Wall Street Journal.

 

The civil suits involve accusations from women in the United States, United Kingdom and Canada and date back nearly three decades.

 

$30 million of the settlement is set to go to accusers, Weinstein's former employees, and studio creditors. The other $14 million would be paid to associates of Weinstein, some of whom are co-defendants in the civil suits.

 

"For the first time, as of yesterday…we now have an economic agreement in principle that is supported by the plaintiffs, the [New York attorney general's] office, the defendants and all of the insurers," said attorney Adam Harris before a judge in Delaware.

 

According to The New York Times, the $44 million settlement would be covered by insurance policies if it is finalized and paid out.

 

Though the settlement is significant, it is apparently much less than it could've been. From NYT:

 

The proposed sum is less than half of what was initially discussed as a victims' fund as part of conversations last year between an investor group that was interested in buying assets of the Weinstein Company and Eric T. Schneiderman, who was then New York's attorney general. That proposed deal, which fell apart at the last minute, included a victims' fund worth up to $90 million.

 

This settlement would wrap up only part of the legal turmoil Weinstein faces. Weinstein is also facing multiple rape charges, with a trial set for September. He has pleaded not guilty to one charge of first degree rape, one count of third degree rape, and one count of a criminal sexual act.

 

"However reprehensible the crime of rape is, it is equally reprehensive to falsely accuse someone of rape," Weinstein's lawyer Benjamin Brafman said in court last year. "Mr. Weinstein has denied these allegations. He enjoys the presumption of innocence and vigorously denies these charges. He intends to fight them."

 

https://www.theblaze.com/news/harvey-weinstein-set-to-pay-out-44-million-in-settlement-with-women-accusing-him-of-sexual-assault-and-harassment

Anonymous ID: c22470 May 23, 2019, 9:21 p.m. No.6575346   🗄️.is 🔗kun

Moscow: Washington and its partners should recognize responsibility for international coalition’s crimes in Syria

 

Moscow, SANA- Russian Foreign Ministry said that Washington and its partners should recognize responsibility for the crimes of the international coalition in Syria.

 

The Ministry said Washington is based on unreliable sources about allegations of the use of chemical weapons in Syria.

 

https://sana.sy/en/?p=166183