Today’s news briefs include new video evidence in Jordan Chiles Olympic medal controversy; Changes in real estate commissions to begin; Landfill collapse kills 24.
Real estate commission changes begin
Realtors this week get an overhaul in how they get paid. The changes, CNN reports, are part of a $418 million settlement announced in March by the National Association of Realtors. The settlement found that realtor commissions violated anti-trust laws. Gone are the old informal commissions that put home sellers “on the hook to pay a 5% or 6% commission, usually split between their agent and the agent representing their home seller.” Now, realtors cannot include compensation on multiple listing services. The second change requires buyers’ agents to discuss their compensation upfront and sign a written buyer agreement before touring a property. It is designed to inform buyers that they are responsible for paying their own Realtors fee if a seller chooses not to cover the cost. Industry analysts have called it biggest change in America’s real estate market in a century.
Collapse of landfill kills at least 24
“The death toll from a mountain of rubbish that collapsed in the Ugandan capital rose to 24 on Monday as rescuers with excavators continued searching for victims,” reports the AP. At least four kids died in the incident believed to have been triggered by heavy rainfall. City authorities say there was a “structural failure in waste mass.” It is unclear how many people are missing but it could be hundreds. The Kiteezi landfill is a “vast rubbish dumpsite in an impoverished hillside area that receives hundreds of garbage trucks daily. The city authority has been aiming to decommission it since declaring it full years ago.”
–Dwight Widaman and wire services