Dishin' Dirt with Gary Pickren

Send us Fan Mail Real Brokerage just acquired RE/MAX for $880 million — and if you think this is just another corporate merger, you're missing what's actually happening to the real estate industry in 2026. In this episode, Gary Pickren breaks down what Real's acquisition of RE/MAX means for every real estate agent, whether you're at a major franchise, an independent brokerage,...

Send us Fan Mail Commission steering is one of the most misunderstood legal risks in real estate right now — and most South Carolina agents don't realize they're doing it. In this episode, Gary Pickren breaks down exactly what commission steering is, how it happens without any malicious intent, and why it's become one of the fastest-growing sources of legal liability for real estate...

Send us Fan Mail Broker-to-broker compensation is gone in South Carolina — but plenty of agents are still confused about what that actually means for how they get paid. This episode clears it up for good. Gary Pickren is joined by former SC REALTORS President Reah Smith to walk through exactly how listing agents and buyer agents should be handling compensation conversations now that SC REALTORS ha...

Send us Fan Mail Zillow now tells buyers how much to offer on a home. At what point does a real estate platform cross the line into practicing real estate without a license — and what does that mean for your agency relationship with your client? In this episode, Gary Pickren examines Zillow's Offer Insights tool and other buyer-facing guidance features through the lens of South Carolina real...

Send us Fan Mail Compass, Zillow, and CoStar are locked in a three-way war over real estate listings — and the MLS is the battlefield. Every South Carolina real estate agent needs to understand what's at stake and which side their business is on. In this episode, Gary Pickren breaks down the three competing real estate portals now fighting for listing control: the Compass/Redfin/Rocket portal...

Send us Fan Mail If you're marketing a listing publicly — on social media, on a sign, anywhere — you may already be legally "on the market." Most agents don't know this, and it's creating serious compliance exposure. In this episode, Gary Pickren is joined by MLS and industry veterans Matthew Thrift, Craig Summerall, and Brad Allen to break down the legal and ethical minef...

Send us Fan Mail Howard Hanna — the largest independent brokerage in the United States — just launched its own private listing platform called HannaList. This is the move that could trigger an industry-wide domino effect, and every South Carolina real estate agent needs to understand what it means for how homes get bought and sold. In this episode, Gary Pickren breaks down the HannaList launch, wh...

Send us Fan Mail Compass, Redfin, and Rocket Mortgage have formed an alliance to build a private listing network that operates outside the open MLS. The shadow MLS is here — and it's a direct attack on the transparency that real estate has operated under for decades. In this episode, Gary Pickren breaks down how this Compass/Redfin/Rocket partnership works, why it's being called a "...

Send us Fan Mail Broker-to-broker compensation is dead in South Carolina. The agents who figure out how to have clear, confident compensation conversations in this new environment will win. The ones who don't will keep losing listings and buyers to agents who can. In this episode, Gary Pickren lays out the straightforward truth about how real estate agent compensation works in South Carolina...

Send us Fan Mail SC REALTORS has officially removed broker-to-broker compensation from its standard listing agreements. This is the most significant change to South Carolina real estate forms in years — and it has direct, immediate implications for every listing agent and buyer's agent in the state. In this episode, Gary Pickren breaks down exactly what changed, what it means legally, and wha...

Send us Fan Mail Is South Carolina housing finally becoming affordable? Interest rates have moved, inventory has shifted — but the headline numbers don't tell the full story. Here's what the actual data says. In this episode, Gary Pickren digs into the real state of housing affordability in South Carolina, breaking down what's actually happening with interest rates, home prices, and...

Send us Fan Mail Most real estate agents are selling the wrong thing. They pitch their checklist — the showings, the marketing, the open houses. But in a post-settlement market, the agents who win are selling something buyers and sellers actually care about: risk management. In this episode, Gary Pickren delivers the new agent value pitch for South Carolina real estate agents operating after the N...

Send us Fan Mail Rocket Mortgage was just sued for mortgage steering — and the RESPA violation at the center of the lawsuit is something South Carolina real estate agents need to understand, because the same exposure applies to how you handle lender referrals every single day. In this episode, Gary Pickren breaks down the Rocket Mortgage steering lawsuit, what RESPA actually prohibits, and why ref...

Send us Fan Mail The top 5 real estate stories of 2025 didn't just make headlines — they changed how the industry operates. This is part 2 of Gary Pickren's year-end breakdown of the biggest stories that will keep shaping your real estate business in 2026. In this episode, Gary covers stories 5 through 1 from the most consequential year in recent real estate history. Whether you're...

Send us Fan Mail 2025 was the most disruptive year in real estate in a generation. The NAR settlement, compensation overhauls, private listing networks, brokerage consolidations — the industry changed at every level. Here are the 10 stories that drove it, and what they mean for your business in 2026. In this episode — Part 1 of a two-part series — Gary Pickren counts down stories 10 through 6 from...

Send us Fan Mail Everyone has a 2026 real estate forecast. Interest rates, home prices, inventory levels — the predictions are everywhere. But what do the experts actually agree on, where do they diverge, and what critical piece are most of them missing? In this episode, Gary Pickren cuts through the noise and gives South Carolina real estate agents and brokers a clear-eyed view of what to expect...

Send us Fan Mail Every major housing analyst made predictions for the 2025 real estate market. Interest rates were supposed to fall. Home sales were supposed to rebound. Inventory was going to loosen up. So — who actually got it right? In this episode, Gary Pickren puts every major 2025 real estate market prediction on the scoreboard and measures it against what actually happened. For South Caroli...

Send us Fan Mail On this extended edition of Dishin' Dirt, I examine the contentious topic of whether South Carolina should adopt a statewide MLS or maintain its current multiple local MLSs.  I am joined by MLS current and former board members, Craig Summerall, Matthew Thrift, and Brad Allen. Our conversation delves into the pros and cons of both systems, the ethical implications for real est...

Send us Fan Mail Reah Smith joins me on Dishin' Dirt to discuss the ongoing issue of commission steering in real estate, its implications following the Sitzer/Burnett settlement, and the ethical considerations surrounding compensation structures.  We explore the importance of buyer agency agreements, the role of bonuses in transactions, and the need for a cultural shift within the industry. O...

Send us Fan Mail The National Association of REALTORs was in the news last week concerning two policies. One was changed and the other was upheld.    First, NAR voted to end the requirement of NAR membership to gain access to REALTOR owned MLSs. This is a great policy change but did the change go far enough? Secondly, NAR failed to approve the required disclosure of referral fees in a real estate...

Send us Fan Mail I have been saying since the settlement that broker-to-broker compensation is a broken model. Tony Nalley of ERA Wilder Realty joins me today to discuss how they moved away from broker-to-broker compensation. Tony tells us why they made the move, how it was rolled out to the agents and how it has been a positive for the brokerage's agents and clients.   Hopefully, other broke...

Send us Fan Mail I had the absolute pleasure this year of meeting and getting to know Keon Alrich, the current SC REALTOR President. Keon is finishing her term as President and agreed to sit down with me for an exclusive one-on-one interview to discuss her thoughts on her year of service. We discuss successes, plans, regrets, threats and opportunity.  Whether you are a REALTOR or not, you don&apos...

Send us Fan Mail There is a brand-new study being touted in the industry that discusses the state of your commissions/fees since the Sitzer Burnett settlement.   The study by the Consumer Policy Center is eye-opening in the omissions and obfuscations made to reach the predetermined conclusion that real estate agents are doing workarounds in order to preserve pre-settlement commission rates.  Oh, t...

Send us Fan Mail If you are a follower of Dishin' Dirt, you know that I have spent the better part of  the past year and a half telling everyone about the risks that come post-Sitzer Burnett.  Today, I am going to discuss the cancer of dual agency and why 9 states have already outlawed it.  Why is South Carolina not following suit? Are we going to wait for Sitzer 2.0 to do something about it....

Send us Fan Mail Why do builders offer a buyer agent incentive?  It is very simple; to convince you to show their house over the competitors and so you will advocate for the builder when the buyer is choosing between multiple houses.  Congratulations you just described commission steering.  See the problem with that? You are supposed to advocate for your client and not the seller! These bonuses an...