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ERA president Alex Vidal says consumer narratives are driving agent concerns

Vidal points to buyer representation agreement backlash online and says he has seen two cases in three years where MLS listing did not fit sellers’ realities.

Reported · Written up by our desk · Industry

ERA Real Estate president Alex Vidal told HousingWire that what agents worry about is increasingly shaped by what consumers are reading and discussing, rather than the largest industry headlines.

Vidal said consumer-facing narratives about buyer representation agreement issues have been spreading on social media, with some posts framing the homebuying experience as turning into a “nightmare.” He argued that even when the industry says buyer representation agreements are beneficial, consumers may not be seeing that message.

He also said the debate over private listings should better reflect how seller and buyer needs can differ, pointing to his own experience during his divorce.

Vidal said that in the three years before the interview, he was personally involved in two situations where listing a property on the MLS right away did not work, including a case where schedules made it hard to prepare the home for showings.

He added that because the timing prevented them from going live on the market, they believed a traditional MLS approach would not have been workable despite being in a hot market.

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