Looped In

Latest Episodes:

You signed a lease. Then a storm damaged your home. Now what? Mar 31, 2021

Show notes

In the aftermath of Houston's litany of hurricanes, floods and storms, renters are realizing that renter protections in Texas are anemic at best. If the apartment's condition has deteriorated to the point where it impacts physical health or safety and the landlord does not make timely repairs — usually defined as seven days — renters are supposed to be able to move out. But if tenants and landlords disagree on whether a home is livable or whether reasonable repair efforts are being made, tenants find themselves with few practical options.

Connect with Rebecca Schuetz.

READ: 'It is a disaster': Renters demand repairs after weeks without water

'Stuck in this netherworld': Deadly freeze exposes Texas' renter protections as anemic at best

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Meet the brokerage that taped those calls and takes credit for starting a DOJ suit Feb 22, 2021

Show notes

The commission a buyer's agent earns is in the spotlight because of how they're set up. While the buyer's agent has a fiduciary responsibility to the homebuyer, their commissions is largely set by the homeseller before the property is listed on an agent-to-agent database known as the multiple listing service. Even though this is the setup, buyers' agents are required to work in the homebuyers' best interest, which means they should not steer buyers to one house or another just because of how much they'll be paid. However, phone calls recorded by the brokerage Rex seem to show real estate agents doing just that. Rex credits the calls with a Department of Justice suit against the National Association of Realtors. Jack Ryan, Rex's chief executive, talks about what life is like for a brokerage that decides to circumvent the traditional commission structure by staying off the multiple listing service and what he believes will change as a result of the suit.

Connect with Rebecca Schuetz.

READ: Houston real estate agents caught on tape steering buyers away from homes with less commission

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Rebecca refinances (or does she?) and avoids the cocktail party trap Jan 31, 2021

Show notes

Even as Rebecca interviewed people who had shaved hundreds off their monthly mortgage payments — giving them increased financial security in the midst of a recession — and spoke to coworkers and friends about how the historically low rates had benefited them, she put off doing one of her own. After low mortgage rates won a 2020 Loopie Award for Brightest Glimmer of Hope (Besides the Vaccine), her podcast editor suggested to stop dilly dallying and to document her journey so listeners might learn from her experience. So she did.

Connect with Rebecca Schuetz.

Support the show: https://offers.houstonchronicle.com/?offerid=125&origin=newsroom&ipid=podcast

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And the Loopies for 2020 go to... Jan 15, 2021

Show notes

Every year, Looped In celebrates by recognizing the best and worst of Houston real estate.
In 2020, there was a lot to choose from.
The pandemic and the need to socially distance has shaped the way we interact, which has shaped the spaces we interact in. Home sales and renovations boomed, while offices were thrown into uncertainty and hotels and small retailers floundered. Some have closed for good.
As Looped In looked back on last year, we asked your thoughts on what stood out. And the people have spoken:
Most Controversial Controversy

34 percent: The National Association of Realtor's new social media policy
32 percent: How the attempted Daugherty-Elliman merger panned out
26 percent: Al Hartman's handling of masks in the workplace
8 percent: The proposal to turn Sharpstown into a homeowners' association

Buzziest Buzzword

56 percent: Unprecedented
22 percent: WFH
16 percent: Uncertainty
6 percent: De-densification

Trendiest Development Trend

48 percent: Home office
27 percent: Plexiglass partitions
16 percent: Touchless (fill in the blank)
9 percent: Swimming pools

Saddest Demise

62 percent: Luby's
15 percent: Bernie's Burger Bus
15 percent: Barry's Pizza
4 percent: Morningstar
Write ins: Benjy's, Sweet Tomatoes, Wendy's

Biggest Work-from-Home Perk

43 percent: Less time commuting
28 percent: More time with pets
16 percent: More time with family
13 percent: Kitchen access for lunch and snacks

Brightest Glimmer of Hope (Besides the Vaccine)

49 percent: Low mortgage rates
28 percent: Escapes to nature
11 percent: Empty commercial space repurposed into housing
9 percent: Road trips
Write ins: Vacation homes, freedom

Connect with Rebecca Schuetz and Nancy Sarnoff.

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“I’m not even going to show it to them, to be honest with you.” Jan 11, 2021

Show notes

Houston real estate agents have been recorded saying they will not show certain homes to their clients — even though the houses meet all the buyers’ desires. This is one of the conversations. Read the story: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/article/houston-real-estate-agents-less-commission-records-15857087.php

REX: And you don’t think they’d compensate you after everything you’ve done for them? I mean, if you’re working so much for them.
Agent: Not as far as what my compensation should be, no. I wouldn’t even feel comfortable asking them for that. And I know it’s not you. Unless you’re the owner of this company. The real estate game is changing. And I’m not -- I mean, it’s putting away my profession. And I’m not in favor of it. So I can’t help you to sell something that’s wiping out my profession.

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“I’m not doing that.” Jan 11, 2021

Show notes

Houston real estate agents have been recorded saying they will not show certain homes to their clients — even though the houses meet all the buyers’ desires. This is one of the conversations. Read the story: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/article/houston-real-estate-agents-less-commission-records-15857087.php

REX: How our properties work is we list our properties at 2 percent. And we don’t use the MLS so how that works is our sellers are not obligated to pay a buy-side commission. However, we do want you guys to get paid, so how you do that is place your commission on top of the offer price, and you’d get that from your buyer, so it’d be a discussion between you and the buyer on compensation.
Agent: Okay, well, I’m not doing that. Thank you.

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“We can stop right there.” Jan 11, 2021

Show notes

Houston real estate agents have been recorded saying they will not show certain homes to their clients — even though the houses meet all the buyers’ desires. This is one of the conversations. Read the story: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/article/houston-real-estate-agents-less-commission-records-15857087.php

Agent: So if I were to bring you a client to purchase this property, do you guys pay me the three percent commission, or how does that work?
REX: That’s a good question. So the seller does not pay a fee -- or not pay a commission to neither the listing agent nor the buyer side agent. So if your client comes to the home and says they like the home, most agents will either have their client place the commission on top of the offering on the home, offer price on the home, or --
Agent: Yeah, that’s not going to work. Okay. Thank you. We can stop right there. Because I know they’re not going to do that. I know they’re capped at a certain amount, so I know they’re not going to want to pay me my commission. And I’m going to bring you a buyer and you’re going to get the property sold and you don’t even pay a commission. So that’s just not how I operate. I really do appreciate your time though, have a good day sir.

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Nancy has some news, eh? Dec 29, 2020

Show notes

Looped In host Nancy Sarnoff packs up her bags and moves to Canada, with a detour down memory lane.

Connect with Rebecca Schuetz and Nancy Sarnoff.

Support the show: https://offers.houstonchronicle.com/?offerid=125&origin=newsroom&ipid=podcast

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Realtors banned from racist posts Nov 18, 2020

Show notes

Realtors banned from racist postsThe National Association of Realtors tackled racist social media posts at their annual conference. On this episode of Looped In, Nancy Sarnoff and R.A. Schuetz discuss the background leading up to the vote.

Connect with Nancy Sarnoff and Rebecca Schuetz.

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Texas’s first cohousing community Nov 06, 2020

Show notes

We’ve all heard of coworking. But cohousing? Not so much. That’s because there are no cohousing communities in Texas, something a group of Houstonians in the East End are planning to change. They’re designing a 33-unit condominium where a sense of community will be the key amenity, a need for which they believe the pandemic has underscored. Think shared meals (or, during socially distant times, outdoor happy hours) and decision-making that revolves around consensus, not votes.

Read: In this housing development, community is the keystone

Connect with Rebecca Schuetz and Nancy Sarnoff.

Support the show: https://offers.houstonchronicle.com/?offerid=125&origin=newsroom&ipid=podcast

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.