Meet the real estate CEO who wants to reshape how Americans buy and sell homes

Tech Insider : Business, Style, Technology
Photo collage of Robert Reffkin

Brad Barket/Getty; Getty Images; Tyler Le/BI

It's almost 9 p.m. on a Wednesday in November, and Robert Reffkin is working the phones.

Ryan Serhant founded two apps that didn't take off but raised $45 million to help fund his third. Here's what he did differently.

Tech Insider : Business
Ryan Serhant
Ryan Serhant believes his new app will make day-to-day work easier for real estate agents.

Crystal Cox/Business Insider

4 people who bought and sold homes without a traditional real-estate agent break down how and why they did it

Tech Insider : Business, Politics, Technology
A couple looks at home listings online together
 

AndreyPopov/Getty Images

Real-estate agents are now TV stars as big as the homes they sell, according to 2 men who saw potential 20 years ago

Tech Insider
Ryan Serhant and a group of agents have a standing meeting in a luxury penthouse with floor-to-ceiling windows
Ryan Serhant and his team of agents want to become the No. 1 real estate firm in New York City in their new Netflix show.

Courtesy of Netflix

I live in a Texas city that's one of the fastest-growing in America. I see why so many Californians are moving here — and the impact they have on home prices and traffic.

Tech Insider
Eric and Tammy Newland at Krauses Cafe in New Braunfels.
Eric Newland with his wife Tammy at Krause's Cafe & Biergarten in New Braunfels.

Courtesy of Eric Newland

Want to fire your real estate agent? Try this.

Tech Insider
Lewis Buckley (right) and Allan Wood (left), the entrepreneurs behind Hiizzy.com
Lewis Buckley (right) and Allan Wood (left), the entrepreneurs behind Hiizzy.com

Hiizzy.com

The rules for real estate have changed. Here's how you can profit from the upheaval.

Tech Insider : Economy
Illustration of a person walking through a house maze.
A $418 million settlement could help American homebuyers save tens of thousands of dollars. But the path to ownership is still lined with hazards.

Maria Hergueta for BI

The homes your real-estate agent doesn't want you to see

Tech Insider : Economy
A house being covered up with cloth
Real-estate agent commissions have barely budged over decades. Critics blame a shady practice known as "steering."

Allevinatis/Getty, stuartbur/Getty, malerapaso/Getty, Tyler Le/BI

She bought a house without using a realtor. Did you?

Tech Insider
A couple standing outside of a house.
About 12% of homebuyers in 2023 did not use a real-estate agent.

xavierarnau/Getty Images

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