housing

Realtor Compensation Gets Overhauled: How Does It Affect Nashville?

Realtor Compensation Gets Overhauled: How Does It Affect Nashville?

Feverpitched via iStockPhoto For decades, the National Association of Realtors (NAR), a trade association with over 1.3 million members, has established guidelines for structuring compensation for realtors representing homebuyers and sellers during most home sales in the United States, However, on August 17th, 2024, new NAR practices went into effect following a settlement between the NAR and a class of plaintiffs across the United States. In the antitrust lawsuit, plaintiffs asserted that the NAR’s guidelines for compensating realtors were anticompetitive and increased home prices through compensation structures that shared commissions between the realtors of homebuyers and home sellers.  How have…
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Vanderbilt’s On Campus Living from a Branding Perspective

Vanderbilt’s On Campus Living from a Branding Perspective

Photo taken by Nicolette Tolitano The opening of Carmichael completes the family of residential colleges in the West End neighborhood and marks the end of a 12 year long construction period. The transformation of the once dull West End neighborhood is a part of Vanderbilt’s FutureVU project, which “embodies the university’s core values and holistic approach to its mission of teaching, research and service, while prioritizing inclusivity and sustainability” (MyVU News).   In layman's terms, the university hopes to blend academic and outside life, while keeping students on campus for as long as possible. The motive for the neighborhood’s beautification is…
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Vanderbilt Housing Prices: Fair or Unfair?

Vanderbilt Housing Prices: Fair or Unfair?

Ron Ye Photo By Ron Ye How fair are Vanderbilt’s housing prices? Although this doesn’t seem to be a question asked frequently around campus, it certainly makes a statement when showing up on the bills of many students on campus. When asked their thoughts on housing prices, which currently cost $6,742 per semester, a Vanderbilt junior commented, “I think it is a bit excessive, even though it’s comparable to average rents in Nashville.” "I think it's a bit excessive, even though it's comparable to average rents in Nashville." While financial aid and scholarships can significantly reduce the housing costs for…
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Is Gentrification Increasing Non-Housing Expenses? The Need for Quantitative Analysis in Nashville

Is Gentrification Increasing Non-Housing Expenses? The Need for Quantitative Analysis in Nashville

Brycia James via iStockphoto By Matthew Moy Historic Nashville neighborhoods are changing. Longtime buildings and businesses are being replaced by newer construction projects. Increasingly upscale residential and commercial properties are popping up throughout the city. As indicated by NewsChannel 5, residents believe that the affordability and character of their neighborhoods is changing and leaving them behind. 91.2% of 2022 searches for moves into Tennessee came from states with higher costs of living, with nearly one-quarter hailing from California Gentrification has been a significant point of concern for Nashville residents in recent years. The idea of gentrification has been used to…
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