For decades, an invisible hand has been guiding and controlling the American real estate industry, dictating how much buyers and sellers pay to their agents and how homes are sold. A few days ago, after a stunning legal settlement, that control — wielded by the National Association of Realtors — collapsed.

Debra Kamin, who reports about real estate desk for The Times, explains how the far-reaching change could drive down housing costs.

Guest: Debra Kamin (https://www.nytimes.com/by/debra-kamin) , a reporter on real estate for The New York Times.

Background reading: 

• The National Association of Realtors agreed to a landmark deal (https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/15/realestate/national-association-realtors-commission-settlement.html) that will eliminate a bedrock of the industry, the standard 6 percent sales commission.
• Read about five ways (https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/16/realestate/buy-sell-house.html) buying and selling a house could change.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily (http://nytimes.com/thedaily?smid=pc-thedaily) . Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.