National Association of Realtors CEO Bob Goldberg resigns in wake of sex scandals and commission conspiracy
Bob Goldberg, 66-year-old CEO of the National Association of Realtors (NAR), had he is scheduled to retire at the end of next year. But after three tumultuous months of sex scandals and price conspiracies, his plans changed.
Goldberg suddenly announced his resignation Thursday, two days after a federal jury ruled that NAR orchestrated a conspiracy to inflate real estate commissions and three months after the organization’s decision allegations of sexual harassment and discrimination were exposed.
“After announcing my decision to retire earlier this year, and reflecting on my 30 years at NAR, I determined last month that it was the right time for this extraordinary organization to look to the future “Goldberg said in a statement.
The troubles within the powerful American trade group in the real estate market began at the end of August when the New York Times released a report detailing sexual harassment accusations against the organization’s president, Kenny Parcell. Parcell resigned two days later. Critics have also targeted Goldberg, demanding his immediate resignation and with some real estate agents telling the Times that he failed to respond to complaints of sexual misconduct for years.
The fallout didn’t stop there. After the article, real estate broker Redfin announcement on October 2, that he cut ties with the group. Redfin said in a statement that this decision was “long overdue” and that “we were already uncomfortable with the NAR’s positions on the commissions when we read reports of sexist behavior and sexual harassment”, referring to the high rates of NAR’s real estate agent commission, which contradicts Redfin’s real estate agent commission rates. rates below the market.
And two days ago – which may have been the final straw for Goldberg – NAR and some of America’s largest real estate brokerages were accused of artificially inflating commissions paid to real estate agents . NAR and other brokerages must pay $1.8 billion in damage to the 500,000 home sellers in Missouri and some neighboring out-of-state cities represented by the class action lawsuit, originally filed in 2019. NAR said in a statement statement he plans to appeal the verdict.
A NAR spokesperson told the Times that Goldberg’s sudden departure is not related to the organization’s legal troubles or sexual harassment allegations.
Goldberg will be replaced by Nykia Wright, former CEO of Chicago Sun-Times, as interim general manager on November 20, while the organization searches for a permanent replacement. Goldberg will serve as executive consultant throughout the leadership transition.
