Though often confused, there is a distinct difference between the inspection and the appraisal.

One of the key points of contention was the commission structure for real estate agents. Typically, the seller pays a commission that is split between the seller's and buyer's agents. Although this and everything else in real estate has always been negotiable, critics claimed that this system discouraged negotiation on commission rates and kept them artificially high, reducing the overall competitiveness of the market.