Every Friday, Inman Service Editor Dani Vanderboegh rounds up the most popular, most read, most critical stories of the week to give you a quick catchup on the big headlines you might have missed in the hustle and bustle of the workweek. Here’s this week’s Top 5 as chosen by our readers.
P.S. Don’t miss The Download, our weekly column that breaks down one of the week’s top stories and equips you with what you’ll need to meet next Monday head-on.
Jason Oppenheim identified as mystery broker in kickback plot

In lawsuits filed this fall, Douglas Elliman accused escrow employees of concocting a commission-sharing scheme with the “star of a reality television show” but stopped short of naming Oppenheim.
Under-the-radar NAR nonprofit may have hidden GOP agenda

A new report from “The New York Times” examines the NAR-created American Property Owners Alliance, a nonprofit organization ostensibly dedicated to property rights, which has given heavily to Republican causes.
Direct mail isn’t dead! 16 examples that are working now

Using real-world examples from a variety of markets and niches, Jimmy Burgess shares ideas for creating impactful and effective direct mail marketing collateral.
Alexander brothers charged with sex trafficking in fed indictment

Tal, Oren and Alon Alexander | Credit: Official Partners, Canva, Facebook
The several months-long legal battle the brothers faced against several women who alleged sexual assault came to a head on Wednesday with their arrests in the wake of an FBI probe.
Kevin Sears: Settlement averted bankruptcy, DOJ ‘disrespectful’

NAR’s president also said in a new podcast interview that homeseller-plaintiffs insisted during negotiations that the largest brokerages be left out of NAR’s landmark settlement.