TW Shortt Reports

By T.W. Shortt, Former Radcliff Councilman and local business owner

The election is just days away. Soon, the signs will come down, the advertisements will stop, and voters will have made their choices.

Some candidates will celebrate. Others will gather their signs, thank their supporters, and come to terms with a disappointment that only those who have run can fully understand.

Before that happens, I want to say something to everyone who put their name on the ballot:

Thank you for stepping forward.

By: T.W. Shortt. Principal Broker of REALTY WORLD® Knox Realty Group, LLC, former President of the Heart of Kentucky Association of REALTORS®

After 40 years in real estate, I believe 2027 could bring some of the most consequential changes our industry has experienced. The question is whether brokers, associations, and consumers will be prepared.

When I entered real estate in 1987, the Multiple Listing Service was the foundation of cooperation among competing brokers. Today, technology, artificial intelligence, antitrust litigation, and changing consumer expectations are testing that traditional business model.

As we look toward 2027, several developments deserve our attention.

Nationally: Competition and Artificial Intelligence

By TW Shortt, CRS™, CRB™
Broker/Manager, REALTY WORLD® Knox Realty Group and Flat Fee Connect, LLC

A major real estate antitrust settlement is approaching an important deadline, and some Kentucky homebuyers may want to pay attention.

The proposed settlement in Tuccori et al. v. At World Properties, LLC et al. creates a combined fund of about $120.3 million for qualifying homebuyers who purchased MLS-listed homes during the applicable class periods and paid a brokerage commission in connection with the transaction.

Claims must be submitted or postmarked by October 27, 2026.

So where does the money come from?

The settling real estate organizations pay it. The National Association of REALTORS® is contributing $52.25 million, with additional millions coming from HomeServices of America, Anywhere Real Estate, Hanna Holdings, Compass, eXp, and numerous other brokerage companies.

The defendants deny violating the law, and the settlement does not find that they did.

A Former Radcliff Councilman Speaks Out

OPINION | By T.W. Shortt
Former Radcliff Councilman, Co-founder of the Radcliff Small Business Alliance, and Local Business Owner

My professional career has been centered in Radcliff. My main office has always been here, and our commercial investments have been concentrated in the very areas where I have repeatedly called for redevelopment and a stronger economic future.

I campaigned on those concerns, raised them while serving on the council, and have continued discussing them publicly. I believe Radcliff has substantial potential, and I have invested my time and money in that belief.

That commitment helps explain my support for Keith Taul for reelection as Hardin County judge/executive.

I know both Keith Taul and J.J. Duvall. I have met with them many times, exchanged views with each, and observed their public service. I served on the Radcliff City Council alongside Mayor Duvall.

I like both men. But voters must consider what each has accomplished with the responsibilities entrusted to him.

By TW Shortt, Principal Broker, CRS®, CRB®

REALTY WORLD Knox Realty Group, LLC — The Fort Knox Office™

A changing real estate market can make people nervous. Sellers wonder if they waited too long. Buyers wonder if they should wait longer. Headlines offer plenty of reasons to worry, but they rarely tell a family what to do about the house they need to buy or sell.

Since entering real estate in 1987, I have worked through four decades of changing conditions in Hardin County. Those years have reinforced one lesson: when the road changes, a steady hand on the wheel matters.

Different Markets, Different Challenges

By TW Shortt, U.S. Army retiree, former Radcliff Councilman, and local business owner

When Soldiers case a unit’s colors, they close a chapter of service built on shared missions, sacrifice, and pride.

On October 14, the 19th Engineer Battalion cased its colors during a deactivation ceremony at the General George Patton Museum of Leadership. Companies have relocated or merged with other units. Some Soldiers will move, some will leave military service, and others will remain.

For those of us whose lives have been tied to Fort Knox, that ceremony means more than the installation’s gates.