Three really interesting real estate related stories in the round-up of weekend newspapers….

• This, from the LA Times, discusses the emergence of real estate blogs as effective marketing tools, gossip forums and occasional thorns in the side of organized real estate.

• And this, from today’s Washington Post, about a Sawbuck, new DC-based online brokerage that manages to provide consumers discounts for getting the package of brokerage, title and mortgage services from them (Sawbuck). Interesting model. Wonder how it jives with RESPA?

•  And then there’s Ken Harney’s column from Saturday’s Washington Post, on an Alabama lawsuit that threatens to become a class action against real estate brokers who charge “junk” admin fees on top of commissions.