{"id":3061,"date":"2008-05-06T10:11:44","date_gmt":"2008-05-06T17:11:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/?p=3061"},"modified":"2008-05-06T10:11:44","modified_gmt":"2008-05-06T17:11:44","slug":"the-war-against-the-mls-continues-the-mls-must-fall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/3061\/the-war-against-the-mls-continues-the-mls-must-fall\/","title":{"rendered":"The War Against The MLS Continues | The MLS Must Fall!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Department\u00a0<\/h1>\n

As the real estate industry awaits the long anticipated trial pitting the Department of Justice vs. The National Association of Realtors<\/a>, another Multiple Listing Service has been targeted by the DOJ.<\/p>\n

On May 2, 2008, the DOJ filed suit <\/a>against the Consolidated Multiple Listing Service (CMLS) of Columbia, South Carolina. The suit challenges the manner in which the CMLS operates and governs its members.<\/p>\n

The lawsuit states that CMLS rules unreasonably restricts competition among real estate brokers and has caused consumers in the Columbia area to pay more for the services of real estate agents and brokers.<\/p>\n

The lawsuit alleges in part that the CMLS mandates that real estate agents and brokers perform a myriad of obligatory services, which provides for a reduced level of customer service and limits consumer choice.<\/p>\n

The suit also states that these mandatory services provides for an exclusion of competitors who might offer innovative options that could provide better services to consumers in that area.<\/p>\n

“Buying or selling a home is one of the most significant financial transactions in the lives of most Americans. The kinds of rules CMLS imposes stifle competition to the advantage of its members and the disadvantage of home buyers and sellers,”<\/strong><\/em> said Thomas O. Barnett, Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Department’s Antitrust Division.<\/p>\n

“Today’s lawsuit seeks to remove unlawful impediments to competition for real estate brokerage services in the Columbia area, so that consumers will benefit from the additional options and reduced fees that competition can bring.”<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

The MLS in most areas allows for the free exchange of information by and between its members regarding available homes on the market. The efficiency of the CMLS, or any MLS for that matter, can be a benefit to the consumer.<\/p>\n

The DOJ contends that certain practices by the CMLS negatively impacts how the real estate industry members can choose to operate their businesses and accordingly adversely influences competition.<\/p>\n

Specifically cited are rules imposed by the CMLS wherein its members are not allowed to offer a home sellers the opportunity to avoid paying a broker’s commission if the seller locates a buyer on his or her own.<\/p>\n

CMLS rules require brokers to Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0 As the real estate industry awaits the long anticipated trial pitting the Department of Justice vs. The National Association of Realtors, another Multiple Listing Service has been targeted by the DOJ. On May 2, 2008, the DOJ filed suit against the Consolidated Multiple Listing Service (CMLS) of Columbia, South Carolina. The suit challenges the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":37,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-3061","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"hentry","6":"category-real-estate","8":"no-featured-image"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2202,"url":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/2202\/a-consumers-guide-to-the-divorced-real-estate-commission-cataloging-benefits-starting-with-a-complete-catalog-of-available-homes\/","url_meta":{"origin":3061,"position":0},"title":"A consumer’s guide to the divorced real estate commission: Cataloging benefits — starting with a complete catalog of available homes","author":"Greg Swann","date":"November 10, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Part IV: Divorcing the real estate commissions will result in benefits not just for buyers but also for their agents and for the real estate market as a whole The National Association of Realtors is embroiled right now in a protracted anti-trust suit brought by the United States Department of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Marketing"","block_context":{"text":"Marketing","link":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/category\/marketing\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2889,"url":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/2889\/nar-news-from-the-legal-front\/","url_meta":{"origin":3061,"position":1},"title":"NAR News From the Legal Front","author":"Dave Phillips","date":"April 3, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Over the years, NAR has had its fair share of legal battles.\u00a0 Currently, there are a few big and interesting cases involving NAR that could have dramatic impact on the real estate industry.\u00a0 Here\u2019s an update on three cases that are in the works.\u00a0 US vs NAR This is the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Dirty Laundry"","block_context":{"text":"Dirty Laundry","link":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/category\/dirty-laundry\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":17492,"url":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/17492\/making-the-case-for-my-manumission-and-yours-from-the-nar\/","url_meta":{"origin":3061,"position":2},"title":"Making the case for my manumission \u2013 and yours? \u2013 from the\u00a0#NAR.","author":"Greg Swann","date":"November 19, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"As mentioned, I am striving to extricate myself from the National Association of Realtors. It's the speech code that's put me off the reservation. Until lately the NAR has been a nuisance to me, but now it is an active menace. I would abhor thought police even if they were\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Egoism in Action"","block_context":{"text":"Egoism in Action","link":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/category\/egoism-in-action\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/junior-moran-hrEJYRtBDrk-unsplash-1-320x480.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":908,"url":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/908\/nar-doj-russ-russell-part-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":3061,"position":3},"title":"NAR & DOJ – Russ & Russell Part 2","author":"Russell Shaw","date":"January 16, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Russ Cofano responded: Russell, I appreciate the opportunity to chat with you on this subject. First, my comments should not be taken to mean that I support the DOJ's position and hope that they win. Nor do I necessarily support the NAR position with its rulemaking. As I have said\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Disintermediation"","block_context":{"text":"Disintermediation","link":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/category\/disintermediation\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":896,"url":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/896\/nar-doj-russ-russell-part-1\/","url_meta":{"origin":3061,"position":4},"title":"NAR & DOJ – Russ & Russell Part 1","author":"Russell Shaw","date":"January 15, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Russ Cofano responded: Hi Russell, Happy to add some background here. You ask, \"But aren't the \"anti-competitive policies\" basically who has the right to decide how and where listings will be displayed?\" Kinda. The initial DOJ complaint against NAR revolved around NAR's initial Virtual Office Website (VOW) policy that allowed\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Disintermediation"","block_context":{"text":"Disintermediation","link":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/category\/disintermediation\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3181,"url":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/3181\/nardoj-settlement-a-tale-told-by-an-idiot-full-of-sound-and-fury-signifying-nothing\/","url_meta":{"origin":3061,"position":5},"title":"NAR\/DOJ settlement: “A tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing…”","author":"Greg Swann","date":"May 27, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"After years of song and dance, the DOJ reached a settlement with the NAR that seems to have achieved absolutely nothing -- except the waste of a bunch of tax and dues money. At least that's what you would think if you read nothing but the NAR's spin. In fact,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Disintermediation"","block_context":{"text":"Disintermediation","link":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/category\/disintermediation\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3061","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/37"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3061"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3061\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3061"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3061"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3061"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}