{"id":3181,"date":"2008-05-27T14:09:23","date_gmt":"2008-05-27T21:09:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/?p=3181"},"modified":"2008-05-27T14:26:34","modified_gmt":"2008-05-27T21:26:34","slug":"nardoj-settlement-a-tale-told-by-an-idiot-full-of-sound-and-fury-signifying-nothing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/3181\/nardoj-settlement-a-tale-told-by-an-idiot-full-of-sound-and-fury-signifying-nothing\/","title":{"rendered":"NAR\/DOJ settlement: “A tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing…”"},"content":{"rendered":"

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, the NAR lost the major point of contention, the attested right of brokers to withhold listings from Virtual Office Websites (VOWs). From eWeek.com:<\/a><\/p>\n

The Department of Justice said May 27 it has reached a settlement in its long-running legal dispute with the National Association of Realtors. Under the terms of the settlement, the Realtors will enact a new policy that guarantees Internet-based brokerage companies will not be treated differently than traditional brokers. <\/p>\n

Under the new policy, Realtor-affiliated brokers participating in multiple listing services will be prohibited from withholding their listings from brokers who use virtual office websites, generally known as VOWs. The Realtors agreed to a 10-year settlement to ensure the group continues to abide by the requirements of the settlement.<\/p>\n

“Today’s settlement prevents traditional brokers from deliberately impeding competition,” Deborah A. Garza, deputy assistant attorney general of the DOJ’s Antitrust Division, said in a statement. “When there is unfettered competition from brokers with innovative and efficient approaches to the residential real estate market, consumers are likely to receive better services and pay lower commission rates.”<\/p>\n

The Realtors also agreed to adopt antitrust compliance training programs that will instruct local associations of about the antitrust laws generally and about the requirements of the proposed settlement. The National Association of Realtors is a trade association of more than 1.2 million residential real estate members who operate in local real estate markets nationwide.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

That sounds like something, but it ain’t. For one thing, the NAR gets to define what a VOW is. From its own press release:<\/p>\n

The terms of the proposed final order validate NAR’s position – that MLS members must be actively engaged in real estate brokerage by actually helping people buy or sell homes. This will ensure that MLSs are used for what they were originally intended to do – to help real estate professionals find Read more<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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, the NAR lost the major […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"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":[4,6,5,19],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-3181","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"hentry","6":"category-disintermediation","7":"category-marketing","8":"category-real-estate","9":"category-technology","11":"no-featured-image"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":17500,"url":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/17500\/overnight-news-doj-sues-nar-nothing-that-matters-changes-redfin-rejoices\/","url_meta":{"origin":3181,"position":0},"title":"Overnight News: DOJ sues NAR. Nothing that matters changes. Redfin rejoices.","author":"Greg Swann","date":"November 20, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"I saw Housing Wire's story on the Department of Justice's anti-trust suit against the National Association of Realtors, and I thought: \"Yeehaw!\" But then I read Glenn Kelman's odd rejoicing, and I realized that the \"lawsuit\" is a done deal, and nothing that matters will have changed. Vide: From now\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Group Therapy"","block_context":{"text":"Group Therapy","link":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/category\/group-therapy\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Ya think it's easy?","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/BHBNewTopImage-300x225.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2889,"url":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/2889\/nar-news-from-the-legal-front\/","url_meta":{"origin":3181,"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":8358,"url":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/8358\/nar-idx-fubar-rules\/","url_meta":{"origin":3181,"position":2},"title":"NAR + IDX = FUBAR Rules","author":"John Rowles","date":"May 11, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Thanks to Ryan's earlier post, I have spent the morning digging into the NAR's attempt to label the Google Search Engine a \"scraper\". Clearly, the intent is to stifle Realtor.com's competition. There is no other explanation for a rule that specifically targets SEO by dictating that we cannot put the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Real Estate"","block_context":{"text":"Real Estate","link":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/category\/real-estate\/"},"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":3181,"position":3},"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":896,"url":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/896\/nar-doj-russ-russell-part-1\/","url_meta":{"origin":3181,"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":15293,"url":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/15293\/hey-ron-phipps-i-say-the-national-association-of-realtors-is-a-rent-seeking-rotarian-socialist-conspiracy-against-the-american-consumer-can-you-offer-even-one-argument-to-refute-that-claim\/","url_meta":{"origin":3181,"position":5},"title":"Hey, Ron Phipps: I say the National Association of Realtors is a rent-seeking Rotarian Socialist conspiracy against the American consumer. Can you offer even one argument to refute that claim?","author":"Greg Swann","date":"November 9, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"My friend and partner, the ever-more-Unchained Brian Brady, posted a Facebook link to a Wall Street Journal article on the current push by the National Association of Realtors for extended loan subsidies for the rich:To understand why 90% of U.S. mortgages are still underwritten by taxpayers, look no further than\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Group Therapy"","block_context":{"text":"Group Therapy","link":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/category\/group-therapy\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3181","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\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3181"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3181\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3181"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3181"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3181"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}