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LOS ANGELES (AP) — One of the nation's largest real estate brokerages has agreed to pay $70 million as part of a proposed settlement to resolve more than a dozen lawsuits across the country over agent commissions. In October, a federal jury in Missouri found that the National Association of Realtors and several large real estate brokerages, including Keller Williams, conspired to require that home sellers pay homebuyers' agent commission in violation of federal antitrust law. More than a dozen similar lawsuits are pending against the real estate brokerage industry. Two other large real estate brokerages agreed to similar settlement terms last year. In their respective pacts, Anywhere Real Estate Inc. agreed to pay $83.5 million, while Re/Max agreed to pay $55 million.

Persons: brokerages, ”, Michael Ketchmark, Keller Williams, homebuyers, “, ” Gary Keller, Max Organizations: ANGELES, Keller Williams Realty Inc, National Association of Realtors, Inc Locations: Illinois, Missouri, Austin , Texas

☆ A new 'wake-up call for real-estate agents' could reshape how we buy and sell homes
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Hana R. Alberts | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A jury found Tuesday that real-estate agents and brokerages kept their commissions artifically high. The verdict, she added, is "a wake-up call for real-estate agents." The seller might no longer pay out both agents' commissions after the sale closes. Currently, home sellers often list their properties for higher sums because they expect to pay broker fees. AdvertisementAdvertisement"NAR and corporate real-estate companies have had a stranglehold on real-estate commissions for too long," the plaintiffs' lawyer, Michael Ketchmark, said outside the courtroom Tuesday, according to the Journal.

Persons: brokerages, —, Sissy Lappin, James Rodriguez, Rodriguez, Bernstein, Keller Williams, Michael Ketchmark Organizations: Service, National Association of Realtors, NAR, Wall Street, Keller, Keller Williams Realty Locations: Houston , Texas, Midwest

☆ Jury hits National Association of Realtors, real estate companies with $1.8 bln in damages
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Mike Scarcella | Companies Need To Integrate Climate Reporting Across Functions To Comply With California S New Law | Henry Engler | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Townhomes line a street in Fairfax, on the morning the National Association of Realtors issues its Pending Home Sales for February report, in Virginia March 27, 2014. The verdict followed a two-week trial in the Kansas City, Missouri, federal court, where the case had drawn widespread attention for challenging widely used real estate industry practices. A spokesperson for the National Association of Realtors, Mantill Williams, also said it would appeal and ask the court to reduce the damages amount. The plaintiffs claimed the association and corporate defendants drove up the commission, upwards of 6%, that home sellers pay to brokers representing buyers. Two other defendants, Re/Max (RMAX.N) and Anywhere Real Estate (HOUS.N), agreed to respective $55 million and $83.5 million settlements before trial, without admitting liability.

Persons: Larry Downing, Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway, Michael Ketchmark, Ketchmark, Keller Williams, HomeServices, Darryl Frost, Frost, Mantill Williams, Sellers, Mike Scarcella, David Bario, Chizu Nomiyama, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: National Association of Realtors, REUTERS, U.S . Justice Department, Thomson Locations: Fairfax, Virginia, U.S, Warren, Kansas City , Missouri, Berkshire, America, Missouri , Kansas, Illinois, Washington, Maryland

The verdict by a federal jury in Kansas City, Missouri, could upend decades-old practices that have allowed real estate agents to boost commissions as home prices and mortgage rates rise, hurting consumers by making housing transactions more expensive. Plaintiffs in the class action included sellers of more than 260,000 homes in Missouri, Kansas and Illinois between 2015 and 2022, who objected to the commissions they were obligated to pay buyers' brokers. The verdict followed a two-week trial, and the damages award can be tripled under U.S. antitrust law to more than $5.3 billion. Shares of real estate brokerages not involved in the verdict closed lower. Re/Max fell 4.4% and Anywhere fell 2.7%, while online brokers Zillow Group (ZG.O) and Redfin (RDFN.O) declined 6.9% and 5.7%, respectively.

Persons: Larry Downing, Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway, Michael Ketchmark, realty Keller Williams, Mantill Williams, HomeServices, Keller Williams, Darryl Frost, Frost, Sellers, Corcoran, Max, brokerages, Mike Scarcella, Jonathan Stempel, Lance Tupper, David Bario, Chizu Nomiyama, Jonathan Oatis, David Gregorio Our Organizations: National Association of Realtors, REUTERS, realty, NAR, Coldwell Banker, Zillow, U.S . Department of Justice, Thomson Locations: Fairfax, Virginia, U.S, Warren, Kansas City , Missouri, Missouri , Kansas, Illinois, Berkshire, America, Washington, Maryland, New York

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