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JUSTICE DEPARTMENT SUES NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS FOR
LIMITING COMPETITION AMONG REAL ESTATE BROKERS The Department of Justice's Antitrust Division today filed a lawsuit against the National Association of Realtors (NAR), challenging a policy that obstructs real estate brokers who use innovative Internet-based tools to offer better services and lower costs to consumers. The Department said that NAR's policy prevents consumers from receiving the full benefits of competition and threatens to lock in outmoded business models and discourage discounting. The Department's civil antitrust lawsuit was filed today in U.S. District Court in Chicago . "The purchase of a home is one of the most significant financial decisions a family can make, and NAR's policy stifles competition to advantage some of its members at the expense of home buyers and sellers across the country," said J. Bruce McDonald, Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Department's Antitrust Division. "Consumers benefit when real estate brokers are free to compete vigorously by offering innovative services." |
There are many helpful sites on line we as real estate agents may need to use or refer clients to. If you have any others to share please send them in to be published next month. For info on flood zones, earthquake-prone zones etc. go to www.fema.gov/nfip/ . Other Federal Government sites are: EPA: www.epa.gov U.S. Environmental Protection Agency HUD: www.hud.gov U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development VA: www.va.gov Veterans Administration Census: www.census.gov U.S. Census Bureau State of Illinois Government Sites: State governor's home page: www.state.il.us State real estate commission: www.obre.state.il.us Two good real estate news sites are: www.inman.com and www.realtimes.com Find school information at: The School Profile at www.2001beyond.com The School Report at www.theschoolreport.com American School Directory at www.asd.com www.Klaaskids.org is a site that lists all sex offenders across the U.S. Unfortunately you may one day need to check on a certain address or neighborhood for a client. Chris Puszynski |
