In my practice, I am fortunate enough to attend a real estate conferences on a regular basis. And, without exception, we always get a run down on hot trends/cases from industry leaders. Some issues that are being attacked in hot cases/trends are:

• Are the typical commission structures – e.g., the typical 5% to 6% divided in half – fair or creating an antitrust issue?
• Is MLS commission anti-competitive and artificially inflates commission rates?
• Can a buyer’s agent advertise/represent that it is working for its client for free, as generally happens and has been allowed?
• What is the impact of agent only showing their clients houses with higher typical commissions, like 6%? And how is this being advertised, pushed for and manipulated contrary to the interests of consumers?

There are currently some big, national cases that will likely bring about big changes in the entire national real estate community with regard to how real estate brokers’/agents’ commissions are determined, explained and advertised. These cases revolve around antitrust and alleged conspiracy claims – asserting that the use of commissions in today real estate markets are creating an overcharging to consumers and artificially manipulation of the market.