Competition in the Real Estate Brokerage Industry - #3

Section B of the background portion of the report deals with the explanation of the MLS and its purpose. Again, a credible job is done with explanation, however our first view of a chasm of perception appears in this section.

Report quote: "One panelist who is a real estate broker and past president of NAR described the MLS as “a broker-to-broker information exchange that provides an opportunity for cooperation and compensation.” Another panelist, however, described the MLS as a “club” that can limit membership and access to MLS listings to firms that conduct business in a particular manner, thereby limiting consumer choice. This panelist, an economist, stressed that when competitors cooperate, as in an MLS, the rules governing that cooperation and the conditions under which the cooperation occurs must be examined closely."

I think the statements are as expected, considering the professions of the commenters. In fact, we'd like to elicit comments here just to see whether there are REALTORS out there who might agree somewhat with the economist.

Entire series: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19 & final