Reverse Discrimination As an advocate

As an advocate of the benefits of providing full service brokerage, I am deeply disappointed to see the DOJ continue with its lawsuit. The truth of the matter is that "the horse is out of the barn." You can find virtually every listing in the country on multiple websites. Furthermore, the number one real estate company on-line, according to Alexa.com, is Zip Realty.

What really irks me, however, is that there is now a double standard when it comes to full service vs. limited or discount service. It's perfectly acceptable for alternative business models to discuss the benefits of their models. This is well and good. However, the moment a full service broker mentions the word "commission," we now have people saying we cannot have this discussion out of fear of being accused of anti-trust activities. I spoke at the Inman Conference in NYC and we were discussing how to establish your value to consumers. When the word "commission" came up, one of the participants said that she would have to leave if the discussion continued. In fact, the problem is so bad in some places, that people who have invited me to speak have sent their attorneys in to make sure that there is no hint of any anti-trust references in my presentations. Furthermore, some people are afraid to use the title of my book, Waging War on Real Estate's Discounters, in flyers promoting events where I'm speaking. The bottom line is that consumers will pay so-called full commissions when brokers can demonstrate that full service actually nets them more money. The challenge is that the market has been so good for so long that we haven't had to show sellers how we create value. Now's the time to change that. Full service, limited service, discount, and FSBOs all serve different niches to meet consumer needs. We should all have the opportunity to discuss the value we bring to consumers. That's what competition is all about.

Bernice Ross, RealEstateCoach.com

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