Inman

Get inside the commission blackbox

Every few years Realtors and their commissions come under scrutiny and it is happening again now.

The Consumer Federation of America issued a report last week, depicting the real estate industry as a “cartel” that stifles competition by discriminating against non-traditional real estate brokers, protecting a status quo commission structure via unregulated MLSs, and influencing regulators and legislators to their favor.

And Robert E. Litan, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, this month issued a paper titled, “Commission Accomplished,” saying that the real estate industry uses “protectionist tactics” to hang onto its revenues.

Now is your chance to speak out and help Inman News get to the heart of what’s impacting commissions by participating in a new survey. (Click here to take the survey.)

Pressure is mounting on the standard full-service commission model, with a number of factors contributing. New Internet and discount services are launching each year and despite skyrocketing home prices during boom years, there are more agents splitting the transactions, which impacts the individual agent’s bottom line.

Inman News would like to hear from you about what pressures agents are seeing on commissions, and what has happened to the costs of doing business.

Please take part in our industry survey and help give insight into what is impacting commissions for individual agents. Due to the sensitivity of commission discussions, your identity will remain confidential and you have the option to take the survey anonymously if you choose.

Participants who want to enter a drawing for a free iPod will need to disclose their name and e-mail address, but it will not be made public nor associated with any answers provided.

Click here to take the survey.