I happen to be in Washington D.C. on a spring break trip with my family so I was able to attend the event live. I know many of you caught the live stream. Here’s the top 3 take-aways.
1. The panel’s moderator, Daniel Castro, didn’t seem to grasp the nuances of a real estate transaction and listing process. It seemed, at least to me, he was learning on the job. To his credit he wasn’t giving up. He believed in his view point, but needed some better arguments.
2. Speaking of the panel, I just have say how great it was to see Brian Larson back in action. Man I miss that guy, and to see him make clear and cogent arguments was a sight to see. Brian is a stud and represented the MLS industry as well as it could be. He should be in the CMLS Hall of Fame….oh wait that already happen. : )
3. Upstream might have some explaining to do (to the DOJ that is). I thought this bit was really telling. I’ve heard many people have concerns about Upstream’s business model, but this was a whole new level. David Kully former Chief of the Litigation III Section of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division. Basically the guy who was giving NAR the screws. Mr. Kelly stated (starts about 23:05 in the video) when he looked back at the case against NAR it was less about how it “protected a particular business model” and more about “how brokers that perceive a threat might act collectively to try to counter-act that threat”. He went on, “You see things like…Upstream..seems like a solution in search of a problem… and if I had my DOJ hat on ..I might think…Well, what’s that all about?, why is that happening, is that something out there to address a threat in the industry.” Boom goes the dynamite.
One last thing. The FTC-DOJ did announce they are holding a workshop on “What’s New in Residential Real Estate Brokerage Competition”. You can find out more here.
Greg,
Perfect synopsis of the panel.