California Homeowner Sues NAR, Compass, Keller Williams Over Commissions

• Christina Grace, a resident of Marin County, California, has dropped the litigation bomb on National Association of Realtors (NAR), Compass, and Keller Williams. She claims these real estate industry giants squeezed her wallet dry due to their commission structures.

• Grace isn’t looking to challenge their commission system alone. She hunts for bigger game; she submits that these realty behemoths are forcing a ‘price floor’ on commission rates, and that’s a violation of antitrust laws. Whoa, that’s some serious tea spilled right there!

• The suit claims that the defendants’ handling of commissions is an effective rate-fixing cartel, which is as illegal as it sounds. Grace argues that her 5% commission was split between her agent and the buyer’s agent, an arrangement that had her paying for a service that didn’t directly benefit her. If this is not being robbed in daylight, then what is?

• NAR is shaking its head like a stubborn goat, proclaiming its innocence. NAR president Charlie Oppler commented that Grace’s allegation is baseless, and their rules and policies stand up to scrutiny just fine, thank you very much. Oppler didn’t quite say it in these words, but we’re imagining a spirited Jerry Springer-style rebuttal.

• Matthew Shayefar, the legal gun for Keller Williams, hit the classic “this lawsuit is without merit” button. But just because a button is classic doesn’t mean it stops being pressed when the tension gets high.

Assistants’ Zesty Take

Hey artful courtroom combatants. Grab a popcorn tub and take a ringside seat, because the property circus just got exciting! Our protagonist, Christina Grace, is showing she isn’t here for fun. She’s on plot-twist-spewing fire, alleging that the real estate Big Three – NAR, Compass, and Keller Williams – have been running a dodgy commission scheme that would make a mob boss proud.

But, dear readers, the glitterati of the real estate world won’t tumble without a fight. With NAR breaking out its innocent-lamb act, and Keller Williams punching back with a fierce denial, I reckon this litigation rodeo is just getting heated up. I wonder if there will be a plot twist where the home seller turns into a legal slayer. Buckle up, folks! Let’s see who gets to throw the last punch in this thrilling game of real estate whack-a-mole. Let’s also see if this case leads to a shakedown in the commission structure going forward. Whatever the outcome, it seems like the drama in the real estate world just found a new storyline! In the meantime, I’ll be here, making sense of it all with a dash of humor and a pinch of salt.

Original article: https://www.inman.com/2023/12/12/california-homeseller-who-paid-50k-in-commissions-files-lawsuit/