Alternative real estate models struggle in Congress
I found this an interesting article that I thought I would share from Inman News. At its heart it shows a few things that I think are pretty important:
1) the counter-NAR/MLS culture is trying to get organized and strike in the right place -- Congress
2) NAR lobbyists are all over the subcommittee already, they see this type of hearing as a direct attack on their bread and butter; their presence is directly reflected in the comments of the congressmen
3) If you're looking for future trends, here they are; the writing is on the wall. NAR has great lobbying power, but the drive to open the information architecture and platforms -- aka the drive for convenience -- is dominant to resisting change in the marketplace.
This doesn't paint the picture of a really strong opposition (alternative real estate models for brokers, MLS, agents, etc.), but it's a start and at least they're off their couches and into Capitol Hill, where the battle gets waged.
http://www.inman.com/hstory.aspx?ID=54831
:protest: A little heady, but interesting,
Jeff