Three multiple listing services reject Compass demand to end public listing rules

Three multiple listing services have publicly rejected demands from national brokerage Compass to eliminate policies that penalize agents for publicly marketing properties prior to submitting them to a shared database. HousingWire, RISMedia, and Yahoo Finance report that New York-based OneKey MLS joined California-based CRMLS and Texas-based Unlock MLS in refusing to alter their rules. HousingWire noted that Compass sent legal demand letters to multiple services in early September, arguing that the public marketing restrictions violate federal antitrust laws. [1][2][3][4]

HousingWire and RISMedia reported that Compass has already filed a federal antitrust lawsuit against CRMLS and threatened to sue other organizations that maintain similar restrictions. Leaders at rival brokerages, including Brown Harris Stevens, NextHome, and Lamacchia Realty, warned that private listing networks could harm comparative market analyses and property appraisals by fragmenting market data, according to HousingWire. [1][2][3]

In a public statement, OneKey MLS chief executive Richard Haggerty said that withholding property inventory from the open marketplace restricts buyer access and can limit seller returns, HousingWire Agent and RISMedia reported. Haggerty stated that a competitive real estate marketplace relies on shared cooperative infrastructure rather than fragmented private networks. [2][3]

Industry executives warned that an ongoing conflict over public listing regulations could cause a listing arms race and prompt additional federal antitrust lawsuits, HousingWire reported. [1]