The beaches of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, Alabama are well known for the beautiful soft white sand. It is so soft that cars often get stuck when they try to drive on it, like you can on
Things have changed!
Dated: January 18 2025
Views: 39
If you are thinking about buying a house or condo, THINGS HAVE CHANGED!
On August 17,2024, terms of the settlement of class action lawsuits against the National Association of Realtors (NAR) went into effect. The plaintiffs alleged that NAR’s policy of showing in MLS what the listing broker would be willing to pay a cooperating broker would have the effect of “price fixing” the commission amount, resulting in an inflated price for the property.
Two major changes NAR has agreed to are:
• Buyers working with an agent must enter into a written agreement with the agent describing the services the agent will provide and the amount of compensation the agent will receive. This agreement must be signed by buyer and agent prior to touring any property.
• MLS may no longer display the commission amount the listing agent is willing to share with the selling agent. Any sort of compensation incentive by the listing agent, if any, must be negotiated separately.
If the listing agent is unwilling to offer any compensation incentive to the buyer’s agent, the buyer would be responsible for compensating their agent in accordance with their agreement.
These are some ripple effects of the settlement that could occur:
• NAR could lose members, since non-members are not affected by the litigation or the settlement.
• Buyers, to avoid agreeing to possibly having to pay a buyer’s agent out of pocket, would be inclined to buy a property without an agent representing them – dealing directly with the listing agent (particularly a bad idea in Alabama which is a “Buyer Beware” state).
• More FSBO’s. Dealing with agents has gotten too complicated.
There are numerous online discussions about the lawsuit and the settlement that can be accessed by going to “NAR settlement,” or better yet, you could contact us at The Andrews Team and we’ll explain everything and give you our ideas on the best ways to proceed with representation.
Susan Andrews
Specializes in resort and SFR on the Gulf Coast. Licensed in both Alabama and Florida. Team consists of husband/partner John Andrews and our administrator, Deedra Richerson. Having represented hund....
Latest Blog Posts
If you are thinking about buying a house or condo, THINGS HAVE CHANGED!On August 17,2024, terms of the settlement of class action lawsuits against the National Association of Realtors (NAR) went
Copyright © 2026 by the Multiple Listing Service of the Pensacola Association of
REALTORS ® This information is believed to be accurate but is not guaranteed. Subject to verification by all parties. This data is copyrighted and may not be transmitted, re-transmitted, copied, framed, re-purposed, or altered in any way for any other site, individual and/or purpose without the express written permission of the Multiple Listing Service of the Pensacola Association of REALTORS ®. Florida
Baldwin County Association Of Realtors®: All information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. All properties are subject to prior sale, change or withdrawal. Neither listing broker(s) or information provider(s) shall be responsible for any typographical errors, misinformation, misprints and shall be held totally harmless. Listing(s) information is provided for consumer's personal, non-commercial use and may not be used for any purpose other than to identify prospective properties consumers may
