Anywhere Real Estate has secured preliminary settlement agreements the Moehrl and Sitzer/Burnett class-action antitrust lawsuits related to the firm’s alleged role in the industry’s compensation structure focused on by the suits. The firm has a preliminary settlement of the $83.5 million in the Moehrl case (along with changing its practices related to buyer agent commissions) with the Sitzer/Burnett preliminary settlement details pending. The U.S. district courts overseeing each case must still approve the settlements before they become firm.
The ongoing legal and regulatory scrutiny of the industry’s predominant brokerage compensation structure continues to result in changes in industry practices. T3 Sixty anticipates settlements will continue, and changes to the industry compensation structure. The degrees of change remain an open question.