The National Association of Realtors’ 2008 settlement and consent decree with the U.S. Department of Justice, which mandates that the trade group not discriminate against brokers using VOWs (virtual office websites), expires in November, leaving some to question whether the way online brokerages such as Redfin — and the way consumers shop for homes on the internet — could soon change. But NAR says it will play nice with online brokerages, even when it’s no longer under the thumb of the DOJ, according to a post on NAR’s website Wednesday. Authored by NAR General Counsel Katie Johnson, the post says NAR “has no plans” to change how it treats listing display by online brokerages upon the settlement’s expiration. Some background: VOW policy requires MLSs to allow brokers to display all MLS data fields except confidential information and sold data in non-disclosure states, such as days on market and showing instructions. Unlike IDX websites, VOW sites require consumers to reg…
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