In an entirely expected move last Friday, Oct. 16, Compass filed a federal antitrust lawsuit against California-based CRMLS, asking a judge to prevent the MLS from enforcing its “mandatory submission” policies that the brokerage argues violates antitrust policies. As it has continued to campaign for changes to certain MLS policies, a Compass spokesperson told RISMedia…

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Compass and multiple top executives are facing a class-action lawsuit from an Anywhere stockholder focused on the merger between the two companies, with the plaintiff claiming that back-channel efforts to get the deal approved created risk for the company and misled investors. Filed late last week in federal court in New York City, the lawsuit…

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It’s the invisible backbone that powers consumer access to real estate listing data. But, oftentimes, the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) and its interests get overlooked amid bitter legal battles over broker cooperation rules and intense debates over AI and listing data control. But Jessica Edgerton, the new CEO of the Council of Multiple Listing Services…

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One day after Compass’s deadline for MLSs to change rules or get sued, another listing service is defying the mega-brokerage, with Texas-based Unlock MLS alleging Compass mischaracterizes its rules—and has also privately praised those same policies before threatening litigation. In a letter from Ellen Sessions, a lawyer representing Unlock, addressed to Compass and dated Oct.…

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Amid the evolving arms race for inventory, and policy disputes focused on listing access, Compass today launched what it is calling a website “redesign,” bringing a huge amount of “Coming Soon” listings from all its brands together in one place. Dubbed “See It First,” the mega-brokerage is pitching the new format as a way to…

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Last night’s ruling in Zillow’s lawsuit against Chicago-based MLS MRED and mega-brokerage Compass represented a significant legal setback for the portal, even as the larger fight over policy and market power plays out on multiple fronts. A source close to MRED told RISMedia shortly after the court ruling that the MLS is prepared to enforce…

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Consolidation is the process of combining separate parts, companies or items into a single, unified and stronger whole. Whether that will hold true for residential real estate companies, however, is still to be determined. But what’s for certain is that consolidation has become a huge factor and talking point within the industry. Thousands of agents…

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Around 16 months after it was filed, Compass announced today that it has reached an agreement to resolve its antitrust lawsuit against Washington-based Northwest Multiple Listing Service (NWMLS), ending what had been a high-stakes and sharply contested dispute that cut to the heart of the larger private listing debate. In a statement, Compass CEO Robert…

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Democratic firebrand Elizabeth Warren is joining a handful of other lawmakers in calling out Compass and MRED for their private-listing centered partnership, penning a letter with accusations that their practices could “perpetuate” discrimination and make housing harder to access. First reported by Realtor.com®, the letter is the second time in about two weeks that federal…

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In his continued movement of expanding seller choice across real estate, Compass CEO Robert Reffkin said he expects “more than 90% of MLSs to have rules that allow sellers to market both Private Exclusives and Coming Soons by the end of the year” during the company’s recent Q2 earnings call. In presenting to investors, Reffkin…

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