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From: johnbl@tekig5.UUCP (John Blankenagel)
Newsgroups: net.consumers
Subject: Re: Need advice on bidding on a house
Message-ID: <250@tekig5.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 25-Sep-85 11:42:14 EDT
Article-I.D.: tekig5.250
Posted: Wed Sep 25 11:42:14 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 28-Sep-85 07:19:25 EDT
References: <713@whuxl.UUCP> <1185@ihuxn.UUCP> <1109@ulysses.UUCP>
Organization: Tektronix, Beaverton OR
Lines: 20

> > Realtors MUST work on 7% commission (or
> > 3.5% each if your realtor is not the same as the realtor the property
> > is listed with), and MAY NOT kick any of it back to you.
> 
> The required fee was held to be an illegal restraint of trade, and is
> now (in principle) negotiable.  But, as was pointed out, the realtor
> represents the seller, and hence that figure is negotiable between the
> realtor and the seller, not the buyer.  If you and the seller are within
> epsilon on the price, it is quite proper for the buyer to ask the realtor
> about negotiating a fee reduction -- but the realtor is of course under no
> obligation to do so.  (Incidentally, around here the standard fee is 6%.)

Here in Oregon, most (if not all) of the realtors are members of 
Multiple Listing Services.  If a realtor does not follow the rules of
the service, they are no longer allowed to be members.  That means if
a realtor charges less for commision to try to get more business, that
realtor will have a lot of difficulty keeping from starving when they
are disowned by Multiple Listing Services.  Sounds a lot like a monopoly
or something but I guess the politicians all own too much real estate to
do anything about it.