<HTML> <HEAD> <title>WebForm1</title> <meta name="GENERATOR" content="Microsoft Visual Studio .NET 7.1"> <meta name="CODE_LANGUAGE" content="Visual Basic .NET 7.1"> <meta name="vs_defaultClientScript" content="JavaScript"> <meta name="vs_targetSchema" content="http://schemas.microsoft.com/intellisense/ie5"> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content='text/html; charset=UTF-8'> </HEAD> <body > <TABLE id="Table1" cellSpacing="1" cellPadding="1" width="100%" border="0"> <TR> <TD><b>Comment Number:</b></TD> <TD>518795-00108</TD> </TR> <TR> <TD><b>Received Date:</b></TD> <TD>10/20/2005 8:50:12 PM</TD> </TR> <TR> <TD><b>Organization:</b></TD> <TD>RE/MAX Premier</TD> </TR> <TR> <TD><b>Commenter:</b></TD> <TD>Bernat, Linda</TD> </TR> <TR> <TD><b>State:</b></TD> <TD>KS</TD> </TR> <TR> <TD><b>Agency:</b></TD> <TD>Federal Trade Commission</TD> </TR> <TR> <TD><b>Rule:</b></TD> <TD>Competition Policy and the Real Estate Industry</TD> </TR> <TR> <TD><b>Docket ID:</b></TD> <TD>To Be Added</TD> </TR> <TR> <TD><b>Attachments:</b></TD> <TD><a href='518795-00108.pdf'>518795-00108.pdf</a>&nbsp<a href='http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html' target = _blank >Download Adobe Reader</a><br></TD> </TR> </TABLE> <hr/> <b>Comments:</b><br/><br/> My husband and I had a photography business (mom and pop type) in a small town in Missouri. We had competitors, but survived. However, when the town embraced Wal-Mart and other such companies, no only our business died but the community died with it. We moved to Wichita in 1986. My husband was a photographer at a large studio. We had to go thru a lot of financial distress and recovery to come to Wichita. I worked at a local hospital until 2001. At that time I decided to get my realtor license. I have learned a lot in 5 years. My income has been about the same as my hospital job, but I have acquired some freedom and a great feeling of success working for myself. If you are worrying about competition, where's the case against Wal-Mart and their kind who devour entire towns leaving small companies and the families that worked hard to create them hopeless. So a lot of those people go into real estate. The tools we have are important to our survival. If we are constantly bombarded with barriers, not just from the corporation giants - but our government too - how can we survive. More importantly HOW CAN AMERICA SURVIVE! The real estate industry is a model of competition that works. In an economy in which large, national corporations -- such as Wal-Mart and Microsoft -- dominate the marketplace, real estate stands apart. We are an industry made up predominantly of small businesses and independent contractors who represent the entrepreneurial spirit this country was founded on. All of us serve localized markets where we compete for business every day. Fierce competition is fueled largely by the uniquely intense and personalized nature of the service we provide to our clients -- which, in turn, determines our future success through referrals and return business. Barriers to entry are low. If you are willing to take the time to learn the business in your local market, pass the state license examination and adhere to the REALTOR&reg; code of ethics, there is nothing to stand in the way of success in this industry. I had to learn the business and pass the state licensing examination, but it is my own work ethic, commitment to professional standards and dedication to client satisfaction that determine my success. Even through the economic downturns our country has experienced in the past few years, our industry has continued to provide opportunity -- something I would say is confirmed by the thousands of new agents that join our profession every year and the over 2 million Americans who are now licensed to provide professional real estate services in communities across the country. Nothing encourages a competitive business environment more than providing consumers with choice. In the residential real estate marketplace, consumers not only are able to choose from more than 76,000 brokerage firms and more than 1.2 million REALTORS®, but also from a variety of business models. The MLS is a cooperative, broker-to-broker offer of cooperation and compensation that help both brokers and customers buy and sell homes. It is not a public utility, nor should it be. The beauty of the MLS is that it allows real estate brokerages of every size to compete on a level playing field. It gives all of us access to an inventory of property listings that we are able to show and sell to our clients. The MLS doesn't discriminate. All MLS members are treated equally, regardless of their size or their business model, and yet the rights of property owners and their listing brokers are respected. The rules of the MLS achieve a delicate balance between respecting the rights of listing brokers so they will continue to be willing to contribute their inventory of listings and permitting cooperating brokers the ability to show those listings and be assured of receiving compensation if they bring about a successful sale. Thank you. Linda Bernat RE/MAX Premier 7920 W. 21st St. Wichita, KS 67205 </body> </HTML>