<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>518795-00402</TD> </TR> <TR> <TD><b>Received Date:</b></TD> <TD>12/2/2005 8:34:23 PM</TD> </TR> <TR> <TD><b>Organization:</b></TD> <TD>MLS NOW REALTY</TD> </TR> <TR> <TD><b>Commenter:</b></TD> <TD>Malik, Ned</TD> </TR> <TR> <TD><b>State:</b></TD> <TD>VA</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 colspan='2'>No Attachments</td> </TR> </TABLE> <hr/> <b>Comments:</b><br/><br/> I wanted to ask if anyone at USDOJ or FTC has researched the use of RETS system to gain or to limit access to the MLS System. Let me explain. RETS is new online way for real estate companies to pull the mls data from the central MLS database and to publish it to the company's private website. Through the use of RETS a company (say Long and Foster, ReMax, Weichert, or alike) could pick and choose which records in the MLS system they want to publish on their site. Since vast majority of the consumer would likely visit the large companies website when searching for homes, through RETS they will have the power to control the content of whose properties show up in their search. Needless to say, I visited Long and Foster website and found out that they had filter out all of our listings from their website. RETS makes this very easy to do since a company can hone-in on the broker id and filter out anyone they don't want to do business with. The bottom line, even if these companies are required to share their data on the internet with other smaller brokerage firms, the RETS system being pushed by NAR will allow the same practice to continue through this mean. Although what we're talking about is the company ability to control the listings on their own private site, the problem is two fold. First, the consumer are more likely to visit the internet sites of these large companies and it would falsely lead the consumers to believe that what they're seeing on, for example Long and Foster site, are only properties for sale in that neighborhood when in fact that is not the case, second, is with the potential of abuse by these companies to shut-out smaller flat fee operations, like us, whom they rather see go out of business. Since these companies predominately control and/or influence the market place, they ought to be told a play it fair with all parties concerned. If I can be of any further assistance on this issue, please do not hesitate to contact me. </body> </HTML>