Comments:

From: Monroesells@aol.com [mailto:Monroesells@aol.com]
Sent: Monday, October 24, 2005 10:18 PM
To: ATR-Real Estate Workshop; FTCDOJworkshop@realtors.org
Subject: Competition and the Real Estate Workshop - Comment project No V050015

"Competition and the Real Estate Workshop" -- Comment, Project No. V050015
To: Antitrust Division
U.S. Department of Justice
Liberty Place(Suite 300) 325 7th Street, NW Washington, DC 20530 Attention:
Lee Quinn

To: Federal Trade Commission/Office of the Secetary Room135-H (Annex F) 600 Pennsylvania Ave, NW Washington, DC 20580

I have bee n a Real Estate Agent for approximately 5 years and I love the profession that I have chosen to conduct business while earning a living. I want you to understand how important it is to keep it operating in the capacity of a cooperative as the MLS and not to make it a public utility. 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.
As a cooperative business my success relies heavily upon the amount of time, money and energy in I put into marketing my qualifications and myself through listings on the MLS and, the MLS sees to it that I get compensated for such efforts. As a buyers agent I also find that the MLS is my most important tool to provide a unique search opportunity to my clients and once again be compensated for my efforts. If you take this unique tool from me creating it to become a public utility, you will surely jeopardize my business along with thousands of other independent licensed real estate business associates. The last thing we need in this highly completive field is for the MLS to become a public utility. 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 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.
Please on my behalf as the sole income provider in my home, continue me the ability to produce a financial structure for my family. Do Not turn the MLS into a public utility.
Respectfully Yours,
Nancy Monroe with First Team Real Estate, Huntington Beach , Ca
monroe@firstteam.com