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Public Hearing: Competition and Real Estate, Agenda

Hearing Information

In October 2005, the Antitrust Division and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) hosted a public forum on competition in the real estate brokerage industry featuring experts from government, business, and academia. For more information, see the hearing information page.

Agenda

Morning Session

7:30 a.m.

Doors Open
9:00 a.m.

Opening Remarks
Deborah Platt Majoras, Chairman, Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
Thomas O. Barnett, Acting Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust, Antitrust Division, U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)

9:30 a.m.

Overview of the Real Estate Transaction

Moderator: Maureen K. Ohlhausen, Director, Office of Policy Planning, FTC

Panel:
Robert W. Hahn, Executive Director, AEI-Brookings Joint Center
Catherine B. Whatley, 2003 President, National Association of Realtors
10:30 a.m.

Break
10:45 a.m.

Issues Affecting Competition Among Sellers' Brokers

Moderator: James C. Cooper, Assistant Director, Office of Policy Planning, FTC

Panel:
Aaron Farmer, Owner, Texas Discount Realty
Thomas R. Kunz, President and Chief Executive Officer, Century 21 Real Estate
Sam Licklider, Missouri Association of Realtors
Colby Sambrotto, Chief Operating Officer, ForSaleByOwner.com
Wayne Thorburn, Administrator, Texas Real Estate Commission
12:15 p.m.

Lunch

Afternoon Session

1:30 p.m.

Remarks by Commissioner Jon Leibowitz
1:45 p.m.

Issues Affecting Competition Among Buyers' Brokers

Moderator: Lee Quinn, Attorney, Litigation III, Antitrust Division, DOJ

Panel:
Alexander Perriello, President and Chief Executive Officer, Cendant Real Estate Franchise Group
Philip Henderson, Vice President, LendingTree, LLC
Catherine B. Whatley, 2003 President, National Association of Realtors
Tom Early, National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents
Geoff Lewis, Senior Vice President/Chief Legal Officer, RE/MAX International, Inc.
Steve DelBianco, Executive Director, NetChoice Coalition
3:30 p.m.

Break
3:45 p.m.

Empirical Evidence on Competition in the Real Estate Industry

Moderator: Michael A. Salinger, Director, Bureau of Economics, FTC

Panel:
Chang-Tai Hsieh, Associate Professor of Economics, University of California
Lawrence Yun, Managing Director of Quantitative Research, National Association of Realtors
5:00 p.m.

Concluding Remarks
Susan A. Creighton, Director, Bureau of Competition, FTC
Robert Kramer, Director of Operations, DOJ
Updated June 23, 2023