By Nicole Friedman | Wall Street Journal
Residential real-estate brokerages are seeking to reassure investors after last month’s $1.8 billion verdict against the National Association of Realtors, another potential blow to an industry already reeling from a severe housing-market slowdown.
Industry analysts say the historic verdict could prompt changes in how real-estate agents are paid and eventually push commissions down. A federal jury on Oct. 31 found NAR and two large brokerages conspired to keep costs artificially high.
Many brokerage executives have said this month that modifications to the system are likely to be small and could take years to play out. They maintained that any changes are unlikely to harm their businesses.
