ITIF's Center for Data Innovation has filed comments with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Department of Justice (DOJ) regarding competition issues in the residential real estate brokerage industry. Traditional real estate brokers unfairly limit third-parties from using listing data, and these practices are hurting innovators and consumers. The FTC and DOJ should insist that listing data be made available to improve competition, innovation, and the consumer experience. Without intervention, real estate brokers will continue to restrict access to this data, even if this comes at the expense of consumers, because they want to avoid competition enabled by emerging digital services while preserving their higher commissions.
