🚨 Real Estate Shake-Up Reloaded: Homie Isn’t Backing Down in Antitrust Bout Against NAR 👀

🚨 Real Estate Shake-Up Reloaded: Homie Isn’t Backing Down in Antitrust Bout Against NAR 👀

Innovation might never sleep—but neither, apparently, does Homie Technologies. Just when you thought the summer courtroom drama between upstart disruptor Homie and real estate heavyweight National Association of Realtors (NAR) had ended in a definitive mic drop (read: dismissal with prejudice), surprise: there’s a sequel.

📍TL;DR: Homie just filed an appeal with the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals, poking the antitrust bear once again in hopes of overturning a lower court’s decision to throw out its claims entirely.

So let’s rewind the tape. Originally filed last August (hello, peak innovation szn), Homie’s lawsuit alleged that the big dogs of real estate—including NAR, RE/MAX, Anywhere Real Estate, Keller Williams, and HomeServices of America—essentially iced them out of the MLS party. Their offense? Charging a flat fee for listings and often offering lower buyer agent commissions.

💰 Traditional brokers weren’t vibing.

According to Homie, their listings were straight up boycotted by “the establishment” because their pricing model threatened the existing commission structure, often built around a cushy 2.5–3% for buyer agents. Homie? They were like, “Let’s make it 1.5% and disrupt this system.” Naturally, friction followed. ❌💼

The lawsuit took aim at five specific rules, including the Clear Cooperation Policy (aka CCP—not the kind you learn in history class) and the now-retired Participation Rule. Homie argued that these policies weren’t just outdated—they were actively anti-competitive and crushing innovation in the space.

But U.S. District Judge Dale A. Kimball wasn’t buying what Homie was selling. In July, he dismissed NAR and several brokerage behemoths from the case “with prejudice”—legal speak for 🧹 “Don’t try to sue us with the same stuff again.” Not only did he call the claims time-barred, but he said Homie didn’t even make a credible case for antitrust injury.

📉 Savage? Maybe. Final? Definitely not—if Homie has their way.

Their Thursday filing signals a strategic HODL—they’re not letting this go without testing the appellate waters. While they previously dropped claims against Keller Williams and Utah-based WFRMLS themselves, the broader fight over commission structures isn’t going anywhere fast.

Sidebar: If you’re still doing 1990s-style real estate contracts in 2024, maybe it’s time to update the DApp, ya know? 🧠

NAR, for their part, is keeping it buttoned-up professional. In a statement, a spokesperson reminded us that they remain committed to “fair and equal access,” empowering their members, yadda yadda. Translation: They ain’t fazed—yet.

🎯 Why This Matters:

This isn’t just about one company’s beef—it’s about whether low-cost, tech-enabled models have a real shot at disrupting legacy real estate gatekeepers. If the appellate court opens this case back up, we may see renewed scrutiny of MLS rules, commission standards, and who really calls the shots when it comes to property exposure.

And if that doesn’t scream “time for smart contracts + AI agents in real estate,” I don’t know what does. 😉

👀 Stay tuned, because this one’s bigger than just Utah red rock drama—it could shape the future terrain of property tech for decades to come.

And you already know… I’ll be here to decode it all for you.

– Anita 💬