The FTC charged that the 5,000-member Austin Board of Realtors violated antitrust laws by "effectively blocking" sellers who listed with discount brokers from marketing their homes on Web sites associated with the board, including Realtor.com, a national site.Related Links:Latest news via Clusty, Google, MSN or Yahoo.Discount brokers offer fewer services than traditional firms and charge less. The Austin policy "denies sellers low-cost options and forces them to pay for services they may not want," said Jeffrey Schmidt, director of the FTC's Bureau of Competition.
Regulators said the Texas group consented to drop the practice and settled the case without admitting wrongdoing. The Austin Board of Realtors said in a statement that it dropped its rule last year and that the FTC misrepresented its aim.
