Amanda Withrow Chicago Association of Realtors CAR Northern Illinois Real Estate Information Network NIREIN Defrauding the public and independent real estate brokers Chicago Illinois

 Amanda Withrow, Chicago Association of Realtors and Northern Illinois Real Estate Information Network (NIREIN) are defrauding the public and independent real estate brokers.

The biggest lie is right on their web page: “While in the holding company licensees are no longer able to practice real estate, but instead work on a referral basis only. Placing a broker's license in NIREIN takes their license out of active REALTOR® practice.” If you check with the Illinois Department of Professional Regulation, you will find out that there is not a single word about the holding companies in Illinois real estate practice law. “Holding company” agents, brokers and managing brokers can sell real estate without restrictions. Real estate agents, brokers and managing brokers have been simply duped with this lie. Don’t you think there exists a conflict of interest for a Member Care and Professional Standards director at any realtor association to also run her own real own estate business while she is also getting paid by the association members? If you think about your clients being represented by NIREIN you better think twice. Talk to others and see how they have been disappointed. Even CAR’s president Bob Floss sued after discovering financial discrepancies at NIREIN.

 Amanda Withrow and Chicago Association of Realtors are only protecting the interest of Realogy monopoly and their members (Century 21, Coldwell Banker, Better Homes and Gardens, ERA Realty, Sotheby’s, NRT, Cartus, Title Resource Group, Citi Habitats, etc). Realogy and above referenced entities effectively own and controlNational Association of Realtors, over 1600  real estate associations, real estate boards, and over 1000 MLS services. The conflict of interest is obvious. As Al Gore said "It's difficult to get a person to understand something if his salary depends upon his not understanding it."

 If you have been ripped off, misled or lied to by any members of the above listed monopoly you will get more justice by contacting the US Department of Justice, the FTC and the HUD. As you can see from DOJ and FTC websites, the above referenced companies are drowning in monopolistic violations. Eventually, their grand fraud will be fully exposed and they will be gone with great relief to the public. Antitrust violations are serious crimes that can cost a company hundreds of millions of dollars in fines and can send an executive to jail for up to ten years. These conspiracies are by their nature secret and difficult to detect. The Antitrust Division needs your help in uncovering them and bringing them to their attention. If you think you have a possible violation or just want more information about what we do, contact the Citizen Complaint Center of the Antitrust Division: http://www.justice.gov/atr/contact/newcase.html  AskDOJ@usdoj.gov, antitrust.complaints@usdoj.gov, RealEstateCompetition@usdoj.gov, 202-307-2040

 It is absurd for an average homeowner to pay 5-7% commissions or more than $10,000 to above listed monopoly for just adding your home listing to the MLS. MLS is itself a conspiracy and restraint of trade because they do not let the public list homes directly. If you tried selling a home by using Century 21 or Coldwell Banker, you know that they will not take a listing below 5% commission. Such agreement among these companies is illegal and defined as price fixing. You might go to an independent company to list your home and that is usually a good idea that will save you some money, but then the problem is that no real estate agent will show you a home unless they are making at least 2.5% commission on it. By law, they are supposed to show you all homes, but they will not do so. Price fixing should be reported to US Department of Justice Criminal Division http://www.justice.gov/criminal/about/contact.html, Criminal.Division@usdoj.gov, 202-353-4641. 

 All of the above are not just monopolistic practices of realtors, their associations and MLS’s. They are serious antitrust violations. Monopolizing trade is a felony (15 U.S. Code § 2) punishable by fine up to $100,000,000 for corporations, $1,000,000 for individuals in addition to imprisonment up to 10 years. Restraining trade or commerce is also a felony (15 U.S. Code § 1) ) punishable by fine up to $100,000,000 for corporations, $1,000,000 for individuals in addition to imprisonment up to 10 years. Report these violations to FTC at http://www.ftc.gov/faq/competition/report-antitrust-violation

 In addition, be careful what association you are a member of, because you can be charged with above crimes along with them.

 Amanda Withrow, MBA

Senior Director, Member Care and Professional Standards

Managing Broker, NIREIN - Northern Illinois Real Estate Information Network

Chicago Association of REALTORS

200 S. Michigan Ave., Ste. 400

Chicago, IL  60604

Phone: 312.214.5501

Fax: 312.506.1813

awithrow@chicagorealtor.com

membership@chicagorealtor.com

www.chicagorealtor.com