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Californians for Homeownership was founded in response to the California Legislature’s call for public interest organizations to fight local anti-housing policies on behalf of the millions of California residents who need access to more affordable housing.
The Champions of Home Impact Awards honor California REALTORS® who have made a significant impact on their communities through volunteer efforts.
HAF plays an active role in addressing the ongoing housing affordability challenges facing California.
Make A Donation to HAFC.A.R. stands ready to assist REALTORS® who have been impacted by wildfires through its Disaster Relief Fund and NAR's REALTORS® Relief Foundation.
California Disaster ResourcesScholarships for California students planning to pursue a career in real estate.
Find out more information on key diversity and inclusion programs and projects available.
Fair Housing Latino Professionals Network C.A.R. Women's InitiativeNew to the industry? YPN is a network to sharpen your skills, heighten your leadership, and connect with fellow REALTORS®.
Rising Star AwardDownload and share the official 2024 C.A.R. Member Benefits Guide.
NAR Member Discounts C.A.R. Insurance ProductsAs a C.A.R. member you may have questions about your association and the industry. Find the answers here.
New Member FAQs Glossary Service ProvidersC.A.R. provides tremendous member value through its innovative tools, services and education. Learn more about C.A.R. membership and dues and NAR membership and dues.
C.A.R.'s annual consumer advertising campaign creates awareness of the REALTOR® brand and demonstrates the many benefits of the consumer-REALTOR® relationship.
Smart Zone provides tools and insights necessary to convey your unique value proposition, effectively market your services, keep your clients abreast of current real estate market trends and help you achieve success in a dynamic industry.
C.A.R. is a statewide trade association dedicated to the advancement of professionalism in real estate.
Annual ReportThe CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® is committed to bring you tools and information to help you succeed. Here are some of the innovative tools, services and education C.A.R. provided to help you achieve your professional goals.
C.A.R.'s Media Center houses the Association's news releases, media guidelines, and logos.
News ReleasesLooking for additional assistance? The Customer Contact Center is looking forward to serving you Monday through Friday between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:45 p.m.
Need help finding the right person? Try searching through our various rosters & directories.
May 1, 2024
4 Things to Know About the New Broker Compensation Advisory Form
In mid-May, C.A.R. will release a new form, the Broker Compensation Advisory (C.A.R. Form BCA). This form was created to help agents have transparent discussions with their clients about broker compensation. See the form below under Resources.
April 25, 2024
Judge approves consolidation of two national commission lawsuits
The judge overseeing the Sitzer-Burnett class action lawsuit has merged two similar lawsuits known as the Gibson and Umpqua cases.
His order approved an April 19 motion to consolidate the two cases because they “involve common questions of law and fact, consolidation will conserve judicial resources and promote efficiency, and consolidation will not cause undue delay, confusion, or prejudice.”
None of the defendants opposed the motion to consolidate.
April 23, 2024
Judge grants preliminary approval of NAR settlement
The judge who presided over the Sitzer Burnett class action lawsuit has granted preliminary approval to the proposed settlement reached last month by NAR. The judge ruled that the changes proposed within the settlement agreement were “fair, reasonable and adequate” and set a November hearing for final approval.
The settlement is still subject to final court approval, and plaintiffs have requested a hearing on final approval of the settlement to be held on November 26, 2024.
April 20, 2024
Motion filed for Preliminary Approval of NAR agreement
On April 19, plaintiffs’ counsel filed a Motion for Preliminary Approval of the NAR agreement with the federal court in the Western District of Missouri.
This means that this filing initiates the 60-day time period during which all REALTOR® MLSs, brokerages with 2022 total transaction volume for residential home sales in excess of $2 billion, and non-REALTOR® MLSs who want to be covered by the settlement must take action. The deadline for these actions is June 18, 2024.
If you or your organization fall in one of these categories and wish to be covered by the settlement, please follow these instructions:
April 15, 2024
C.A.R. releases commonly asked questions document
C.A.R. has received many questions about NAR’s proposed settlement of the antitrust class action lawsuits brought on behalf of home sellers related to broker compensation. The settlement is subject to final court approval; however, because the release of claims extends through the date of class notice, NAR will be putting practices changes in place in late July to avoid any gap in the release of liability. Here are answers to some of the most commonly asked questions (must be signed in to access).
April 15, 2024
Fannie Mae clarifies interested party contributions
Fannie Mae received numerous inquiries concerning the proposed settlement agreement entered into by NAR in the Burnett et al and Moehrl et al cases, subject to court approval.
Fannie Mae’s Industry Letter addresses the current treatment of property seller-paid buyer agent fees under its interested party contribution requirements.
Interested party contributions
In Guide Section 5501.5, property sellers are permitted to make financing concessions toward the Borrower’s Closing Costs in maximum amounts between 2% and 9% of the property value. Fees or costs customarily paid by the property seller according to local convention are not subject to these financing concessions limits. Buyer agent fees have historically been fees customarily paid by the property seller or property seller’s real estate agent, and, as such, they are currently excluded from these financing concession limits. If these fees continue to be customarily paid by the property seller according to local convention, they will not be subject to financing concessions limits.
It is Fannie Mae’s standard practice to continuously evaluate its requirements to determine whether updates are appropriate based on changes to the market and industry. Fannie Mae will continue to monitor and assess the impact of the proposed NAR settlement and other real estate agent commission lawsuits to determine if any updates to its requirements are necessary.
REALTORS® who have questions about the content of this Industry Letter, please contact your Freddie Mac representative or call the Customer Support Contact Center at 800-FREDDIE.
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April 12, 2024
Judges rule against consolidating commission lawsuits
This morning, the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation rejected a request to centralize in Kansas City many cases around the country challenging rules regarding buyer broker compensation. The Court decided to wait and see if the settlement is approved and how many claims or cases remain after the settlement approval process. This decision did not address whether the settlement should be approved.
The settlement approval process will continue. The likely next step in cases against C.A.R. will be for the parties and courts to determine whether the cases will go forward while the settlement approval process is playing out.
NAR is pleased with the ruling. It reflects that NAR’s settlement, which, if approved by the court, would end litigation nationwide for NAR and other released parties in the cases brought by home sellers. NAR stressed that the ruling does not affect the approval process for the settlement agreement.
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April 5, 2024
Appeals Court Allows DOJ to reopen antitrust investigation into NAR
An appeals court has ruled that the Dept. of Justice can reopen its investigation into NAR. Several years ago, the DOJ began an investigation into NAR’s cooperative compensation rule, and the parties agreed to a proposed settlement in 2020. However, the DOJ then withdrew from the settlement in 2021 and sought to reopen the investigation. NAR sued to prevent the DOJ from doing so, and on April 5, an appeals court ruled in favor of the DOJ, allowing them to reopen the investigation.
NAR has stated that this ruling in the DOJ investigation does not affect the settlement agreement that NAR announced on March 15 in the class action litigation to resolve nationwide litigation over claims from home sellers related to broker commissions. NAR has not indicated whether it will appeal this ruling.
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March 15, 2024
NAR reaches agreement in claims brought by home sellers
The National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) today announced an agreement that would end litigation of claims brought on behalf of home sellers related to broker commissions. The agreement would resolve claims against NAR, over one million NAR members, all state/territorial and local REALTOR® associations, all association-owned MLSs, and all brokerages with an NAR member as principal that had a residential transaction volume in 2022 of $2 billion or below.
The settlement, which is subject to court approval, makes clear that NAR continues to deny any wrongdoing in connection with the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) cooperative compensation model rule (MLS Model Rule) that was introduced in the 1990s in response to calls from consumer protection advocates for buyer representation. Under the terms of the agreement, NAR would pay $418 million over approximately four years.
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RESOURCES:
4 Things to Know About the New Broker Compensation Advisory Form (Created May 1, 2024) - (must be signed in to access)
C.A.R. Commonly Asked Questions (Created April 15, 2024) - (must be signed in to access).
C.A.R. Legal FAQs – (Updated April 29, 2024) - (must be signed in to access).
NAR’s REALTOR® Magazine Special Supplement – (Updated April 11, 2024)
NAR Settlement FAQs – (Updated April 26, 2024)
NAR Settlement Financing FAQs – (Updated April 4, 2024)
C.A.R. Legal Quick Guide - (Updated March 29, 2024)
Visit Smart Zone for Buyer's Agent Resources and other NAR litigation resources, including information about using the Buyer Representation and Broker Compensation Agreement (C.A.R. Form BRBC) and their use in real estate transactions.