A Class Action Suit Could Upend The Entire Real Estate Industry

If you have ever bought a home or are thinking about buying one, you know it can be expensive. For most people, a home is the most expensive purchase they will ever make. But selling a home can be expensive too. In part, that's because of the commissions real estate agents collect when a home is sold. Depending on the price of the home, commissions can be tens of thousands of dollars. A class action lawsuit brought by a group of Missouri home sellers against the National Association of Realtors argues that these fees hurt consumers by artificially inflating home prices. This past week, a federal jury awarded the home sellers $1.8 billion. Adrian Ma and Wailin Wong , co-hosts of NPR's The Indicator , break down how that decision could change the entire real estate industry. Email us at considerthis@npr.org . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy