Fall 2024

The National Association of REALTORS® settlement of the buyer-commission antitrust cases took effect on August 17, 2024. Two core changes apply nationwide: offers of compensation to buyer agents may no longer appear on any MLS, and any broker working with a buyer must enter into a written buyer agreement — including a specific, conspicuous statement of the broker's compensation — before touring a home that's listed on an MLS.

Washington practitioners felt less disruption than most other states, for two reasons. First, the Northwest Multiple Listing Service (NWMLS) is not an NAR-affiliated MLS and opted out of the settlement; NWMLS has independently allowed brokers to publish buyer-agent compensation since October 2019, so the underlying compensation-transparency norm was already in place locally. Second, Washington's own Agency Law update under SSB 5399 (effective January 1, 2024) had already made written brokerage services agreements mandatory before service — meaning the "no tour without a signed agreement" rule was state law in Washington seven months before it became a national settlement requirement.

That said, every NAR-member broker in Washington still has to comply with the settlement's practice changes when working transactions outside the NWMLS footprint, when participating in NAR programs, or when interacting with consumers who use Realtor.com listings. The full set of rules and the operative compliance dates are in NAR's Settlement FAQs; the Spokane Association of REALTORS® published a useful Washington-specific summary of the practical adjustments needed at the brokerage level.