This settlement resolves claims that the National Association of REALTORS® and a group of residential brokerages kept broker commissions artificially high on homes listed through an MLS. If you bought a home listed on an MLS and a commission was paid to any brokerage, you may be able to claim a share of $120,334,500 — but the qualifying date range depends on your state, and claims close October 27, 2026.
Current Status
Claims are open. The deadline to file is October 27, 2026, for both online submissions and mailed claim forms, which must be postmarked by that date. The deadline to exclude yourself or to object is earlier — September 17, 2026. The court has granted preliminary approval, and a final approval hearing is scheduled for November 2, 2026 at 9:30 a.m. before Judge Lindsay C. Jenkins in the Northern District of Illinois. Final approval had not been granted and no payment date had been announced as of August 13, 2026. The defendants deny the allegations and deny that they violated any law; no court or jury has decided who is right.Key Dates at a Glance
| What | When |
|---|---|
| Deadline to exclude yourself (opt out) | September 17, 2026 |
| Deadline to object to the settlement | September 17, 2026 |
| Deadline to file a claim | October 27, 2026 |
| Final approval hearing | November 2, 2026, 9:30 a.m. |
| Payments begin | Not yet announced |
Who Qualifies?
The settlement class is defined as all people who purchased a home that was listed on a multiple listing service anywhere in the United States, where a commission was paid to any brokerage in connection with the transaction, during the applicable class period.Two points decide most eligibility questions. First, the purchase must have been of an MLS-listed home — and that includes listing services not affiliated with the National Association of REALTORS®, such as the Real Estate Board of New York and its residential listing service, the Northwest Multiple Listing Service, West-Penn Multi-List and MLS Property Information Network. Second, your purchase date has to fall inside the class period for your state, and those dates differ depending on which defendant the claim runs against. Both sets of dates are in the tables below.
You are not in this class if you opt out, or if you already released these claims against a particular defendant through one of the home seller settlements (Burnett, Gibson, Keel or Hooper) — in which case you are excluded as to that defendant. Counsel for the parties, the mediation special master, and the court and its staff and their immediate families are also excluded.
This Covers Homebuyers, Not Home Sellers
This is the single most common point of confusion, so it is worth stating plainly: membership is based on buying a home. Having sold one is not a basis for inclusion, even if you both bought and sold.Sellers were covered by separate, earlier settlements in other lawsuits — Burnett v. The National Association of Realtors (W.D. Mo.), Gibson v. The National Association of Realtors® (W.D. Mo.), Keel v. House of Seven Gables Real Estate (W.D. Mo.), and 1925 Hooper LLC v. The National Association of Realtors (N.D. Ga.). This settlement does not overlap with those; it resolves the claims of homebuyers who were left out of them. If you are a class member in one of the seller settlements, you are excluded here and may not receive a payment.
Class Periods by State
Your purchase has to fall within the class period that applies to your state. There are two sets of dates, because the defendants entered the litigation at different points and different state antitrust statutes carry different lookback periods. Each start date sits a fixed number of years before the day that group of defendants was sued — December 8, 2023 for the brokerage defendants in the first table, and January 25, 2021 for the National Association of REALTORS® and the national brokerages in the second — and the Lookback column shows how many years that is for your state. Check both tables — a purchase can qualify under one group and not the other, and every class period ends on June 25, 2026.| If the home was listed in | Class period | Lookback |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Vermont, Wisconsin and Wyoming | December 8, 2017 – June 25, 2026 | 6 years |
| Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky and Missouri | December 8, 2018 – June 25, 2026 | 5 years |
| All other homes across the United States | December 8, 2019 – June 25, 2026 | 4 years |
| If the home was listed in | Class period | Lookback |
|---|---|---|
| Puerto Rico | January 25, 2006 – June 25, 2026 | 15 years |
| Louisiana and Rhode Island | January 25, 2011 – June 25, 2026 | 10 years |
| Wyoming | January 25, 2013 – June 25, 2026 | 8 years |
| Alabama, Connecticut, Hawaii, Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont and Wisconsin | January 25, 2015 – June 25, 2026 | 6 years |
| Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, Utah and West Virginia | January 25, 2016 – June 25, 2026 | 5 years |
| Arizona, California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Virginia and Washington, D.C. | January 25, 2017 – June 25, 2026 | 4 years |
| Alaska, Colorado, Kansas, Maryland, Mississippi, Montana, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Washington | January 25, 2018 – June 25, 2026 | 3 years |
| Texas and all other homes across the United States | January 25, 2019 – June 25, 2026 | 2 years |
How Much Can You Get?
No per-person figure has been announced, and none can be calculated yet. The $120,334,500 is a global fund; what each claimant receives is a pro rata share of what remains after the court approves deductions, and it depends on the total number of valid claims filed as well as facts specific to each claimant — how many properties were purchased and how much was paid in commissions on them.Two structural details are worth knowing before you form expectations. Class counsel has said it will ask the court for attorneys' fees of up to one third of the fund, plus litigation expenses; the court may award less, and fees, expenses, service awards and administration costs all come out of the fund. And the fund is being paid in by the defendants in installments, which is why the administrator says class members will receive more than one payment, issued over a period of several years rather than as a single check.
The settlement also requires the defendants to maintain or extend certain changes to their business practices, which is a non-monetary part of the deal.
What Each Defendant Is Paying
| Defendant | Contribution |
|---|---|
| National Association of REALTORS® | $52,250,000 |
| HomeServices of America, BHH Affiliates and HSF Affiliates | $30,000,000 |
| Anywhere Real Estate | $9,602,500 |
| Hanna Holdings | $8,250,000 |
| Compass | $7,331,250 |
| eXp World Holdings | $4,335,000 |
| Douglas Elliman | $2,041,250 |
| Engel & Völkers | $800,000 |
| @properties | $750,000 |
| The Real Brokerage | $750,000 |
| HomeSmart International | $600,000 |
| Realty ONE Group and Realty ONE Group Excel | $500,000 |
| United Real Estate Group | $487,500 |
| Shorewest Realtors | $465,000 |
| Side | $300,000 |
| The Agency (Umro Realty) | $300,000 |
| Baird & Warner | $264,000 |
| Fathom Realty | $250,000 |
| Vanguard Properties | $235,000 |
| The Keyes Company and Illustrated Properties | $200,000 |
| Real Estate One | $180,000 |
| NextHome | $155,000 |
| Realty Executives | $135,000 |
| Equity Real Estate | $90,000 |
| Silvercreek Realty Group | $63,000 |
| Total | $120,334,500 |
What Proof Is Required?
This is a documentation settlement, not a no-proof one. The claim form asks you to attach proof of the home purchase, and the administrator accepts a closing statement, settlement statement, HUD statement, settlement letter, or other transaction documents you received during the sale and closing.You will also be asked for the details those documents contain: the address of the home purchased, the date of purchase, the purchase price, the total broker commissions paid, and the commissions paid to the buyer broker. The multiple listing service used to list the home is requested if you know it. The form additionally asks whether you sold a home between April 29, 2014 and October 14, 2025, and for the dates of any such sales — that question exists to identify people covered by the separate seller settlements.
Submit clear, readable copies and keep your originals: documents are not returned, claims may be audited, and you can be asked for more information before a claim is processed. If you are claiming more than one qualifying purchase, each purchase is reported on its own home purchase page.
What Is the Deadline?
Claims are due October 27, 2026. Online submissions must be completed by that date, and mailed claim forms must be postmarked by it. No official timezone was specified for the online cutoff, so treat the date itself as the deadline and do not file on the last day if you can avoid it.A separate and earlier deadline governs your other options: requests for exclusion and objections must be postmarked or filed by September 17, 2026. That date also applies to a notice of intent to appear at the final approval hearing.
One practical warning from the administrator about mailed filings: postmarks are applied when mail reaches a processing facility, not when it is dropped in a box, so a form deposited on the deadline can be postmarked late. Mail about a week early, get a hand postmark at a post office counter, or send by certified mail.
How Do You Take Action?
Filing online through the official settlement website is the fastest route, and it gives you a confirmation code by email that you should keep. A paper claim form can be downloaded from the same site and mailed to the administrator.File a claim on the official settlement website.
Your other options: do nothing and you stay in the class, give up the released claims, and receive no payment. Exclude yourself by September 17, 2026 and you keep the right to sue on your own but get nothing from this settlement. Object by September 17, 2026 if you want the court to hear why it should not approve the deal — objecting requires staying in the class, and it is not the same as opting out. If your address or email changes after you file, tell the administrator through the official website.
What Are You Giving Up?
If you stay in the class and the settlement becomes final, you release the settled claims against the defendants and a broad set of related released parties, including their parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, franchisees and licensees. The release covers state and federal claims arising from the conduct alleged in the case — antitrust and consumer protection claims tied to commissions negotiated, offered, obtained or paid to brokerages, and the effect of those commissions on the purchase price.The release also extends, on conditions, to NAR members, member boards, listing services and certain REALTOR®-principal brokerages that agree to the required practice changes and were not themselves defendants in a case on the same facts as of April 10, 2026. If you have a pending case against any defendant, speak to your own lawyer before the exclusion deadline.
What Happens Next?
The next milestone is the final approval hearing on November 2, 2026 at 9:30 a.m. before Judge Lindsay C. Jenkins at the Everett McKinley Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in Chicago, with the court able to hold it by video or telephone. At that hearing the court will decide whether the settlement is fair, reasonable and adequate, and will rule on attorneys' fees, expenses and service awards. Timely objections are considered there.The hearing date and format can change without further notice to the class, so confirm on the official website before travelling. A hearing being held is not the same as approval being granted, and approval does not by itself mean money moves — payments follow only after the settlement becomes final, which can be delayed by appeals. Class counsel's fee motion is posted on the settlement website before the objection deadline.
Questions
Does this settlement cover home sellers?
No. Membership is based on buying a home, not selling one. Having sold a home is not a basis for inclusion. Separate settlements were reached for home sellers in the Burnett, Gibson, Keel and Hooper cases, and anyone who is a class member in one of those seller settlements is excluded from this settlement and may not receive a payment from it.
Why are there two different sets of class period dates?
The class periods differ by defendant as well as by state, because the defendants were added to the litigation at different times and different state antitrust statutes carry different lookback periods. One set of dates applies to a group of brokerages, and a longer set applies to the larger national defendants and the National Association of REALTORS. If your purchase falls inside either set, you may be a class member as to those defendants.
Why does my state have its own class period start date?
Because these are state-law claims, and each state's law reaches back a different distance. A homebuyer is an indirect purchaser of the brokerage services at issue, since the commission is negotiated between the seller and the seller's broker, and the court dismissed the federal antitrust damages claim in the earlier homebuyer case on that ground in 2022, citing Illinois Brick Co. v. Illinois. What went forward, and what this settlement resolves, are claims under individual state antitrust and consumer protection statutes, and those statutes carry different limitations periods. That is why the lookback runs six years in one state and two in another, and why Puerto Rico reaches back the furthest of any jurisdiction on the list. The Lookback column in each class period table shows the figure that applies to your state. The June 25, 2026 end date is the same everywhere because it is the agreed cutoff for the settlement rather than a question of state law.
Why do the dates count back from December 8 and January 25?
Those are the days the two sets of claims were filed, and each state's period runs back from the filing date that applies to it. The case against the brokerage defendants in the first table was filed December 8, 2023 in the Circuit Court of Cook County as Tuccori v. At World Properties, and every start date in that table falls four, five or six years earlier. The case against the National Association of REALTORS® and the national brokerages in the second table was filed January 25, 2021 in the Northern District of Illinois as Leeder v. The National Association of Realtors, later captioned Batton, and every start date in that table falls between two and fifteen years earlier. Because that case was filed nearly three years sooner, its periods open earlier in every state. The parties negotiated the specific dates, and the court approved the resulting class definition when it granted preliminary approval.
Do I need my closing paperwork to file?
Yes. The claim form requires proof of the purchase, and the administrator accepts documents such as a closing statement, settlement statement, HUD statement, settlement letter, or other transaction documents from the closing. The form also asks for the purchase price and the broker commissions paid, which those documents establish. Claims may be audited, so keep copies of everything submitted.
What if I bought more than one home during the class period?
Each qualifying purchase is reported separately. On the paper claim form that means a separate home purchase page for each property; the online form has an equivalent step. The payment calculation takes the number of properties purchased and the commissions paid into account, so reporting every qualifying purchase matters.
How much will each person receive?
No per-person amount has been announced. Payments are pro rata from the net fund after fees, costs and any service awards the court approves, and each share depends on the total number of valid claims plus that claimant's purchase price and commissions paid. Class counsel has said it will ask for attorneys' fees of up to one third of the fund, subject to court approval.
When would payments actually arrive?
No payment date has been announced. The fund is being paid into the settlement in installments by the defendants, so the administrator has said class members will receive multiple payments spread over a period of several years once the settlement is approved and becomes final. Approval is not automatic, and any appeal would extend the timeline further.
Official Class Notice
Motion for Preliminary Approval
Class Settlement Agreement
Sources and Verification
• Official Settlement Website• Official Class Notice (PDF)
• Motion for Preliminary Approval of Class Settlement (PDF)
• Class Settlement Agreement (PDF)
• Official claim form and frequently asked questions published by the settlement administrator.
• Tuccori et al. v. At World Properties, LLC et al., No. 1:24-cv-00150 (N.D. Ill.), docket.
• Tuccori v. At World Properties, LLC, No. 2023 CH 09928, filed December 8, 2023 in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, Chancery Division, and later removed to the Northern District of Illinois.
• Leeder v. The National Association of Realtors, No. 1:21-cv-00430 (N.D. Ill.) — complaint filed January 25, 2021; later captioned Batton.
