<HTML> <HEAD> <title>WebForm1</title> <meta name="GENERATOR" content="Microsoft Visual Studio .NET 7.1"> <meta name="CODE_LANGUAGE" content="Visual Basic .NET 7.1"> <meta name="vs_defaultClientScript" content="JavaScript"> <meta name="vs_targetSchema" content="http://schemas.microsoft.com/intellisense/ie5"> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content='text/html; charset=UTF-8'> </HEAD> <body > <TABLE id="Table1" cellSpacing="1" cellPadding="1" width="100%" border="0"> <TR> <TD><b>Comment Number:</b></TD> <TD>518795-00175</TD> </TR> <TR> <TD><b>Received Date:</b></TD> <TD>10/22/2005 1:53:15 PM</TD> </TR> <TR> <TD><b>Organization:</b></TD> <TD>Coldwell Banker Bain Associates</TD> </TR> <TR> <TD><b>Commenter:</b></TD> <TD>Olson, Louise</TD> </TR> <TR> <TD><b>State:</b></TD> <TD>WA</TD> </TR> <TR> <TD><b>Agency:</b></TD> <TD>Federal Trade Commission</TD> </TR> <TR> <TD><b>Rule:</b></TD> <TD>Competition Policy and the Real Estate Industry</TD> </TR> <TR> <TD><b>Docket ID:</b></TD> <TD>To Be Added</TD> </TR> <TR> <td colspan='2'>No Attachments</td> </TR> </TABLE> <hr/> <b>Comments:</b><br/><br/> Dear FTC Representative; Believe me, the Real Estate business is competitive! It couldn t possibly be more so, and couldn t possibly provide more choices for consumers, as I ve discovered in my four years of experience as a REALTOR. In the US, this competitive system of buying and selling has been in place and functional for over 150 years. The REALTOR Association is the oldest professional designation in the US, developed as a way to ensure the competitive nature of RE sales keeps the interests of the sellers at heart. In an economy in which large, national corporations -- such as Wal-Mart and Microsoft -- dominate the marketplace, real estate stands apart. We are an industry made up predominantly of small businesses and independent contractors who represent the entrepreneurial spirit this country was founded on. All of us serve localized markets where we compete for business every day. (!) Fierce competition is fueled largely by the UNIQUELY INTENSE AND PERSONALIZED NATURE of the service we provide to our clients -- which, in turn, determines our future success through referrals and return business. Barriers to entry are low. If you are willing to take the time to learn the business in your local market, pass the state license examination and adhere to the REALTOR code of ethics, there is nothing to stand in the way of success in this industry. I had to learn the business and pass the state licensing examination, but it is my own work ethic, commitment to professional standards and dedication to client satisfaction that determine my success. Even through the economic downturns our country has experienced in the past few years, our industry has continued to provide opportunity -- something I would say is confirmed by the thousands of new agents that join our profession every year and the over 2 million Americans who are now licensed to provide professional real estate services in communities across the country. Nothing encourages a competitive business environment more than providing consumers with choice. In the residential real estate marketplace, consumers not only are able to choose from more than 76,000 brokerage firms and more than 1.2 million REALTORS, but also from a variety of business models. As I said, I m not sure how any business is MORE competitive in nature, and provides more choices for consumers, than this one is and does. Sincerely, Louise S. Olson, REALTOR Coldwell Banker Bain Associates&nbsp;&nbsp;<A name=RDACT1></A> </body> </HTML>