A sold sign is shown in front of west-end Toronto homes Sunday, May 14, 2017. The end might be near for a seven-year battle that has kept the public from easily finding out online what homes in the Greater Toronto Area sold for.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graeme Roy
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The monopoly on real estate sales data that has limited options for listing properties and used for years to extract high commissions from sellers is finally being tackled in Canada and the US.
This after a Supreme Court decision in Canada and class action started in the US. Now they need to make this apply to the rest of Canada and the US.
Property title search and transfer fees also need to be made more reasonable. This service used to be government run and reasonable but fees were increased to became a cash cow and then in many jurisdictions it privatized for short term payoffs and even less control.
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Why buying and selling homes in the GTA is about to get easier
Home sales data transparency will be a game changer for Canadian homebuyers
Aug 24, 2018 Aaron Hutchins – Macleans ca
https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/15/economy/real-estate-commissions/index.html
It is also affecting public listings of some luxury homes.
https://flipboard.com/@globeandmail/growing-number-of-luxury-home-sellers-opting-out-of-publicly-listing-following-2/f-8324b3fdd5/theglobeandmail.com